Have you tried this Roasted Poblano Soup yet?!
It's one of my favorite recipes on the site, and I've been gobbling it up over the past couple weeks.
It's bursting with flavor and yes, it's spicy so consider yourself warned! That's what keeps me coming back to it 🙂
How To Make Poblano Soup
Not pictured is the smell of roasted poblanos wafting through your house. But trust me, it's included with this recipe and it has the ability to instantly change your mood.
4-5 poblanos seems to be the sweet spot for this recipe. Poblanos don't have much heat, but when you use a bunch of them it adds up!
This photographed version used 6 poblanos and was right on the threshold of too spicy for most of us. If you want a milder version I would recommend roasting all of the poblanos but only adding half or two-thirds of them to the pan to start with. Once blended, take a taste, and if you want more heat simply add more poblano. Are Poblano Peppers Hot?
Give the poblanos a good rinse and roast them in the oven at 400F. 15 minutes later they'll look like this:
I usually give them a flip after the first 15 minutes and then put them back in the oven for as long as my stomach will wait:
So that's about 25 minutes total in the oven.
In the old days I would put these in a bag and let them steam up so the skin comes off easier, but not anymore! Most of the skin will come off as is, and I've found that it doesn't affect the flavor if you leave some behind.
Note: it can be beneficial to remove the skin when serving the Poblanos in strips like in Rajas, but mostly for texture purposes and not flavor.
Meanwhile, get a chopped onion sweating in 3 tablespoons of butter until softened.
Add 3 cloves of minced garlic and saute briefly.
To thicken up the soup, we'll add 3 tablespoons of flour and combine well. Giving this mixture a couple minutes over the heat will ensure you don't taste the flour in the final product.
Next we'll add:
4 cups stock
2 teaspoons Mexican oregano (optional)
pinch of cumin (optional)
1/2 teaspoon of salt
freshly cracked black pepper
Let simmer for 7-8 minutes or so.
You really don't need much beyond the poblano-butter-onion-stock combo, so you can consider the Mexican oregano optional if not available. More info on Mexican Oregano.
Once you've pulled off as much skin as you can, de-stem and de-seed the Poblanos.
Then roughly chop the Poblano pieces and add them to the simmering mixture in the saucepan.
Bring everything to a uniform temp and then combine well in a blender. Be sure to use caution when blending hot liquids!
Return the soup to the saucepan and give it a taste! I'm always amazed how complete it tastes given such a simple ingredient list.
I used a batch of zero-sodium homemade chicken stock so I added another 1/4 teaspoon of salt at this point. If you're using store-bought stock you probably won't need to add as much salt as I did.
You're left with a pan full of velvety goodness that already tastes good, but don't forget to garnish as it will give you an awesome bump in flavor.
It's amazing what a hint of acidity does to this soup.
I'm using a few drops of Valentina hot sauce, but vinegar or lemon/lime juice would have a similar effect. The acidity brightens up the flavor and makes everything pop.
So good!
I'm also using:
Mexican Crema
freshly cracked black pepper
finely chopped cilantro stems
The flavor burst from the cilantro stems is a real treat in this soup -- it also adds a bit of texture to each bite and that's something I'm more cognizant of lately.
I also wanted to mention that I've tried this recipe with cream mixed into the soup and found that it dulled the flavor of the poblanos too much!
But garnishing with cream and snagging a bit of it for each bite works wonders, so I always drizzle some on top.
That means that once you make your way through the top layer of garnish you have full permission to add another 🙂
Buen Provecho.
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Roasted Poblano Soup
Ingredients
- 4-5 poblano peppers
- 1 onion
- 4 garlic cloves
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 4 cups stock
- 2 teaspoons Mexican oregano (optional)
- pinch of cumin (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (plus more to taste)
- freshly ground black pepper
For the garnish (optional):
- finely chopped cilantro stems
- Mexican Crema (or heavy cream)
- hot sauce
- freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Rinse the poblanos and roast them in the oven at 400F. Give them a flip after 15 minutes. They'll be mostly roasted in another 10-15 minutes, so 25-30 minutes total roasting time in the oven.
- Add 3 tablespoons butter to a saucepan on medium heat. Roughly chop an onion and add it to the saucepan, cooking for 5-7 minutes or until softened. Mince 4 garlic cloves and add to the onion, cooking for a minute or so.
- Add 3 tablespoons flour to the onion mixture and combine well. Add 4 cups of stock along with 2 teaspoons Mexican oregano (optional), a pinch of cumin (optional), 1/2 teaspoon salt, and freshly cracked black pepper. Stir well. Simmer for 7-8 minutes.
- Once the poblano peppers have cooled a bit, pull off as much skin as you can but don't worry about getting rid of all of it. Then de-stem and de-seed the poblanos. Roughly chop the poblano pieces and add them to the saucepan.
- Cook until everything is at a uniform temp and then combine the mixture in a blender. Be sure to use caution when blending hot liquids -- I usually just hold a paper towel over any openings just in case you get a geyser.
- Return mixture to the saucepan and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Salt to taste. I added another 1/4 teaspoon of salt but keep in mind the salt level will depend on which stock you use.
- Serve immediately but don't forget to garnish! I used Crema, finely chopped cilantro stems, freshly ground pepper, and a couple dashes of Valentina hot sauce.
- The acidity of the hot sauce pairs well with the poblanos so feel free to re-garnish once you make your way through the top layer. Other options for acidity: lemon/lime juice or vinegars.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.
Notes
Got leftover Poblanos? Make some Rajas! Or check out these Poblano Pepper Recipes.
Our latest post is this delicious Avocado Soup.
Still hungry?!
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Donna
I’m going to try this recipe. I only got 3 large peppers. I hope that is enough for 2 people. I ate this soup a few months ago at a family owned restaurant and it knocked my lights out! I can’t recall it being real spicy but it was their own perfected recipe. They served it with s garnish of cream and crisp taco strips. I thing there was some grated cheese on top also just as a garnish. I don’t know which cheese that would be. It was white and finely grated. Has anyone added cheese before as a garnish? Anyway, I have my mouth all set for some more of this delicious soup! I love my chili relents so I had to love the soup! I highly recommend it!adventurous tasting
Patrick
Thanks Donna! I'm a huge fan of this poblano soup so I think you will love it.
I bet they were topping it with Cotija cheese. Cotija is similar to Parmesan and has a bright, salty flavor:
More info on Cotija
And if you want to quickly fry up some tortilla strips, that process is described in our Tortilla Soup recipe:
Chicken Tortilla Soup
Hope this helps a bit. Let me know if you have any other questions. Cheers.
Donna Crlisle
Cotija cheese That is great to know! I never heard of it but that is my kind of cheese! I’ll be looking for it. Thank you bunches.
Patrick
Yeah I am a Cotija convert and always keep some in the fridge -- some chain supermarkets will carry it but if not there you can always find it at Hispanic markets.
David Christy
Just finished cooking this. That roasted poblano aroma is making my house smell incredible. The taste is superb, and I love the little kick the poblanos provide. I had always thought poblanos had no heat at all.
Patrick
Thanks for the feedback David! Yeah I remember being surprised at the heat when I was fiddling with the recipe -- I crave that heat now as I like this soup best when it's just on the threshold of too spicy. I think it must be from the sheer volume of the poblanos as they are big and there are lots of them in the recipe!
I'm glad you found a keeper recipe. Cheers.
Anne
I had poblamo cream soup when in Scottsdale, AZ, last week & immediately looked up recipes. The advice on the number of peppers was correct, but I just had to add that 5th large one! To compensate, I whisked in some mashed potatoes. This was a good quick fix - it thickens the soup, but doesn't compromise the flavor. Delicious!
Patrick
Thanks for your note Anne! Yowsa adding in some mashers is a great addition, would like to try that -- and good to know it doesn't dilute the flavor too much as that would be my main concern.
Terrie
Finally had a chance to make this and it did not disappoint. Flavorful, spicy, creamy. Perfect!
Patrick
Ha awesome, thanks for letting me know Terrie! I'm glad it hit all the right notes for you...
Michelle
This says serve immediately. Most soups are so much better the next day. Is this recipe good to make a day ahead then add the garnish at serving?
Patrick
Hi Michelle! Yup this will keep in the fridge for at least a few days if not longer. And your idea to garnish at serving is perfect as I've found that the garnish can add so much to this soup. Cheers.
Terrie
Yum! I am going to make this over the weekend! Hope I can wait!!!
Patrick
Awesome Terrie, you will love it!
Zanetta
We just came from a cruise that served a soup similar to this.Theirs also featured roasted corn kernels so I'll add a minimal amount to the soup. Thanks for a delectable recipe.
Patrick
Awesome, thanks for letting me know Zanetta! Yup hard to go wrong adding some corn to this recipe. Enjoy!
Kenzie
I made this today and it was really good my boyfriend loved it thank you ?
Patrick
Awesome thanks for the feedback Kenzie! Been awhile since I've had it, might have to make a batch 🙂
Antojo en tu cocina
Delicious recipe!! Happy new year 🙂
Patrick
Thank you thank you! Happy new year to you too 🙂
Allyson (Considering The Radish)
This looks delicious. I always think of cilantro stems as an ingredient to build the flavor, but never as a garnish. What have I been doing all these years?
Patrick
Thanks Allyson! Ha I know, they are new to me as well as a garnish and have quickly taken over top spot on my list 🙂
Sherri
Omg. My soup was soooo spicy that we could not eat it.
I'm sitting here in major disappointment and wonder if i should add half and half.
Otherwise it turned out well.
So much for believing Poblano peppers are mild.
Maybe i can keep it and use as a spicy verde.
Patrick
Thanks for your note Sherri, I will make a note in the recipe box for peeps who want a milder version, I hope you were able to use it! It's always tough to put it in reverse once it's too spicy for your palate, but adding more stock will dilute it a bit and that's an option. Mixing in some cream will also dilute it but I tried a batch like this and found that it dulled the flavor a bit too much for my taste. Cheers.