Fresh Green Chile Soup with Tumbleweed Greens
Roasted green chile soup with Anaheim peppers, red bell peppers, potatoes, and garlic pureed silky smooth. A Southwestern classic strained for a velvety, restaurant-quality finish.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
30 minREADY
50 minThis Southwestern green chile soup is pure fire-roasted flavor blended into a silky, vibrant puree. Twelve Anaheim chiles get charred over an open flame until the skins blister and blacken, concentrating their smoky heat before they’re peeled, seeded, and pureed.
Red bell peppers roasted alongside the chiles add sweetness and give the soup a richer color than green chiles alone. Parboiled potatoes blended in provide body and creaminess without any cream or dairy at all.
Straining through a fine sieve is the final step that separates this from a rustic blended soup. It catches any remaining skin, seeds, or fiber and leaves you with a texture so smooth it could pass at a fine-dining restaurant. It takes a few extra minutes but the result is worth every one.
Pro Tips
- Roast the chiles directly over a gas burner flame or under a broiler, turning with tongs until charred all over. The char is flavor, not burning.
- Steam the charred peppers in a covered bowl for 10 minutes after roasting. The skins loosen and peel off in large strips instead of tiny frustrating pieces.
- Puree in batches, not all at once. Overfilling the food processor gives you an uneven puree with chunks.
Variations
- Add roasted poblano peppers for a deeper, earthier heat.
- Stir in a dollop of sour cream or Mexican crema when serving for a richer garnish.
- Top with crispy tortilla strips and crumbled queso fresco for texture contrast.
Ingredients
Directions
Roast the chiles and peppers by the Open-Flame Method.
Peel the chiles and peppers, pull off the stems, remove the seeds and veins, and set aside.
In a medium saucepan, parboil the potatoes in boiling water with 1 teaspoon of the salt until tender.
Purée the green chiles and then the red peppers separately in a food processor until smooth.
Mix the purees together, add the potatoes and stock, and process in 2-cup batches for another minute, or until smooth.
Add the remaining salt, the pepper, and garlic and process again.
Press the purée through a fine sieve.
Heat the purée in a saucepan. Serve hot, garnished with tumbleweed greens.
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