Traditional German Potato Soup can be a comforting addition to your meal plan. It’s filling, and I have never met a person who didn’t like it. Although it involves a bit of chopping, it takes only 30 minutes to cook, so you will have your dinner ready in no time. Being a one-pot meal also saves time while cleaning up!
Table of Contents
Where is potato soup from?
Potato Soup was invented in Germany and Austria. Its main ingredient is potatoes. German Potato Soup can enormously vary, and regional variations are available here. Because it is packed with lots of veggies, it replaces a main meal.
What is German Potato Soup?
German Potato Soup is a soup made with potatoes, onions and soup vegetables carrtos, leek, celery and parsley root) and additional ingredients, depending on the recipe. Part of the potatoes is often mashed in the pot so that the soup gets thicker. Although, I like to thicken the soup with some starch.
Many potato soups contain bacon cubes, parboiled sausages (like Frankfurter, Wiener, or Bockwurst), and bread roll cubes. Curiously, some are served with a sweet dish on the side, like plum or apple cake!
Recipe
You can make potato soup in 3 simple steps:
- Preparation – Peel & chop vegetables
- Frying – Fry the vegetables (and bacon, if using) in a large pot
- Cooking – Fill the pot with water and cook the soup for at least 20 minutes. After this time, check if the vegetables are tender.
- Serving – Correct the seasoning, thicken the soup, and serve it with sausage, parsley, or chives on top.
Please leave out the meat for a vegetarian variation and the additional cream for a vegan version.
Traditional German Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 1 kg potatoes
- 500 g soup vegetables 3-4 carrots, 1/4 celery root, parsley root, leek
- 1 onion
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 200 g bacon cubes
- 1,5 l water or vegetable broth
- 100 ml cream
- salt
- nutmeg
Serving
- 4 parboiled sausages
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley or chives
Instructions
Prepare
- Wash and peel all vegetables apart from leek.
- Cut the vegetable into 2x2cm cubes (smaller than an inch).
- Cut the leek into thin slices.
Cook
- Preheat the oil in a large pot. Fry onion with bacon on medium heat until onion turns translucent. Add the rest of the vegetables and turn the heat to medium-high.
- Fry vegetables until they develop roasting aromas (this is when they start to brown).
- Add water or vegetable broth to the pot, cover it with a lid, and bring it to a boil. Turn the heat to medium-low and let the soup simmer for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, add the sausages and cook them in a soup for another 10 minutes. In a meanwhile wash and chop the herbs.
- Take out the sausages and cut them into slices.
- Season the soup with salt and nutmeg.
- Pour the soup into the soup plates and decorate it with few sausage slices and fresh herbs.
- Guten Appetit!
Is German Potato Soup healthy?
Potatoes and other vegetables are a great source of vitamins, minerals, and fibre. Packed with these nutritious ingredients, this soup supports immune function, heart health, and digestion and reduces inflammation. It’s a wholesome choice for your meal.
Which potatoes for German Potato Soup?
It depends on what type of potato soup you like to make.
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- For a creamy soup, go for starchy potatoes. They release the starch, making the soup thicker, and fall apart during cooking, creating a creamy consistency.
- I use waxy potatoes because I like my potato soup with potato cubes that don’t fall apart during cooking.
German Potato Soup Ingredients
What spices for German Potato Soup?
To season German Potato Soup, you will need spices you already have in your kitchen. Salt is essential seasoning. I also recommend adding black pepper and nutmeg.Â
How to thicken the potato soup?
You can adjust the consistency of the potato soup to your liking.Â
The easiest way to thicken it is to take a potato masher and mash it a few times. The potato cubes will fall apart and change the consistency of the soup.
I thicken my potato soup with Mondamin; if you don’t have it, use starch. To avoid lumps, dissolve one tablespoon of starch in cold water and then pour that mixture into the water, stirring vigorously. The starch and water mixture creates perfect consistency, and the potato cubes will be safe and sound.
Tools that might come in handy
Will potato soup freeze well?
Let’s talk storage!Â
After enjoying your Potato Soup, store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will stay fresh for up to 3 days, giving you the option to enjoy it again without any hassle.
Yes, potato soup can be frozen without any problems. It can be kept in the freezer for up to 3 months.Â
Variations
There are many different variations of potato soup. If you are curious, I recommend looking at the list for inspiration.
Creamy Potato Soup (Sämige Kartoffelsuppe) – Potato Soup with Mashed potatoes
Potato Soup Nordern Style (Kartoffelsuppe nach Nord Deutscher Art) – potato soup with pear slices
Potato Soup from Bremen (Bremer Kartoffelsuppe) – with bacon cubes and brown shrimp
Saxonian Potato Soup (Sächsische Kartoffelsuppe) – with grilled sausage
Potato soups from Baden, Pfalz and Swabia – served with steamed dumplings, plum or apple cake
Sour Broth (Sauer Brie) – very straightforward potato soup containing only onions, potatoes, vinegar, water, and spices. The potatoes are mashed or cooked until they fall apart.
German Potato Soup also tastes great without meat and cream, making it suitable for vegetarian or vegan diets.
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