Cream of Jalepeno Soup

July 18th, 2012 | Favorites, Other, Soup, Veggies | 2 Comments

My aunt was visiting from Texas last weekend and I love cooking for her because she'll try anything and she loves everything..... especially if it packs some heat. She's been known to add cayenne pepper to cookies and serve a roasted jalapeno topped with a dollop of peanut butter for an appetizer!! I guess that quest for heat runs in our family.... so I turned to some of my Texican cookbooks to get some inspiration and found this {absolutely PERFECT} recipe to make for her visit.

This is one of those recipes that I wish I'd created! It's soooo up my alley.... and when I found it in Grady's Spears' A Cowboy in the Kitchen cookbook {that coincidentally my aunt gave me} I about jumped up out of my chair!! I mean, Cream of Jalepeno Soup? Why haven't I heard of this before my late 30's??? And why didn't I think of it???

The only disappointment I had was that my jalapenos were not hot... at all.... and when I commence to make cream of jalapeno soup, I'm hoping for some spice. I ended up adding in the extra cayenne to turn it up a little bit, but if you're heat-averse, leave it out. You should be able to tell when you're dicing up your jalepenos if they are hot or mild and then make your decision to add the cayenne or not.

Grady's recipe called for 8 cups of cream. I decided to cut that amount down drastically so as to avoid having the American Heart Association show up at my door to stage an intervention. This soup didn't miss a beat without it!! It was soooo yummy. The tomatoes and avocados added such a nice layer to the creamy texture of the soup and breaking up tortilla chips and mixing them in added just the right amount of crunch to each bite.

This recipe is definitely a keeper and I can't wait to make it for my friends for our next Mexican-themed dinner party!

Ingredients:

6-7 small jalepeno peppers, stems and seeds removed
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2/3 cup chopped red onion
3 cloves minced garlic
1 large avocado, chopped
2 cups diced fresh tomatoes
3 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 cup half-n-half
1/2 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper {optional}
fried tortilla chips

Directions:

In a large, heavy and deep skillet set over medium heat, add the butter, jalapenos and onions.

Cook for about 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables begin to soften and onions turn translucent in color.

Add minced garlic and continue cooking and stirring for about one more minute.

Turn the heat down to low and mix in avocado, tomatoes, cream and half-n-half. Using a potato masher or the back of a wooden spoon, try to break down the tomatoes and avocado as the soup cooks.

Simmer, stirring occasionally for about 15 minutes.

Mix in salt, pepper and cayenne {if using} and continue simmering for another 15-20 minutes, until mixture has reduced and has a thick consistency.

Stir in cilantro and serve immediately with fresh or bagged tortilla chips for garnish.

2 thoughts on “Cream of Jalepeno Soup”

Mary Chaddock on July 21, 2012 at 7:05 pm said:

I was a little hesitant to make this due to all the cream (aka calories), but got over it quickly when I realized a Pizza or Fried Chicken night were the alternatives.

It was very easy to make and I loved it! I added a cup of shredded chicken to it, only because I have it already prepared in my freezer. It wasn’t needed. The only thing I’ll do different next time is that I may leave some of the jalapeño seeds in. I think that makes a big difference on the spice level.

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Sharon Hill on August 10, 2012 at 12:43 am said:

Hi Amy! I love jalapenos and this recipe sounds yummy. I recently have been eating a mostly vegan diet (notice, I say mostly) -it has helped with weight loss and lowering my cholesterol! So tonight when I decided to make this recipe I changed the cream and half and half for soy milk / olive oil instead of butter. I’ve got to say it is really good! My jalapenos were very spicy so I didn’t use the cayenne. I haven’t had the cream and butter version so I can’t say that this version is “as good” because I’m sure the cream and butter version is extremely delish! However, to stay on my plan, this will work! Thanks for the idea and the answer to, “What’s for dinner tonight!”

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