German Cheese and Leek Soup with Ground Pork

 

A popular German cheese and leek soup with ground pork, a thick and savory soup everybody loves.

 

CHEESE AND LEEK SOUP

 

 

This German cheese and leek soup is one of my mother-in-law’s signature dishes, just like the German Beef Soup with Marrow Dumplings or the Salad “Torte” with Vegetables, Ham and Cheese, that is: a dish I have eaten more often in her house than in my own.

This leek soup with cheese and pork was one of the first dishes I have ever eaten upon arriving to Germany and, ever since, I have eaten it more often than I could count, not only in my mother-in-law’s house, but in some of my neighbors’ and friends’ houses as well, most people I know make this soup on a regular basis.

 

 

INGREDIENTS FOR CHEESE AND LEEK SOUP

This German leek soup is very easy to make, it needs only a few and cheap ingredients.

Still, due to the cheese and ground meat, it is so extremely filling that one relatively small pot full of the soup goes a long way, that means you can feed quite a few people with it, most of them will be full after one bowl and will not take seconds.

But not because this cheese and leek soup is not good, it is absolutely delicious, no wonder it has been such a hit around here for more than 30 years now, my mother-in-law told me she first ate the soup and got the recipe sometimes in the 1980’s.

Leeks:

Leeks are super popular in Germany, you can buy them at any time of the year, they are always huge and very cheap. I cook them often, if you like them, you should try this Romanian Leek and Black Olive Stew, it is amazing.

How to clean leeks?

• Leeks are easy to work with, cleaning them is the only thing you have to pay special attention to.
• Leeks have many layers and dirt finds its way deep inside the layers, at the transition between the white and the green part of the vegetable, so you will have to actually separate the layers and thoroughly wash the leek in between the layers.
• Put the tip of a small sharp knife about 1 cm/ 0.4 inches below the beginning of the green part, just before the transition of the two colors, where the leek begins to open.
• Slit the leek from there to the end of the green part without cutting it all the way through.
• Carefully fan open the layers without taking the leek apart and rinse under running water until all the dirt is removed.

Cheese:

• You will need the spreadable, soft, melted cheese that comes in triangles. It is called Schmelzkäse in Germany, meaning melting cheese and I actually had to ask somebody living in America about this kind of cheese, because I didn’t know how it is called there.
• The answer was funny: laughing cow cheese. It probably comes from one brand selling this kind of cheese, I remember that in Romania I was also able to buy the melting cheese with the laughing cow on it.
• Buy the original flavor or something like cheddar flavor.

Ground pork:

• My mother-in-law always makes this soup with the so-called “Mett”, which is ground pork spiced with salt, pepper, a bit of garlic and a little caraway. Mett is usually sold to be eaten raw with buns and onions. Not my thing, I have to say.
• However, I like cooked Mett in this soup, it is basically just spiced ground pork. If you don’t live in Germany, you will probably not be able to buy Mett, but you can definitely use plain ground pork.

 

 

HOW TO MAKE LEEK SOUP WITH CHEESE?

1. Clean the leeks very thoroughly as instructed above.
2. Chop the leeks and the onion.
3. Heat the oil in a soup pan.
4. Fry the ground pork until brown, add ground caraway, garlic, some salt and pepper. If using Mett, you will not have to spice the meat.
5. Add the leeks and the onion and cook for 3-4 minutes.
6. Add vegetable broth and bring to a simmer.
7. Cook for about 20 minutes or until the leeks are soft.
8. Add the cheese broken in small pieces to the soup and stir very well until the soup is completely smooth and there are no cheese clumps inside it anymore.
9. Let simmer for a couple of minutes.
10. The soup is supposed to be very thick, but you could add a bit more broth if you find too thick.
11. Adjust the taste with salt and ground black pepper. Be generous with the pepper.
12. Sprinkle the cheese and leek soup with chopped chives and serve with bread.

 

 

HOW TO SERVE THE GERMAN CHEESE AND LEEK SOUP?

This cheese and leek soup with ground pork is a meal in itself, you will not need much on the side except from some bread.

You can serve the soup with crusty white bread, sourdough bread or dinner rolls.

The German cheese and leek soup is a very popular choice for party food in Germany. I cannot even count the many times I was served this soup at one party or another. It is easy to make, very filling, cheap and everybody loves it!

The following ingredients are enough for about 6 people, but the soup can be easily doubled or tripled. You just have to find a soup pot that is large enough…

The cheese and leek soup can be made in advance and reheated.

 

PIN IT FOR LATER!

 

 

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