Roasted Poblano Pepper and Corn Soup
Roasted Poblano Pepper and Corn Soup is mellow, sweet from the corn, and spicy with chile peppers; one of my favorites especially served with some fried tortilla strips.
I can’t believe it’s been six years since I first posted this Roasted Poblano Pepper and Corn Soup and admit I forgot about it. Now that I’ve got some fresh chiles and great corn on the cob; I needed to make it again and even more than that, I needed new photos.
Most of the posts I did within the past 6-8 years pass muster even if I’m not crazy about all of them but the originals for this post disappointed me from the getgo so it was time. All it took was a cloudy day and I was never quite happy with the outcome. So new photos, a reminder of a favorite soup and trust me, you’ll be glad I’m reminding you too. Has to be my favorite end of summer soup!
I first had this recipe at a neighbor’s home and asked her to share the recipe. She claimed it was not hers per se; knowing how I acknowledge authors when I use their work. She also had no idea where it came from. So thanks to the mystery writer, we LOVE this soup!
Last week it was more of the same in my kitchen, I had just purchased both Poblano Peppers and fresh Corn on the Cob the day before when I was shopping at Sprouts Market. It wasn’t until the next day that a light bulb went off and I remembered that I wanted to make this soup again. I should make gallons and sell it, it is that good!
I had purchased two Poblano, two Jalapeno and one Serrano pepper and thought the combination of the three would be perfect. My plan was to cut the original recipe that called for 6 Poblano chiles in half and my motley crew seemed a good equivalent but with the addition of a bit of heat. A bit? A lot actually.
The heat was tempered by the addition of a dollop of sour cream in the garnish but I’ve removed the Serrano pepper from the recipe…that was a spicy meatball! If you want to make this soup with all Poblano pepper and no heat at all; use three total and forget the Jalapeno too…but I think without the Serrano pepper it will be quite tempered enough for most tastes.
If, on the other hand, you like things a bit spicier…do Serrano for sure; it’s not blistering hot but I knew my crew would prefer it without.
All peppers are rated with a Scoville Heat Index and the Poblano is certainly one of the mildest. The Jalapeno and Serrano peppers fall into the same category but with a range between 5,000 and 15,000 units. That’s about the limit on my spectrum. I do not recommend substituting a Ghost Pepper; do so at your own risk!
Scoville Chile Heat Index | ||
VarietyType of Pepperype |
Rating | HeatSSco Levehhl |
| Sweet Bells; Sweet Banana; and Pimento | Negligible Scoville Units | |
| Mexi-Bells; New Mexica; New Mexico; Anaheim; Big Jim; Peperonicini; Santa Fe Grande; El Paso; Cherry | 100-1,000 Scoville Units | |
| Coronado; Mumex Big Jim; Sangria; Anaheim | 1,000 – 1,500 Scoville Units | |
| Pasilla; Mulato; Ancho; Poblano; Espanola; Pulla | 1,500 – 2,500 Scoville Units | |
| Rocotillo | 2,500 – 5,000 Scoville Units | |
| Yellow Wax; Serrano; Jalapeno; Guajillo; Mirasol | 5,000 – 15,000 Scoville Units | |
| Hidalgo; Puya; Hot Wax; Chipotle | 15,000 – 30,000 Scoville Units | |
| Chile De Arbol; Manzano | 30,000 – 50,000 Scoville Units | |
| Santaka; Pequin; Super Chile; Santaka; Cayenne; Tobasco; Aji; Jaloro | 50,000 – 100,000 Scoville Units | |
| Bohemian; Tabiche; Tepin; Haimen; Chiltepin; Thai; Yatsufusa | 100,000 – 350,000 Scoville Units | |
| Red Savina Habanero; Chocolate Habanero; Indian Tezpur; Scotch Bonnet; Orange Habanero; Fatali; Devil Toung; Kumataka; Datil; Birds Eye; Jamaican Hot | 350-855,000 Scoville Units | |
| Ghost Pepper (Bhut Jolokia aka Naga Jolokia); Trinidad Moruga Scorpion (hottest to date at almost 2.1 million SHU | 855,000-2,100,000 Scoville Units | |
Have I hold you (maybe a bazillion times?) how I used to remove jalapenos from fajitas; how the thought of them made me hyperventilate? Admittedly my hatred of green bell peppers from my Midwestern childhood added to that caution but I have to take some blame because I presumed they all sort of tasted alike but that heat thing played a part too.
From Missouri to the rolling hills of North Carolina and the land of grits, cornbread and shrimp but not much heat, I was not prepared for Mexican inspired fare and I laugh now but by Mexican fare I meant Chili’s. Fast forward a few years and an amazing baked Chile Relleno Casserole that I had at a Super Bowl party and everything changed. Thankfully because I would have missed soups like this.
Did you also know that soups like this Roasted Poblano Pepper and Corn Soup with some heat can actually help to make you feel cooler in the summer? Or I think I read that somewhere…I’m just trying to convince you to try this if it’s still warm in your neck of the woods. If a chill is starting to set in at night, even better!!
Have you seen the viral video of this adorable little boy? He actually gave an interview about the corn he was eating, the fellow on the left set part of it to music and now it’s an earworm all over the world!
My soup is garnished with some sour cream, cilantro and fried tortilla strips. I’ve found some raw tortillas at Costco that I typically heat in a skillet and use for quesadillas that were perfect for the tortilla strips but try at your own risk, do not do what I did! I so seldom fry anything and maybe my latest experience is why.
I put the pan with some oil on the stove and walked out on my back porch for a minute. Which meant when I noticed that a potted plant needed watering I took care of it and several more…until I heard the smoke alarms in my house going off!
Luckily not a lot of smoke really and no fire, thankfully, so I was lucky but I’m thinking better to recommend some packaged chips? Or at the very least a much more attentive cook; don’t be like Barb and walk away and get distracted, please!
A really delicious and easy to make soup; now is the perfect time no matter where you live!
Love Green Chiles like I do? Here’s more!
- Hatch Green Chile Macaroni and Cheese
- Sausage and Hatch Green Chile Pizza on Naan Bread
- Hatch Green Chile and Cheese Soup
- Chile Relleno Casserole
- Chile Relleno Soup
More Mexican Inspired Dishes
- Mexican Hot Chocolate Pie
- Tomatillo Salsa Verde
- Refried Bean and Beef Nachos
- Nacho Momma’s Beef, Bean and Cheese Tortilla Dip
- Grilled Corn Salsa with Poblano Chiles
- Spicy Tex-Mex Chicken Soup with Cornmeal Dumplings
- The Best Homemade Enchilada Casserole
- How to Make Cajeta – Goat Milk Caramel
- Mexican Hot Chocolate with Tequila
- Orejas (Mexican Pan Dulce)
PIN IT! ‘Roasted Poblano Pepper and Corn Soup’
Roasted Poblano Pepper and Corn Soup
Ingredients
- 2 medium Poblano peppers
- 2 Jalapeno peppers
- 1 quart milk I used 2% milk combined with half and half with a 3:1 ratio
- 1-2 teaspoon ground Chipotle pepper
- 1 fresh bay leaf
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 Tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon ground cumin
- 4 ears ecorn kernels removed (or approximately 3 cups of corn, canned or frozen)
For the Garnish
- Sour Cream
- Corn tortilla strips fried in a little oil until crispy or purchased tortillas, lightly crushed
- Cilantro
Instructions
- Set the broiler on high, lay both the Poblano and Jalapeno peppers in one layer on a baking tray and broil until the skin is black and blistered; turning as needed to roast on all sides. Remove the jalapeno early if necessary as the Poblano will take longer.
- Transfer the charred peppers to a plastic bag, tie the top closed and let steam until cool to the touch, about 15 minutes.
- Peel the skins off and discard (they should just slip off) and remove the stems and seeds. Cut into dice. Set side.
- Put the milk into a large pan. Add the chipotle pepper, bay leaf and rosemary to the milk. Bring the milk to a simmer, cover and turn off the heat and let infuse for 20 minutes.
- In a large soup pan, melt the butter and oil over medium heat. Add the onion and salt and cook until softened, but not browned.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the garlic, flour and ground cumin and cook for another minute. Add the corn and roasted poblanos and cook for a few minutes.
- Strain the milk through a sieve and add it to the vegetables. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 15 – 20 minutes (do not boil). Remove from the heat and leave to cool for a few minutes.
- Put half the soup into a blender and blend until smooth and add it back to the pan.
- Check seasoning.
- Serve in deep bowls and top with a dollop of sour cream, crispy tortilla strips and cilantro.
Hi Barb, I just wanted to drop by to say we’ve just posted our last blog post. You’re one of my earliest blogging friends, and I’ve so enjoyed our friendship. Best wishes to you.
Nice to see this one come back! Love the combo of corn and chilies, and this is one great looking soup. Thanks!
Cool recipe! Thanks for the idea. Vegetable soups are delicious. I really like to cook pumpkin cream soup in the fall, and in the hot summer gazpacho from fresh vegetables straight from the garden, mmm delicious. It’s cool to be able to combine simple products and turn them into masterpiece dishes, it’s even better than going to a restaurant.
’m sure I’m missing something obvious, but how much corn is in the soup? I don’t see it in the ingredients. (For that matter, I only see the peppers mentioned in the post, not the recipe.)
It is the last item in the list of ingredients where it calls for 4 ears of corn (kernels removed) or approximately 3 cups of corn, canned or frozen). The entire recipe is at the bottom of the post.
I know this is a really old post but I’m hoping to make this soup tomorrow and need some quick clarification. Am I broiling the jalapeños too and adding them to the soup at the same time as the poblanos? Thanks!
Lucky you I was checking comments minutes after you left a question! Yes, broil all the peppers, poblano and jalapeno. And now I want this soup; hope you enjoy it Kelsey!
What a perfect soup for the summer.
It is simply perfect; I cut the recipe in half because I only had enough peppers for that. Next time I know better…worth a trip to the store to get more and have some for the freezer.
I think this soup is absolutely stunning and I so want to try it. I wonder if I can get poblanos or something similar in France. A beautiful soup!
Thanks Jamie. I would think they would most certainly have spicy peppers in France? Maybe by another name but worth checking into; the soup is divine.
This soup sounds perfect for summer or winter, Barb! I love poblanos and corn so I know I’d love this recipe. Beautiful photos as well!
Thanks so much Bill; if you love both than yes…you must try it. SO good. And again thanks…I’m finally settling into a routine that allows me the time I need to take photos and sometimes even I am happy with the results. 🙂
This looks awesome Barb.
Well I could not have done it without you! As soon as I saw your soup I knew I would have to make it!
I’d love this for a summer’s lunch. Soups should be enjoyed year-round and this one is special! You know I set off the smoke alarms the other day and my sensory-troubled son was NOT impressed. Good to know that those alarms work well but I wish mine was less sensitive to my cooking disasters!
Guess I’m glad it went off before a fire erupted in the pan but it was obviously pretty sensitive; the smoke was just barely noticeable. The good news is they went off by themselves too; these 9 foot ceilings are not my friend!
Really truly LOVED this soup; next up with be using Hatch green chiles with it!
Barb, I am shamefully ignorant abut chillies. I am mortally afraid of their heat, so avoid them where possible – I just can’t see the point of eating something that is going to cause me discomfort. However, these pictures are so very tempting that I’d almost be tempted!
If you look at that graph I included Amanda you can check the heat index. Poblano chiles are so mild that once you add them to other ingredients I would say any heat quotient is negligible so start with them. Jalapeno can vary but I wanted a touch of heat; still one of those would not take this to ‘roof of mouth burning’ at all. The Serrano can be a bit much which is why I eliminated it even if I tested with it. Try it; you’ll like it! 🙂
I can attest to the fact that corn and chilies are a great combo. Just used them last month in a great chowder-though it didn’t have potatoes. Perfect for days like today!
I wish I had some left; today would be a great day for a bowl of this soup! BTW; can not send you emails again, they all bounce. Boo.
Love this recipe. One of our favorites around here is a corn and green chile and cheese chowder. Love. That. Stuff. This is very similar so I know I’d love it. Sorry about the tortilla experience. I take corn tortillas, cut them in strips than I spray them on both sides with non-stick cooking spray and bake them on a cookie sheet in a 350 oven until crisp and brown. They are great for soup. Your photos are gorgeous by the way.
Jalapeno peppers can vary so much in their heat — some blow you away even if you remove the ribs and seeds, others you can eat whole with no problem. Weird. Anyway, I do like heat, so this is my sort of dish. Peppers and corn combine so well, don’t they? Love this — thanks.
So true about jalapenos John. I LOVED what I made but I know for a fact, that while not burning hot just to be hot type hot, it was not what I would go for on a normal basis so there was no need for the Serrano…unless you really like that kind of heat!
Just reading the recipe title, even before I scrolled down to see the photo, my mouth started watering. Literally. This soup sounds right up my alley. Maybe I’m overlooking, but I don’t see the corn in the ingredients. I’m assuming maybe a couple ears cut from the cob?
I published at midnight Lana, surefire way to insure I will have forgotten something. 🙂
I’m sure I’m missing something obvious, but how much corn is in the soup? I don’t see it in the ingredients. (For that matter, I only see the peppers mentioned in the post, not the recipe.)
Nope, it was me. It was a combination of finishing at midnight and seeing something I missed and then when I was changing it highlighting too much and deleting things I didn’t want to…had to scramble to find the notes I had pitched and get it fixed. I know better than to finish so late at night; it is an accident waiting to happen. All better now but if you happened to print the recipe do print it again!
That’s one of my favorite flavor combinations!!! What a lovely soup!
I know this is a really old post but I’m hoping to make this soup tomorrow and need some quick clarification. Am I broiling the jalapeños too and adding them to the soup at the same time as the poblanos? Thanks! 無料 ライブチャット
Yes, I see where I did not mention them by name with the poblanos so will revise that sentence.