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Potato Soup With Cheese And Green Chiles

Potato soup with cheese and green chiles: a thick, creamy Tex-Mex bowl made by simmering Yukon gold potatoes until tender, then mashing for body and stirring in two kinds of melty cheese. Finished with a smoky cumin-and-smoked paprika flavor profile and optional sour cream, cilantro, and tortilla strips for crunch.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Tex-Mex
Calories: 572
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Soup base
  • 3 lb Yukon gold potatoes peeled and cubed
  • 2 can (4 oz each) diced green chiles
  • 1 onion diced
  • 4 garlic minced
  • 4 cup chicken broth
  • 1.5 cup heavy cream
  • 3 tbsp butter
  • 3 tbsp flour
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 0.5 tsp smoked paprika
  • 0.5 tsp salt to taste
  • 0.5 tsp pepper to taste
Cheese and serving
  • 2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar
  • 1 sour cream for serving
  • 1 cilantro for serving
  • 1 tortilla strips for serving

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Sauté aromatics and build the roux
  1. Melt butter in a large pot, then sauté the diced onion for 4 minutes until softened with visible translucence.
  2. Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant, stirring so it doesn’t brown.
  3. Stir in cumin and smoked paprika for 30 seconds to bloom the spices, then whisk in flour and cook for 1-2 minutes to remove the raw flour taste.
Simmer potatoes until tender
  1. Pour in the chicken broth, then add the peeled-and-cubed potatoes and diced green chiles.
  2. Simmer for 20 minutes until the potatoes are tender and can be easily pierced with a fork.
  3. Mash about half the potatoes in the pot to thicken the soup while keeping some chunks for texture.
Add cream and melt cheeses
  1. Stir in the heavy cream and bring back to a gentle simmer.
  2. Add both cheeses (pepper jack and cheddar) and stir until fully melted into a smooth, glossy base.
  3. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then serve hot with sour cream, cilantro, and tortilla strips.

Notes

For the thickest texture, mash closer to 1/2 the potatoes rather than just a few spoonfuls. Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator up to 3 days; reheat gently on the stove, adding a splash of broth or cream if it thickens too much. Freezing is not recommended because the dairy can grain after thawing. For a lighter version, use half-and-half instead of heavy cream and stir the cheeses off-heat just until melted.