A Simple Wild Game Soup for Cold Weather
Take stock in a comforting bowl of elk leek soup—a brothy, cold-weather favorite that warms you from the inside out on frigid, bone-chilling winter days. Soup is the ultimate comfort food: easy to prepare, deeply satisfying, and even more rewarding when elk is the star ingredient. This simple wild game soup highlights clean flavors while delivering the kind of nourishment you crave when temperatures drop.
This elk leek soup is also well suited for making ahead. Allowing the soup to rest overnight gives the flavors time to deepen and meld, making the next day’s reheated bowl even more flavorful. Like many great soups, patience is rewarded.
Freezing this elk soup is just as simple. Portion it into freezer-safe containers and store it for future meals—perfect for warming up after long days outdoors or for quick, hearty dinners when time is short.
When it comes to soup, less is more. A straightforward combination of gently sliced leeks, buttery fingerling potatoes, fragrant thyme, and tender, bite-sized pieces of seasoned elk lets the natural flavors shine. The result is a rich, savory broth that feels both rustic and refined.
Finish each bowl with a few crisp Parmesan crisps for a final pop of texture and flavor—an ideal complement to this comforting wild game meal. Simple, nourishing, and built for winter.
Season the elk meat generously with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Heat a stock pot over medium heat and add oil. Add the meat and brown for about 2-3 minutes. You may need to do this in batches to not overcrowd. Remove the meat and set aside in a bowl.
Add the sliced leeks and garlic to the pot and cook until the leeks have softened, about 10 minutes.
Return the meat back to the pot and sprinkle with the flour stirring to combine. Add the beef broth, water and a sprig of thyme. Cover the pot partially with the lid and reduce the heat to low cooking for 45 minutes. Add the cut fingerling potatoes to the stew and continue cooking until tender, about 30 minutes.
Serve the Elk Leek Soup with Parmesan crisps and fresh parsley.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs elk stew meat, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 leeks, trimmed and finely sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp flour
- 1 fresh sprig of thyme
- 4 cups beef broth
- 1 cup water
- 10 fingerling potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
Parmesan Crisps
- 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
Instructions
- Season the elk meat generously with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Heat a stock pot over medium heat and add oil. Add the meat and brown for about 2-3 minutes. You may need to do this in batches to not overcrowd. Remove the meat and set aside in a bowl.
- Add the sliced leeks and garlic to the pot and cook until the leeks have softened, about 10 minutes. Return the meat back to the pot and sprinkle with the flour stirring to combine. Add the beef broth, water and a sprig of thyme. Cover the pot partially with the lid and reduce the heat to low cooking for 45 minutes.
- Add the cut fingerling potatoes to the stew and continue cooking until tender, about 30 minutes.
- While the stew is cooking, add butter to a non-stick skillet and heat over medium heat. When the butter is melted, spread out the grated Parmesan cheese creating a round pancake shape. Fry the cheese for 1 minute or until browned and flip with a spatula. Continue cooking for 1 minute until hardened. Remove from heat. When the cheese has cooled, break the Parmesan crisp into smaller portions.
- Serve the Elk Leek Soup with Parmesan crisps and fresh parsley.
Explore More Wild Game Recipes
If you enjoy simple, comforting wild game meals like this elk leek soup, my Wild Game Cuisine Cookbook features dozens of approachable recipes using elk, venison, antelope, and more. Each dish is designed to highlight the natural flavor of wild game while creating meals that bring people together—because every meal tells a story.