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Creamy Salsa Potato Soup

Sweet & spicy, thick and creamy, this vegetarian Salsa Potato Soup recipe is a fun variation on an old stand-by!

Yes, I know that I’ve been on a bit of a salsa kick lately… I think it’s one of my comfort foods? It’s also an easy shortcut trick to add a lot of flavor to a recipe in a hurry… and today, it’s an easy way to transform plain old potato soup into: Creamy Salsa Potato Soup.

Beyond getting a few veggies in there, throwing carrots into this soup also adds some sweetness and depth of flavor. You end up with more of a underlying sweet heat than a spicy salsa kick, although the recipe’s final spice level will, of course, depend on the level of heat in the salsa you choose to use.

Creamy salsa potato soup in a fun spiral bowl

Blending in the carrots, though, does help make this soup very, very orange. Middle School Guy laughed his head off thinking it was baby food — although after tasting it, he grudgingly admitted that it most probably wasn’t.

We have to entertain ourselves any way we can, these days!

Oh and — Not to distract from the food here, but every time I post a picture of this plate, someone asks where I got it. So before you ask: It’s an older Crate and Barrel appetizer / dipping plate that I picked up at Goodwill a few years ago. (Not actually a plate to eat soup out of very effectively; I just like it in photos cause it’s pretty…) I see these plates turn up on eBay occasionally, but they’re not super cheap there with the shipping and all.

Creamy Salsa Potato Soup

ingredients for salsa potato soup

Ingredients

1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 a medium yellow onion, diced
2 medium carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
2 tsp minced garlic (about 4 cloves)
1 tsp smoked paprika
Sea salt, to taste
32 oz vegetable broth
14-16 oz salsa (I used verde)
2 lbs gold or red potatoes, roughly chopped (see Note)
1 cup shredded cheddar

Directions

Chop your onion, carrots and garlic. Heat the olive oil in a soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering.

Saute the carrots and onion for about eight minutes over medium heat, or until they begin to brown and soften.

While the onion and carrots are sauteing, chop the potatoes.

After sauteing the onion and carrot, stir in the the garlic and spices.

Add the broth, salsa, and potatoes to the pot and bring everything to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until potatoes and carrots are tender.

Once the potatoes are tender, turn off the heat under the pot and carefully use an immersion blender to blend them into the soup to your desired consistency. (If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can also transfer the soup carefully to a blender to puree in batches, then return it to the pot.)

add the cheese to your salsa potato soup

Turn the heat under the pot back on to medium low. Stir in the shredded cheddar until melted. Serve the soup, garnished with chopped green onion if desired.

Note: I don’t bother to peel gold or red potatoes for soup (or mashed potatoes); just wash them before chopping. The skin is so thin you don’t notice it in there, so don’t waste the time or the nutrients…

That’s a nice thick potato soup recipe

Sweet & spicy, thick and creamy, this vegetarian Salsa Potato Soup recipe is a fun variation on an old stand-by! Try it on your next Meatless Monday.

This thick, satisfying potato soup recipe contains such an interesting blend of flavors, making a nice change up from more traditional potato soup recipes. If you’re looking for one of those, though, you might try:

Why yes: I do like potatoes. 🙂

Looking for more vegetarian recipe ideas? Take a few minutes to browse through the Meatless Monday category for additional dinner options — or, check out fifteen favorite meatless meals to jump start your vegetarian cooking.

Creamy Salsa Potato Soup, printable recipe

Creamy Salsa Potato Soup

Sweet & spicy, thick and creamy, this vegetarian Salsa Potato Soup recipe is a fun variation on an old stand-by!
Course dinner
Cuisine soup
Keyword gluten free, leftover potatoes, meatless monday, potato soup, salsa, soup, vegetarian
Prep Time 35 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 6 people

Ingredients

  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 a medium yellow onion diced
  • 2 medium carrots peeled and roughly chopped
  • 2 tsp minced garlic about 4 cloves
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • Sea salt to taste
  • 32 oz vegetable broth
  • 14-16 oz salsa I used verde
  • 2 lbs gold or red potatoes roughly chopped (see Note)
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar

Instructions

  • Chop your onion, carrots and garlic. Heat the olive oil in a soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering.
  • Saute the carrots and onion for about eight minutes over medium heat, or until they begin to brown and soften.
  • While the onion and carrots are sauteing, chop the potatoes.
  • After sauteing the onion and carrot, stir in the the garlic and spices.
  • Add the broth, salsa, and potatoes to the pot and bring everything to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until potatoes and carrots are tender.
  • Once the potatoes are tender, turn off the heat under the pot and carefully use an immersion blender to blend them into the soup to your desired consistency. (If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can also transfer the soup carefully to a blender to puree in batches, then return it to the pot.)
  • Turn the heat under the pot back on to medium low. Stir in the shredded cheddar until melted. Serve the soup, garnished with chopped green onion if desired.

Notes

I don’t bother to peel gold or red potatoes for soup (or mashed potatoes); just wash them before chopping. The skin is so thin you don’t notice it in there, so don’t waste the time or the nutrients…

Recipes in the real world

weekly ALDI meal plans from Mashup Mom -- six complete dinners for four, $60 out the door! MashupMom.com, every Wednesday.

Be sure not to miss the free ALDI meal plans, which show you how to use these easy family recipes to meal plan affordably and realistically for your family. Or, find more recipe ideas with the Recipe Search!

Be sure not to miss the free ALDI meal plans, which show you how to use these easy family recipes to meal plan affordably and realistically for your family. Or, find more recipe ideas with the Recipe Search!

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