Leek & Potato (Prebiotics) Soup

Leek & Potato soup is always a firm favorite, but did you know that some of its key ingredients are imperative to good gut health? Jam packed with prebiotic foods, this recipe is simple to make, tastes great and will send some loving to your gut health.

What Are Prebiotics?

All prebiotic foods are a form of fiber, but it is important to be aware that not all foods containing fiber are prebiotics. Prebiotics, in a nutshell, are food ingredients that arrive to the colon undigested where they begin a fermentation process while offering beneficial changes to your gut microflora.

Prebiotics are specific - they know exactly what they are up to and they help to increase the growth of healthy gut bacteria such as bifidobacteria and lactobacilli. By increasing health-promoting bacteria it leads to inhibiting the growth of other pathogenic bacteria, so that gets a big nutrition thumbs up from me. Leek, onion and garlic are great sources of prebiotics foods, and the health benefits of prebiotics don’t just stop at increasing healthy gut bacteria, there’s more!

Prebiotic foods increase production of short chain fatty acids (SCFAs).  These SCFAs are important to inhibiting pathogenic bacteria and increasing production of immune-boosting white blood cells. Prebiotics also activate production of Gut Associated Lymphoid Tissue (GALT), a component of gut barriers that helps to protect the digestive tract by also inhibiting growth of pathogenic bacteria that can enter through foods consumed.

So really, what you can probably ascertain here is that prebiotic foods are overflowing in good stuff and I can’t think of a better way to start than with a nice bowl of Leek & Potato Soup.

Leek & Potato Soup

Serves: 3
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 3 leeks
• 2 red onions
• 5 cloves garlic
• 1 litre/ 35.2 fluid ounce vegetable stock
• 4 medium-sized potatoes (750-800 g/ 1.65lbs-1.76 lbs)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Pinch of salt and pepper
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Method

1. Chop the onions, leeks and garlic.
2. Heat a saucepan adding the olive oil to heat up. Once heated add the onions and garlic. Once the onions and garlic start to soften, add the leeks and stir until they start to soften, too.
3. Peel and chop the potatoes.
4. Add the potatoes and vegetable stock to the saucepan with the onions, garlic and leeks.
5. Bring to a boil and then turn the heat to medium and cook for approximately 30 minutes allowing the potatoes to cook. Add a pinch of salt and pepper.
6. When the potatoes are cooked through, place the mixture into a blender and blend until smooth.
7. Sauté some garlic and leeks with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle on the soup along with the sesame seeds to decorate (optional).

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