Jun 15, 2019

Sopa de Queso - Cheese Soup with Chiles and Potato

This Sopa de Queso is a tasty brothy soup with roasted poblano chiles, potatoes, tomatoes, and cheese.

Sopa de Queso

Sopa de queso (or caldo de queso) in Mexico is often made with fresh cheese such as queso fresco or Chihuahua cheese, because they both easily melt with the heat of the broth.

The traditional way to make this soup is to boil the potatoes and onions in water, add some powdered chicken bouillon powder, add some evaporated milk, and then pour the broth over the cheese, which has been cubed and placed into bowl. 

Another option is to shred the cheese and stir it into the broth to let it melt to create a creamy soup. This is riskier, because cheese can clump up into rubbery strands if you aren't careful (I speak from experience), but if you are successful, the results are sublime. 

If your soup base to which you are adding the cheese is already thickened by a roux, adding the cheese is fairly easy (like making a bechamel), but if it's brothy like this soup, you might end up with clumps. Ugh. 

Cheese Soup with Chiles and Potato

I tried this soup both ways, with the broth poured over cubed cheese, and with the cheese blended into the broth. The first method is probably more authentic, easier, and the cheese cubes take on a chewy texture (of which I'm not a big fan). 

The second method produces a slightly creamier texture to the soup's broth and the flavor was so rich. This recipe is for this method.

Tips for adding cheese to soup broth:

  • First, be sure to use "young" (not aged) cheese that is high moisture and with a low melting point. If you have access to queso fresco or Chihuahua cheese, they are great, but if you don't, other good cheeses include medium cheddar, fontina, Gruyère, Swiss, or Muenster. 
  • Second, grate the cheese and toss it with just a bit of cornstarch, about 1 tablespoon per pound, and then add it slowly to the broth, off heat, while stirring constantly. You can also run an immersion blender in the pan as you slowly add the cheese. 
  • Third, add a little acid to the broth before incorporating the cheese. In this case, the tomatoes provide some acid, but you can also add some beer or wine to the broth, or even a squeeze of lemon or lime. 

How to roast poblano chiles for this soup:

  1. Line a baking sheet with foil, and spray it with spray oil. 
  2. Cut the poblanos in half lengthwise, remove the stems and seeds. and flatten the chiles on the sheet pan, skin side up. Brush the poblanos with olive oil.
  3. Place the pan on the middle rack and broil until the skin is just blackened. Keep a close eye on the chiles. 
  4. Remove the sheet pan from the oven, fold up the foil around the chiles, and let steam for 15 minutes. Unwrap the foil and peel the charred skin from the chiles. 
This soup was so delicious. I loved that it was somewhat brothy, but still cheesy. It was sort of a "guilty/not guilty" pleasure. 

I used a soft Muenster cheese for this soup. If you use a white cheese, the color might be a little different. Also, while this soup contains potatoes, the soup is not loaded with them. This is my way of explaining why you can't see the potatoes in the photos.

This month, the Soup Saturday Swapper group theme is soups with cheese. Thank you to Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm for creating our super cool monthly collaboration. Thank you too to Culinary Adventures with Camilla for all the extra help.

Mexican Cheese Soup with Chiles and Potato

Soups with Cheese: 

Sopa de Queso - Cheese Soup with Chiles and Potato

Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Author: Karen Kerr


  • 1 tablespoon salted butter
  • 1/2 white onion, finely diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 4 Roma tomatoes, finely chopped
  • 6 cups chicken stock
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 pound white or red potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
  • 1/2 cup evaporated milk
  • 4 roasted poblano chiles, diced
  • 8 ounces soft cheese, grated and tossed with 1/2 tablespoon of cornstarch
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Chopped fresh cilantro
  • Hot sauce


How to cook Sopa de Queso - Cheese Soup with Chiles and Potato

  1. Melt the butter in  a four quart sauce pan and add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, for two minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook for about 5 minutes, until the juices have been incorporated. 
  2. Add the chicken stock and salt to the pan, cover, and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes. 
  3. Add the potatoes and simmer over low heat, covered, for about 20 minutes, until the potatoes are cooked through. 
  4. Add the evaporated milk and bring to a boil. 
  5. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the roasted chiles. 
  6. Slowly add the cheese in small handfuls, stirring constantly until incorporated.
  7. Add salt and pepper to taste. 
  8. This soup can be rewarmed after the cheese has been incorporated. 
  9. Serve, garnished with cilantro and your favorite hot sauce. 
Soup, cheese, sopa, caldo, queso
Created using The Recipes Generator


  1. I've never added tomatoes to cheesy soups but that looks like something we would really enjoy! Anything with cheese and potatoes is a winner.

  2. I can never get enough Mexican recipes. We all love Mexican food here and this soup is sure to be a hit.

  3. I like the idea of pouring the broth over the cheese bowl.

  4. This soup sounds and looks fantastic- I love the evaporated milk in there as I think that really makes a creamy soup- now I just have to find poblanos!

    1. Anaheim or New Mexico (Hatch) chiles are great substitutes for the Poblanos.


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