🇩🇪 Germany
Käse-Lauch-Suppe (cheese and leek soup)German cheesy leek soup
A German creamy soup of leek and minced meat in stock, enriched with processed cream cheese and often crème fraîche; a popular party and buffet soup.
Origin and history
Käse-Lauch-Suppe is a modern German home and party soup rather than a regional dish: leeks and minced meat in stock, bound with processed cheese, a Swiss invention of 1911 that melts without separating. German food magazines describe it as a family classic of birthday parties, New Year's Eve buffets and winter evenings, often served next to chili con carne. Its region and date of origin are not documented.
Make it at home
- Makes
- 6 servings
- Total time
- 40 min
- Hands-on
- 20 min
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp sunflower or rapeseed oil
- 500 g1.1 lb mixed minced beef and pork (Hackfleisch gemischt)
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 600 g (2–3)1.3 lb (2–3) leeks (Lauch, Porree), trimmed, halved lengthwise, washed well and cut in rings
- 1 l4¼ cups vegetable or meat stock, hot
- 200 g7 oz processed cream cheese (Sahne-Schmelzkäse), plain or with herbs
- 100 gscant ½ cup crème fraîche or heavy cream
- salt and black pepper, to taste
- 1 pinch freshly grated nutmeg
- baguette or bread rolls, to serve
Method
-
1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat and fry the mince for 5–8 minutes, breaking it up with a spoon, until crumbly and browned. Season with salt and pepper.
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2. Add the onion and leeks and cook for 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring, until the leeks soften and collapse.
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3. Pour in the hot stock, bring to the boil and simmer for 10–15 minutes, until the leeks are tender.
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4. Turn the heat to low. Add the processed cheese in pieces and stir until it has melted completely into the soup.
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5. Stir in the crème fraîche or cream and heat through without letting the soup boil hard, or the cheese can turn grainy.
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6. Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper and serve hot with fresh bread.
Notes
- The everyday version, often called Hack-Lauch-Suppe: leek, mixed mince and stock, bound with processed cheese. Some cooks add sliced mushrooms with the leeks, diced potatoes with the stock, or a handful of small pasta.
- Wash leeks carefully between the layers; grit makes the soup crunchy.
- Processed cheese (Schmelzkäse) is what makes the soup smooth, because it melts without separating. Without it, use the same weight of cream cheese plus 50 g (1.75 oz) grated Cheddar or Gouda, stirred in with the cream; the soup is a little less silky.
- For a vegetarian version, replace the mince with soaked soy mince or a plant-based mince and use vegetable stock.
- A party favourite: make it the day before (it tastes better), reheat gently and keep it warm on the stove or in a slow cooker, with toppings such as fried onions, bacon bits, herbs or croutons.
- It keeps 2–3 days in the fridge and freezes for a few months, though the cheese may turn slightly grainy when thawed.
- German cooks also make it after a long night, as a hearty hangover soup.
Adapted from LECKER: Käse-Lauch-Suppe mit Hackfleisch and Leinetal24: Hack-Lauch-Suppe mit Schmelzkäse.
At the festivals
Served at 2 festivals in Germany.
Earlier editions
-
September 28, 2024
🇩🇪 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
12. Internationales Höchster Suppenfest
On the menu as Käse-Lauch-Suppe
By Werkstatt Höchst
- September 16, 2023