Description
Experience the comforting warmth of this French Garlic Soup, featuring a delightful blend of garlic, thyme, and tender potatoes. Creamy and rich, it’s perfect for chilly nights and pairs wonderfully with crusty bread for dipping. Easy to make, this soup is sure to become a favorite!
Ingredients
Scale
- 6 large cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 4 cups of chicken or vegetable broth
- 2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
- 1 cup of heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon of fresh thyme leaves (or ½ teaspoon dried thyme)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)
- Crusty bread, for serving
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat. Allow the butter to melt completely and the oil to warm up.
- Add the minced garlic and chopped onion to the pot. Sauté for about 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions become translucent and the garlic is fragrant but not browned.
- Once the onions and garlic are ready, add the diced potatoes to the pot. Stir well to combine all the ingredients.
- Pour in the chicken or vegetable broth, ensuring that the potatoes are fully submerged. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat.
- Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and add the fresh thyme. Cover the pot and let it simmer for about 20-25 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork.
- After the potatoes are cooked, remove the pot from the heat. Using an immersion blender, carefully blend the soup until it reaches a smooth and creamy consistency.
- Once blended, return the soup to the pot and place it back on low heat.
- Stir in the heavy cream, mixing well to incorporate it into the soup. Allow the soup to heat through for about 5 minutes, but do not let it boil again.
- After the soup has heated through, taste it and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to your liking.
- If you prefer a more intense garlic flavor, you can add an additional clove of minced garlic at this stage and let it simmer for another 2-3 minutes.
- Once seasoned, ladle the soup into bowls. Garnish each bowl with a sprinkle of freshly chopped parsley.
- Serve the French garlic soup hot, accompanied by slices of crusty bread.
- For an extra touch, drizzle a little olive oil on top of the soup before serving or add a sprinkle of grated cheese, such as Gruyère or Parmesan.
Notes
- For a deeper flavor, consider roasting the garlic before adding it to the soup. To do this, wrap whole garlic cloves in aluminum foil with a drizzle of olive oil and roast in a preheated oven at 400°F (200°C) for about 30-35 minutes until soft and caramelized.
- Feel free to experiment with herbs. Besides thyme, you can add a bay leaf during the simmering phase for additional depth of flavor. Just remember to remove it before blending.
- If you want a lighter version of the soup, you can substitute the heavy cream with half-and-half or even a non-dairy milk alternative, though this may alter the flavor slightly.
- For a more substantial meal, consider adding cooked chicken or sautéed mushrooms to the soup before serving.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes