Sometimes a little genre twist is all you need to make soup night feel like a real treat.
This soup is packed full of nourishing and cheap staple ingredients – potatoes! kale! beans! – but with the addition of Hatch chiles, cumin and cilantro, it goes in a fun and unexpected direction. You can pile it high with Southwestern toppings like salsa, sour cream and avocado if you wish – or just enjoy it as it is.
This is a cozy meal in a bowl kind of soup and is perfect served with fresh bread or cheesy quesadillas for dipping.
Potato soup lovers, you should also be checking out my more classic Best Vegetarian Potato Soup which replaces bacon with smoked cheese and my Creamy Veggie, Bean & Potato Soup which is similar to this recipe but with a smoky fennel flavor profile.
What to Know About the Ingredients
- There is flexibility with the veggies. I am using onion, carrot and bell pepper here but you’re welcome to add other veggies if you wish, such as mushrooms, celery, tomatoes or zucchini. Equally you can pare this back to just the onions and potatoes if you want something simpler.
- You can use any red or white potatoes for this recipe. More waxy potatoes will stay in more distinct chunks where more floury potatoes might start to melt into the broth more. Either works fine!
- Canned Hatch green chiles are where it’s at for this recipe. Easily available the Americas, but elsewhere you may need a specialist Mexican or American foods importer or Amazon for this one.
- The white beans are an optional addition, I made this soup several times without them and it was always great, but they do add protein which makes it a more complete meal.
- Cheddar cheese is my pick, but another cheese such as parmesan would work too.
Is this soup spicy?
Mine is not, because I use mild chiles and no other spice source, so it’s really mild and just has extra flavor and a little tang from the chiles.
If you’d prefer to make things a bit hotter, use spicy chiles and add some cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes or hot chili powder to get it up to the spice levels you prefer.
More Hearty Meal Worthy Soup Recipes
Southwestern Potato, Kale & Green Chile Soup
Ingredients
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 carrot, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 4 large cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 Tbsp cumin
- 1 Tbsp oregano
- 4 oz (115 g) canned diced green chiles
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 lbs (1 kg) white potatoes, chopped
- 14 oz (400 g) canned white beans, drained
- 4 cups (950 ml) vegetable stock or broth
- ½ cup (120 ml) heavy (double) cream
- 1 cup (115 g) grated cheddar cheese
- 1-2 handfuls chopped kale
- 1 handful cilantro (fresh coriander), chopped
- lime wedges
Instructions
- Heat a layer of olive oil in a medium-large soup pot or Dutch oven. Saute the onions, carrots and pepper until soft.1 onion, 1 carrot, 1 red bell pepper
- Add the garlic, dried cumin and dried oregano and saute for a minute or two, until fragrant.4 large cloves garlic, 1 Tbsp cumin, 1 Tbsp oregano
- Add the potatoes, white beans, green chiles, salt and vegetable stock. Bring the temperature up to bubbling, then simmer for around 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.4 oz canned diced green chiles, 2 lbs white potatoes, 14 oz canned white beans, 4 cups vegetable stock or broth, 1 tsp salt
- Add the cream and cheese and mix through until the cheese has melted in.1/2 cup heavy (double) cream, 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
- Add the kale and cilantro, and cook over a low heat for a minute or two until the kale turns a slightly brighter shade of green.1-2 handfuls chopped kale, 1 handful cilantro (fresh coriander)
- Serve, garnished with lime wedges.lime wedges
