Tex-Mex Green Chile and Potato Soup
Green chile is the heart of the cooking along the Texas and New Mexico line, and this soup puts it front and center: Anaheim or Hatch chiles roasted until their skins blister, peeled, and folded into a creamy potato base. The cream is an illusion built from blended potato and white beans, which also load the bowl with fiber and enough protein to make it dinner rather than a starter. A poblano deepens the chile flavor, cumin and oregano set the border-country tone, and a splash of soy milk softens the edges. Lime and cilantro at the end keep it bright and do the job salt usually would. Roast extra chiles when they are cheap in late summer and freeze them for this.
Ingredients
- 4 wholes Anaheim
- 1 whole Poblano
- 1 whole Yellow onions, diced
- 3 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 tsp Cumin seed, ground
- 1 tsp Dried oregano
- 1 lb Potatoes, peeled and diced
- 1 1/2 cups Cannellini beans, cooked, drained
- 1 tbsp no-salt vegetable bouillon
- 1/2 cup Unsweetened soy milk
- 1 tbsp Lime juice
- 3 tbsp Cilantro, chopped
- 1/2 tsp Black peppercorns, freshly ground
Method
- Char the whole anaheim and poblano chiles directly over a gas flame or under a hot broiler, turning until the skins blister black all over. Seal them in a bowl with a plate on top for 10 minutes, then rub off the skins, pull the stems and seeds, and chop. Roasting and peeling is the step that turns a raw green chile into the smoky, sweet backbone of border cooking, so do not skip it.
- Meanwhile sweat the onion and garlic in a pot with a few tablespoons water until soft, about 8 minutes, then stir in the cumin and oregano and cook one minute. Blooming the dry spices in the hot pan sets the flavor before the liquid dilutes everything.
- Add the potatoes, bouillon, and 4 cups (950 ml) water and simmer until the potatoes are fully tender, about 15 minutes. Cutting the potato small means it cooks fast and gives up enough starch to help thicken the broth.
- Scoop out 1 cup of the soup with some potato, blend it with the cannellini beans until smooth, and stir it back in along with the chopped roasted chiles. The blended potato and beans are what make this creamy with no cream, and the beans quietly turn a side soup into a filling one.
- Stir in the soy milk and warm through without boiling, then finish off the heat with the lime juice, cilantro, and black pepper. The soy milk rounds the richness, and the lime at the end lifts the roasted chile and stands in for salt; taste and add another squeeze if it needs waking up.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving: 260 calories, 11 g protein, 9 g fiber, 110 mg sodium. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement. How these are computed.
Cost per serving is estimated from US national-average retail prices for cheap staple forms, using BLS dried-bean prices and USDA produce prices. Prices vary by store and season, so treat it as a guide, not a receipt. How this is computed.
