Ina Garten’s Creamy Potato Fennel Soup Recipe for a Soft and Savory Bowl

Creamy potato fennel soup transforms ordinary ingredients into an extraordinary culinary experience that warms both body and soul.

Delicate aromatics mingle with hearty root vegetables, creating a luxurious texture that whispers comfort with every spoonful.

Complex flavor profiles dance across your palate, promising a sophisticated yet approachable dining adventure.

Sophisticated home cooks adore this recipe for its elegant simplicity and remarkable depth of taste.

French-inspired techniques elevate this humble soup from basic to brilliant, showcasing how a few quality ingredients can become something magical.

Subtle notes of anise from fennel weave through rich, velvety potatoes, offering a nuanced gastronomic journey.

Each carefully crafted bowl represents a celebration of seasonal ingredients and timeless cooking wisdom: prepare to be delighted.

Flavor Enhancements You’ll Want to Add

• Roasted Vegetable Potato Soup: Enhance the soup's depth by roasting fennel, onions, and potatoes before blending. Caramelize vegetables in the oven to develop rich, intense flavors that transform the original recipe.
• Spicy Seafood Potato Soup: Incorporate fresh shrimp or crab meat during the final heating stage. Add a pinch of red pepper flakes and swap Pernod with white wine for a coastal-inspired variation.
• Herb-Infused Creamy Soup: Introduce fresh thyme, rosemary, and dill during the sautéing process. Blend herbs directly into the soup for an aromatic and vibrant flavor profile that elevates the classic recipe.
• Vegetarian Potato Fennel Soup: Replace chicken stock with vegetable broth and add roasted garlic for extra depth. Include plant-based cream or coconut milk to maintain the soup's signature creamy texture.

Soup Recap That’s Smooth and Savory

Ina Garten’s potato fennel soup whispers comfort through its creamy, anise-kissed embrace.

Fennel’s delicate sweetness dances with hearty potatoes, creating a symphony of flavors that warms winter souls.

Mediterranean roots shine through each silky spoonful, transforcoming simple ingredients into culinary poetry.

Balanced seasoning elevates this recipe from mere sustenance to gastronomic art.

What a masterpiece awaits – you’ll savor each spoonful, share its magic with friends, and celebrate how remarkable simplicity can be in classic cooking.

Why Creamy Potato Fennel Soup Is a Cozy Delight

• Elevate Comfort with Elegance: This potato fennel soup transforms humble ingredients into a sophisticated, luxurious dish that feels like a warm hug from a French countryside kitchen.
• Silky Smooth Sensation: The careful puréeing process creates an incredibly creamy, velvety texture that glides effortlessly across your palate, making each spoonful a delightful sensory experience.
• Aromatic Flavor Symphony: Fennel's subtle licorice-like essence combines with rich chicken stock and Pernod, building complex layers of flavor that dance between earthy, sweet, and slightly anise-like notes, making this soup far more exciting than a traditional potato soup.

Ingredients You’ll Need for This Velvety Soup

• Fennel: Sweet vegetable with delicate licorice flavor that adds unique depth to the soup.
• Onions: Classic aromatic that provides a foundational savory flavor profile.
• Olive Oil, Butter: Fat components for sautéing vegetables and building rich soup base.

• Chicken Stock: Primary liquid that creates the soup's foundation and adds savory complexity.
• Potatoes: Starchy vegetable that provides creamy texture and thickness to the soup.
• Half-and-Half: Dairy component that adds luxurious creaminess and smooth consistency.

• Pernod: Anise-flavored liqueur that intensifies the fennel's natural flavor profile.
• Salt, Pepper: Essential seasonings for balancing and enhancing overall taste.
• Fennel Fronds: Delicate herb garnish that provides fresh visual and flavor accent.

How to Make Creamy Potato Fennel Soup from Scratch

Step 1: Prepare Cooking Vessel

Select a medium pot or Dutch oven and place it on the stovetop.

• Olive oil
• Butter
• Fennel
• Onions

Step 2: Sauté Aromatic Vegetables

Heat olive oil and butter over medium-low heat.

Add chopped fennel and onions.

Cook while stirring occasionally for 15 minutes until vegetables develop a golden-brown color.

Step 3: Introduce Potato and Liquid

• Diced potatoes
• Chicken stock
• Salt
• Black pepper

Raise heat to bring mixture to a boil.

Reduce heat, cover pot, and simmer for 30 minutes until potatoes become extremely soft.

Step 4: Transform Soup Texture

Transfer soup in batches to a food processor.

Blend until completely smooth.

Return puréed soup to the original pot.

Step 5: Enhance Flavor Profile

• Pernod
• Half-and-half

Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

Gently reheat soup over medium-low temperature.

Step 6: Plate and Serve

Select large, shallow soup bowls.

Place optional garnishes in bowl centers.

Pour hot soup around garnishes.

Drizzle with additional olive oil.

Sprinkle reserved fennel fronds on top.

Serve immediately while piping hot.

Tips to Balance Earthy and Creamy Notes

• Boost Stock Quality: Homemade chicken stock transforms the soup's depth, creating a more complex and rich flavor profile compared to store-bought alternatives.
• Master Vegetable Caramelization: Slow-cooking fennel and onions over medium-low heat develops natural sugars, releasing a sweet, mellow undertone that elevates the entire soup's taste.
• Nail Perfect Potato Texture: Test potato tenderness with a fork, ensuring they're soft but not falling apart. Slightly firm potatoes maintain the soup's ideal creamy consistency.
• Blend Like a Pro: Use an immersion blender or standard blender, working in small batches to achieve silky-smooth results without splashing or uneven mixing.
• Season with Confidence: Always taste and adjust salt and pepper just before serving. A pinch of seasoning can dramatically enhance the soup's overall flavor balance.

Best Way to Store Cream Soups

• Refrigerate: Seal the soup in an airtight glass container with a tight-fitting lid to preserve its creamy texture and prevent absorption of other refrigerator odors. Store flat in the coldest part of the refrigerator away from the door for maximum freshness and up to 4 days.
• Freeze: Transfer cooled soup to freezer-safe containers, leaving 1-inch headspace for expansion. Label with the date and contents, then freeze flat to save space. Frozen soup maintains quality for 2-3 months when properly sealed.
• Reheating: Slowly warm the soup in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring frequently to prevent scorching and maintain the silky consistency. Add a splash of chicken stock or water if the soup appears too thick after refrigeration or freezing. Avoid boiling to prevent separation of cream and ingredients.

Ina Garten Creamy Potato Fennel Soup Recipe

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4.9 from 18 reviews

• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 6 1x

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Description

Ina Garten’s creamy potato fennel soup brings rustic French countryside comfort to your kitchen. Rich fennel and potato blend into a silky smooth experience that warms souls with each delightful spoonful you savor.

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Ingredients

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Vegetables:

• 5 cups (500 grams / about 2 bulbs) sliced fennel, tops and cores removed, fronds reserved
• 4 cups (500 grams / 3 onions) sliced yellow onions
• 1½ pounds (680 grams) Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and 1-inch diced

Liquids and Dairy:

• 5 cups (1.2 liters) good chicken stock (preferably homemade)
• 1 cup (240 milliliters) half-and-half
• 2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) Pernod liqueur

Fats, Seasonings, and Garnishes:

• 2 tablespoons (30 grams / ¼ stick) unsalted butter
• Good olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Garnishes: Meredith Dairy cheese, cubed creamy goat cheese, croutons, cooked crumbled bacon, and/or cooked pancetta

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Instructions

1. Initiate the flavor foundation by gently warming olive oil and butter in a medium-sized pot or Dutch oven over moderate heat. Introduce finely chopped fennel and onions, allowing them to caramelize and develop a rich, golden-brown complexion through periodic stirring, approximately 15 minutes.
2. Incorporate diced potatoes, chicken stock, and season generously with salt and pepper. Elevate the temperature until the liquid reaches a robust boil, then reduce heat, cover the pot, and let the mixture simmer for 30 minutes, ensuring potatoes become exceptionally tender and easily mashable.
3. Transform the soup’s texture by carefully transferring portions into a food processor equipped with a steel blade. Purée each batch until achieving a silky, uniform consistency, then methodically return the processed soup to the original cooking vessel.
4. Enhance the soup’s complexity by introducing Pernod and half-and-half, creating a luxurious, creamy profile. Meticulously taste and fine-tune seasonings to achieve a perfectly balanced flavor spectrum.
5. Prepare serving presentation by strategically positioning garnishes in the center of expansive, shallow soup bowls. Delicately pour the steaming soup surrounding the garnishes, then artfully drizzle with a kiss of olive oil and crown with reserved fennel fronds, presenting a visually stunning and aromatic dish ready to be savored.

Notes

• Harness homemade stock’s magic by using freshly prepared chicken broth, which delivers deeper, more complex flavors compared to commercial alternatives.
• Gently caramelize fennel and onions over medium-low heat, allowing natural sugars to develop a rich, sweet undertone that transforms the soup’s overall taste profile.
• Monitor potato tenderness carefully to maintain ideal texture, preventing mushiness that could compromise the soup’s delightful consistency.
• Blend strategically in small batches, ensuring each portion receives equal attention for a silky-smooth result without lumps or uneven mixing.
• Taste and fine-tune seasonings just before serving, understanding that subtle salt and pepper adjustments can elevate the entire dish from good to extraordinary.

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 45 minutes
• Category: Lunch, Dinner, Appetizer
• Method: Sautéing
• Cuisine: American

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 cup (about 240 ml)
• Calories: 270
• Sugar: 6g
• Sodium: 800mg
• Fat: 16g
• Saturated Fat: 8g
• Carbohydrates: 25g
• Fiber: 3g
• Protein: 6g
• Cholesterol: 35mg