Chorizo Soup
Spicy smokey Spanish Chorizo transforms this soup from average to a scrumptious one. Tender potato chunks act as spong and soak up all the delicious flavors. Gather a few basic pantry staples and make a big batch of this Chorizo soup to keep you warm and cozy all through the winter. Don’t forget a basket of crusty bread to mop the bowl clean.
Smokey Spanish chorizo with its potent flavors makes this comforting and give-me-a-second-bowl kind of soup. Think of this as your favorite potato soup spiked with chorizo. Because the chorizo does all the heavy lifting, you don’t need a lot of ingredients apart from few pantry staples- Onion, garlic, tomato paste(to balance rest of the spices), a few fresh herbs, stock, and a little cream.
Next time you are making soup for dinner and looking for inspiration, this Chorizo soup is a must try.
Ingredients
- Chorizo – have an intense flavor and a savory taste. Get a high-quality chorizo sausage, which makes a lot of difference. Ground chorizo are milder in flavor.
- Potatoes – give a hearty taste with chunks of potatoes. You can use any variety of potatoes.
- Chicken stock – gives a flavorful base to the soup. Substitute vegetable stock for an alternative.
- Heavy cream – increases the creaminess of the soup and balances the savory flavors.
- Oil – use vegetable oil. You don’t need a lot.
- Aromatics – Garlic adds a savory profile, while sauteed onions add some sweetness and complexity to the dish.
- Bell pepper – I have used green bell pepper, use any other colored bell peppers.
- Tomato paste – Umami and also balances other flavors.
- Spices – Thyme, bay leaf, salt and pepper
Variations to try
- Add More Veggies– Along with bell peppers, add chopped carrots, sweet potato, spinach or kale etc.
- Change the starch – Instead of potatoes, you can use white beans or chickpeas to make it rich in protein.
- Add some cooked bacon for extra indulgence.
How to make potato soup with chorizo
Saute the chorizo
I prefer link sausages as they are more flavorful.Make sure to remove the casing and crumble roughly. You can also slice it.
To get the best flavor from chorizo, brown it first. I am adding very little oil to coat the pan before stiring the sausage. The fat from the sausage renders and it also sort of awakens the spices. In the rendered fat saute onion and garlic until softened. Then add chopped bell peppers and tomato paste.
Add potatoes and stock
Add diced potatoes, thyme, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Toss to coat potatoes with the spices and fat.
Reduce the heat to low, cover with a lid, and let it simmer for another 25-30 minutes. Let the potatoes cooked thoroughly and fork tender. Keep stirring in between so that the veggies don’t settle down and burn.
Thicken it with cream
Well, this is optional. If you prefer creamy rich soup, then add cream. For a brothy light soup, skip cream. You can also press few potatoes with the back of the spoon to thicken it.
Ta da!! Get ready with crusty bread to mop the delicious bowl of potato chorizo soup.
Recipe Tips
- Cut potatoes into small cubes so that it cooks quickly. And make sure they are cooked fork-tender so that the soup thickens on its own.
- Upon cooling down, the soup thickens further, so adust the consistency accordingly.
Apart from these few point, this recipe is pretty foolproof and easy to make.
Slow cooker or stovetop?
If you are making it in a slow cooker, brown the chorizo, onion and garlic in a pan. Then add to the slow cooker along with tomato paste, chopped bell peppers, potatoes, herbs, and spices. At the end, add cream and cook for another 30 minutes on low.
Store
The best part is that you can make this soup beforehand and easily refrigerate or freeze it. In fact the flavors develop well the next day and tastes even better.
- Refrigerate – Let the soup cook and then you can refrigerate it in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Freeze – To freeze this, you will have to let it cool completely. In a freezer-safe container or sealable bag, pour the soup into single/double serving portions, mark the date, and put it in the freezer for up to 3 months. It will be safe and retain its flavor. If planing to freeze I would omit the cream and add a few tablespoons while reheating it.
- Reheat – Move the frozen soup to the refrigerator and let it thaw overnight. Reheat the soup in a pot on low heat while you stir occasionally. If you notice the soup has thickened, add a dash of chicken, vegetable stock, or cream and mix it well.
Serve with
This comforting and flavorful dish can be stored with a variety of side dishes.
- Bread – A crusty bread like sourdough or homemade No-Knead Rustic White Bread is good to sop up the soup with pieces of bread. Garlic-flavored bread like Roasted Garlic Foccacia or Cheesy Garlic Bread will work great too.
- Roasted veggies – Roasted Lemon Pepper Zucchini and Pecan Honey Roasted Carrot will complement the soup.
More soup recipes
Creamy Chorizo Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 8-10 Ounce Spanish Chorizo crumbled in to small chunks
- 1 pound potato Peeled and cut into cubes
- 1 teaspoon Oil
- 1 Medium Onion Chopped
- 1 tablespoon Minced garlic
- 1 Green bell pepper diced
- 2-3 sprig thyme
- 1 Bay leaf
- 3-4 cups Chicken stock
- ½ cup Heavy cream
- Salt to taste
Instructions
Saute aromatics and chorizo
- Heat a pot. Add oil to it.
- Once the oil is medium-hot, add crumbled chorizo and cook until it releases oil and lightly browned.
- Add chopped onion, minced garlic. Saute them until they soften. Stir in the chopped bell pepper and tomato paste. Saute for another minute.
Add and cook potatoes in stock
- Add cubed potatoes, thyme, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Stir potatoes to coat with the fat and spices.
- Add warm chicken stock. Let it come to a boil, then, reduce the heat to low. Cover and let it simmer for 25-30 minutes or so until the potatoes are cooked.
- Stir in between. If required add more stock. Potatoes should be cooked and become soft.
Add cream and simmer
- Once the potatoes are cooked through, add cream, stir well. Cover and let it simmer for another 6-7 minutes on low heat.
- While serving, garnish with chopped fresh parsley.
Video
Notes
- The chorizo is spicy enough, so I have not added extra spice. You can adjust the spices as per your preference.
- For a brothy and lighter soup, skip adding cream. Press a few chunks of potatoes with the back of the spoon to thicken the soup a little.
- Towards the end add some baby spinach or kale and let it cook for another 5 minutes.
Really delicious. I added some diced baby carrots and kale for extra veggiess.
More or less how many potatoes should I use. Do you recommend any type of potatoes?
3-4 medium-sized potatoes will work. You can use any kind of potatoes.
Meh, I added splash of red wine and some red wine vinegar – that fixed it. Just kidding – it’s cooking. now and I can already tell it’s going to be simply magnificent –
Very nice!
Just made this and it was excellent.