Potato Parmesan Soup with Pesto

We all know what a soup fan I am and this is one of those soups that is pure comfort. It was so much better than I expected because potato soup …..is well…….some of my old versions anyway tended to get gluey or just way too much potato-y-starchy. This has just the right amount of stock, potato, milk/cream and that dash of pesto sends it to another category. I have finally found my favorite Potato Soup! I got this Potato Parmesan soup recipe from Tasty Kitchen! Thanks ever so much.

Tis the season for warmth and hearty dishes. This dish is a delight on its own but I am thinking some home made rolls would be the perfect match. Stay tuned.

Here’s all you do:

Potato Parmesan Soup with Pesto

Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 whole medium shallot, diced
1 whole large garlic clove, minced
5 whole medium potatoes, peeled and cubed (I like tiny bits of skin on, gives nice flecks…..just sayin!)
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 bay leaf
1 cup milk
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Salt and pepper, to taste
Pesto

Directions:
In a medium stockpot, drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil and heat to medium. When warm, add shallot and saute until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook for an additional minute. Add potatoes, stock, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil and then simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Using an immersion blender, puree soup to desired texture. Add milk and bring back to a low boil. (My potatoes took longer than 15 minutes, so it really heated up and hence I didn’t add the milk until I turned off the heat. For other reasons)  Turn off heat and remove bay leaf. Stir in grated Parmesan.  If you use a blender rather than an immersion blender, make sure soup is cool before blending it to prevent a kitchen explosion. Taste soup at this point and add salt and pepper to taste (the soup should be plenty salty from the Parmesan cheese). (Kath here: Since you are only using 1/2 cup cheese I personally found that it definitely needed salt;-))  If you don’t serve immediately, reheat soup before serving.

Place a large dollop (about 1 tablespoon or more) of pesto into each serving bowl and swirl into the soup. Delightful! Really the nice surprise and a change from the usual dollop of sour cream.

Toast to good friends and enjoy the New Year with shared yummy dishes!

Bon Appétit!