A hearty soup with a pureed potato base and a variety of vegetables - leeks, mushrooms, green chile and corn. This soup welcomes a variety of toppings for additional texture and flavor.
*See Kitchen Notes for more information, substitutions, and related links.
Once the bacon has finished cooking, add 1 Tbsp. olive oil to the pot with the 1 Tbsp. bacon dripping. If not using bacon, use 2 Tbsp. olive oil. Heat over medium low heat.
Using an immersion blender or regular blender, blend the potatoes to a puree. Be careful to not over blend because the starch in the potatoes can cause them to become gummy. You should have a creamy broth. Add more water or broth if needed.
If serving immediately, scoop into soup bowls and top with toppings of your choice.
If possible, let sit in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight for the flavors to fuse. Reheat and serve.
Potatoes - Just scrub the potatoes before chopping. Do not peel! That's where the nutrients are. If you don't like the peeling, do not fear...it will be broken up when you purée the cooked potatoes.
Mushrooms – Just about any mushroom works for this soup, except for portobello which might overpower the other flavors. I prefer button mushrooms, shitakes, or even milder mushrooms such as oyster and trumpet. You could also use a mix of mushrooms. For this batch I only had 4 ounces of trumpet mushrooms, but because they are so mild, the soup could have used up to 6 ounces.
Broth – Use mushroom, vegetable, chicken or a combination of.
Green Chile – Amount is determined by how spicy you want the soup and how spicy the chile is. I like using 1/2 cup to yield more of a green chile flavor. If the chile isn't too spicy, I've been known to add more. If you don’t have roasted New Mexico green chile, you can use roasted poblano. If you don’t want spicy, use roasted sweet bell peppers (red, orange, or yellow).
Protein - To add more protein to the soup, add a cup of cooked white beans and purée them with the potatoes OR you could substitute the potatoes with two cups of white beans. If you want meat, add 1 - 2 cups seasoned and cooked chicken or 1 or 2 sausages.
Pepitas - For a little spiciness in your topping, use these Sweet and Spicy Pepitas.
Recipe author: MJ of MJ's Kitchen