Caldo de Papa Con Queso Panela-Potato and Cheese Soup!

Caldo de papa, potato soup, is delicious! Soup and caldo weather is just around the corner and I am ready! Who am I kidding? I eat soup year round, lol! I do not limit myself to enjoying a big bowl of caldo only when it’s cold outside. No way! I feel the heat more form the spicy salsa I enjoy eating daily, but I love it! This may seem like a simple bowl of potato and cheese soup, but it’s much more than that. Fried cheese! That’s right, fried cheese. It is delicious!

Fried Cheese? I have never heard of this!

This is typically the reaction I get when I share recipes or videos of this delicious fried cheese. What is the best cheese to use for frying? Queso panela works the best, in my opinion. There are some brands that specifically label the cheese as frying cheese or queso para freir. Some brands work better than others, depending on how much moisture the cheese contains. They will all work, but some will soften and slightly melt compared to others.

Besides caldo(soup), how else can I use this cheese?

Besides enjoying it fried, it’s delicious for snacking freshly sliced too! Queso panela makes a delicious queso con chile or chile con queso en salsa as some people call it. You can grate it for garnish on your favorite Mexican recipes. Toss it in your favorite pasta salad or ensalada de pollo. You can roast it topped with olive oil, spices and minced garlic. So many ways you can incorporate queso panela into your recipes.

Fried Cheese Tacos! Yes!

How Will You Incorporate Queso Panela Into a Recipe?

Sauté your salsa ingredients to add more flavor!

Use the fresh chiles of your choice. I chose chile guero because they are on the mild side.

Red, white, yellow or russet potatoes all work well in this recipe!

I take advantage and use fresh corn off the cob when possible!

Queso fresco can be substituted in a pinch, but sometimes does not hold up as well as the queso panela

The fried cheese makes a great tasty appetizer with your favorite cooked salsa on the side!

I am guilty of purchasing poblano peppers often thinking I am going to prepare chiles rellenos, lol! I always end up roasting them and adding them to my soups or guisados!

Let’s Get To The Caldo de Papa con Queso Recipe!

Caldo de Papa Con Queso- Potato and Cheese Soup

If you have never tried fried cheese in potato soup, it's a must try!

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Course, Soup

Cuisine: Mexican

Prep Time: 35 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 Servings

Ingredients

• 3 roma tomatoes sliced in half
• 1/3 section onion roughly chopped
• 3-4 cloves of garlic
• 3-5 chile guero or 2 jalapeños stems removed
• Oil
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 2 tbsps knorr tomato bouillon
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 6 small red or white potatoes washed, cubed
• 2 cups fresh or frozen corn
• 3 large poblanos previously roasted, cleaned and sliced
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 12 oz queso panela or frying cheese cubed
• 3 tbsps parsley finely chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Avocado slices
• Lime wedges

Instructions

• Slice the tomatoes in half. Remove the stems from the chile peppers. Roughly chop the onion and peel cloves of garlic. Transfer these ingredients to a deep skillet or large pot. Drizzle with 2 tsps of oil and turn heat to medium.
• After a few minutes, the ingredients will begin to sizzle. Let ingredients begin to caramelize a little. Stir and flip as needed for the next 6-7 minutes. Transfer ingredients to the blender jar. Into the skillet, pour in 1 1/2 cups of water to deglaze the bottom. Pour the water from skillet into blender jar. Add the bouillon. Let ingredients cool for a few minutes.
• Secure the lid onto blender. Using a kitchen towel, hold down the lid while you blend on high until salsa is smooth. Set aside.
• In that same deep skillet or pot, add the butter and 1 tbsp of oil. Heat to medium. Once butter has melted, pour in the salsa from the blender jar. Stir well to combine. When it comes up to a simmer, taste for salt.
• Add the potatoes and corn. Stir to combine. Pour in 6 cups of chicken broth. Bring up to a light simmer. Cook for 10 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender.
• While the potatoes cook, in a separate skillet, heat 1/4 c of oil at medium for a few minutes. In two batches, fry the cubed queso panela until golden on each side. Transfer to a plate. Set aside.
• To the simmering soup add the roasted poblanos and the parsley. Stir to combine. Simmer for 5 more minutes.
• To plate, you can either add all the fried cheese directly to the soup pot or you can add some of the fried cheese cubes to individual bowls and then ladle the hot soup over the top. Garnish with fresh lime and avocado slices

Notes

If you don’t prefer to fry the cheese, you can add it to the bottom of the bowl cubed and ladle the hot soup over the top to serve. Combine with a good melting cheese, like queso Chihuahua!

Tried this recipe?Mention @pinaenlacocina or tag #pinaenlacocina!

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