This creamy roasted poblano soup will warm you right up on a cold day! With smoky roasted poblano peppers, potatoes, and aged cheddar, it has vibrant and bold flavors.
I am a total sucker for a creamy, blended soup. My favorites include healthy broccoli cheese soup as well as butternut squash soup. But sometimes we crave something just a little different, and that’s when we go for this roasted poblano soup.
Loaded with veggies, thick and creamy, and ever so slightly spicy, this roasted poblano soup is absolutely delicious.
Though it is a bit more effort to roast and peel the poblanos, you are rewarded with a smoky charred flavor that goes so well with the sweet and spicy peppers, potato and cheese flavors.
This roasted poblano soup
- combines the amazing flavor trio of roasted poblano peppers, aged cheddar cheese and potatoes
- is thickened with a potato rather than heavy cream
- works great for meal prep and can be frozen
Roasted poblanos
At first glance, you might think poblanos are spicy, since they look similar to a jalapeno pepper. In reality, they are far more mild, and even slightly sweet. After roasting, they take on a charred, smoky flavor that adds even more depth flavor to this soup. Roasting also helps concentrate the sugars in the poblanos, enhancing their flavor even more.
To roast the poblanos, you will place on a baking sheet under the oven broiler (“grill” if you are in the UK or Australia). Turn the peppers as needed. The skin will blister and may blacken. This is good, as it helps loosen the skin.
Once blackened and blistered on all sides, remove the roasted poblanos from the oven and transfer to a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let them rest for 10 minutes. At this point, it should be easy to peel the skin off the peppers. We are also removing the stem, seeds and membrane (white part).
Why remove the skin?
We remove the skin from the poblanos for two reasons:
- it has an unappealing texture and some people report a bitter flavor as well
- it can cause digestive issues for some people
Other ways to char the peppers
- on a gas range stove
- on a barbecue
Recipe tips
- For this recipe, you will need an immersion blender. You can also carefully transfer the soup to a stand blender to puree in batches until smooth
- I’ve used orange aged cheddar in this soup but you can swap for white aged cheddar if you’d like
- This soup is thickened by pureeing the potatoes. For this reason we are able to get thick and creamy soup without the need for heavy cream.
- I’ve included carrots and celery in this soup, but you could leave them out.
- While I haven’t played around with it, many roasted poblano soups contain ground cumin. I would try adding 1/2 teaspoon and taste. A squeeze of lime may also be a pleasant addition.
More soup recipes
- Thai Butternut Squash Soup
- Caribbean Sweet Potato Soup
- Creamy Roasted Cauliflower Soup
- Healthier Beef Barley Soup
- 38 Healthy Soup Recipes
Roasted Poblano Soup with Potatoes and Cheddar
Ingredients
- 4 poblano peppers
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups onions (diced)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 carrots (peeled and sliced)
- 2 celery ribs (sliced)
- 4 medium white potatoes (scrubbed and chopped into 1/2 inch cubes (approximately 4 cups))
- 4 cups chicken stock (or veggie stock to make it vegetarian)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups milk
- 2 cups aged cheddar cheese
- additional cheese and chives to garnish
Instructions
Roasting Poblano Peppers
- Turn on the oven broiler.
- Arrange the poblanos on a baking sheet, and broil, taking care not to burn, and turning frequently. The peppers are ready when they are blistered and charred on all sides.
- Remove from the oven, place in a large bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Steam for 10 minutes.
- Remove seeds, and do your best to peel skin from poblanos.
Soup
- Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat.
- Add the onion, and cook until translucent, 5-7 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook for one minute until fragrant.
- Add the poblano peppers, carrots, celery, potatoes, chicken stock and salt.
- Cook for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
- Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until creamy and smooth.
- Stir in the cheddar and milk, stirring until cheese has completely melted and incorporated into the soup.
Notes
- For this recipe, you will need an immersion blender. You can also carefully transfer the soup to a stand blender to puree in batches until smooth
- I've used orange aged cheddar in this soup but you can swap for white aged cheddar if you'd like
- I've included carrots and celery in this soup, but you could leave them out.
- While I haven't played around with it, many roasted poblano soups contain ground cumin. I would try adding 1/2 teaspoon and taste. A squeeze of lime may also be a pleasant addition.
