Sopita de Chile Verde con Queso

I first tasted this soup on a cold evening in Guadalajara, sitting at a tiny family-run fonda where the abuela wouldn’t let me leave without a second bowl.

She called it “medicina para el alma” – medicine for the soul.

And honestly? She wasn’t wrong.

Sopita de chile verde con queso is one of those Mexican comfort foods that doesn’t get nearly enough attention outside of Mexican households. While everyone’s obsessing over pozole and tortilla soup, this green chile soup with melted cheese is quietly winning hearts in kitchens across Mexico.

It’s tangy from the tomatillos, spicy from the chiles, and ridiculously creamy from the cheese that melts into every spoonful.

The base is a blended green salsa made with roasted tomatillos, poblano peppers, jalapeños, and cilantro. You simmer that with chicken broth until it’s silky and aromatic.

Then comes the fun part.

Adding chunks of queso fresco or Oaxaca cheese that melt into stringy, gooey goodness.

Some versions add shredded chicken. Others keep it vegetarian. Many people add crispy tortilla strips on top for texture.

But the soul of this soup?

That bright, roasted green chile flavor balanced with rich, melting cheese.

Fun fact: In many Mexican households, this soup is called “caldo de chile verde” or simply “sopita verde” – but adding the “con queso” is non-negotiable. The cheese isn’t a topping, it’s the whole point. 🧀

Here’s what surprised me most: this isn’t some all-day cooking project.

From start to finish, you’re looking at about 35-40 minutes. The roasting takes maybe 15 minutes, the blending is quick, and the simmering happens fast.

Perfect for when you want something deeply satisfying without camping out in your kitchen for hours.

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Quick Glance: What Makes This Soup Special

Element	What It Brings
Roasted Tomatillos	Tangy, bright acidity with smoky depth
Poblano Peppers	Mild heat, earthy green chile flavor
Jalapeños	Adjustable spice kick
Fresh Cilantro	Herbaceous freshness (not soapy, I promise)
Melted Cheese	Creamy, rich, gooey texture
Crispy Tortilla Strips	Crunchy contrast to silky soup

The texture sits somewhere between a brothy soup and a thin chowder.

It’s light enough that you don’t feel weighed down, but substantial enough to be a full meal with some good bread or tortillas on the side.

Let me walk you through exactly how to make it.

What You’ll Need

For the Green Chile Base:

• 1 ½ pounds fresh tomatillos, husked and rinsed
• 2 large poblano peppers
• 2-3 jalapeño peppers (depending on heat preference)
• 1 medium white onion, quartered
• 4 cloves garlic, unpeeled
• 1 cup fresh cilantro, loosely packed (stems included)
• 6 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• Salt to taste (start with 1 teaspoon)
• ½ teaspoon black pepper

For the Soup:

• 12 ounces queso fresco, cut into ½-inch cubes (or Oaxaca cheese, shredded)
• 2 cups cooked shredded chicken (optional)
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

For Serving:

• Corn tortillas, cut into strips and fried until crispy
• Mexican crema or sour cream
• Extra cilantro leaves
• Diced avocado
• Lime wedges
• Crumbled queso fresco

Tools You’ll Need

✓ Large baking sheet or comal (griddle)
✓ Blender (high-powered works best)
✓ Large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven (at least 5-quart capacity)
✓ Wooden spoon
✓ Kitchen tongs
✓ Sharp knife
✓ Cutting board
✓ Ladle
✓ Fine-mesh strainer (optional, for smoother texture)

Pro Tips

1. Char those vegetables properly

The roasted, slightly blackened flavor of the tomatillos and peppers is what gives this soup its depth.

Don’t skip this step or rush it.

You want genuine charring – those black spots are flavor bombs. I learned this the hard way when I tried boiling everything once. It tasted flat and boring compared to the roasted version.

2. Blend in batches and vent carefully

Hot liquid expands in a blender and can blow the lid right off (ask me how I know 😅).

Fill your blender only halfway, hold a kitchen towel over the lid, and start on low speed. Blend in two or three batches rather than one dangerous batch.

Your ceiling will thank you.

3. Add cheese at the very end

If you add the cheese too early or let it boil, it can become grainy and separate.

You want it to gently melt into the hot soup right before serving. Turn off the heat, stir in the cheese cubes, and let them soften for 2-3 minutes.

That’s how you get that perfect creamy texture.

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4. Adjust consistency with broth

This soup thickens as it sits because of the natural pectin in tomatillos.

If it gets too thick after sitting or reheating, just add a splash more broth and stir. It should be pourable but coating a spoon – not watery, not paste-like.

5. Toast your cumin first

This takes 30 seconds but makes a massive difference.

Toast the cumin in your dry soup pot until fragrant before adding the blended salsa. It brings out oils and aromatics that raw cumin just doesn’t have.

Cheese Showdown: Which One Should You Use?

Cheese Type	Texture When Melted	Flavor Profile	Best For
Queso Fresco	Softens but holds shape	Mild, milky, slightly salty	Traditional texture, visible cheese pieces
Oaxaca	Melts into strings	Mild, buttery, stretchy	Maximum meltiness, gooey factor
Monterey Jack	Smooth, creamy melt	Mild, slightly tangy	Easy substitute, grocery store friendly
Panela	Softens, doesn’t fully melt	Fresh, milky, firm	Holds shape well, less rich
Combo (Fresco + Oaxaca)	Best of both worlds	Balanced richness	Ultimate texture and flavor

My personal favorite? A combination of both queso fresco and Oaxaca. You get texture AND that incredible melty stretch.

Substitutions and Variations

Heat Level Options:

Mild: Remove all jalapeño seeds + use only 1 pepper
Medium (as written): 2-3 jalapeños with some seeds
Spicy: Add 1 serrano pepper + keep all jalapeño seeds
Extra Spicy: Add dried chile de árbol to roasting pan

Make It Your Own:

Swap This	For This	Result
Chicken broth	Vegetable broth	Vegetarian version
Shredded chicken	Cooked shrimp	Seafood twist, add at very end
Shredded chicken	Crispy chorizo	Smoky, spicy protein
Shredded chicken	White beans	Vegetarian protein boost
Fresh tomatillos	2 cans (11 oz each)	Convenient pantry version
Poblanos	Anaheim peppers	Milder, slightly sweeter

Kitchen wisdom: If you can’t find tomatillos, don’t substitute regular tomatoes. The tangy, bright acidity is what makes this soup special. Order them online or wait until you can find them fresh.

Make Ahead Tips

Soup base (before cheese): Make up to 3 days ahead. Store in airtight container in fridge. Reheat gently and add cheese fresh.

Roasted salsa: Freeze for up to 3 months before adding to broth. Thaw overnight in fridge.

Don’t make ahead: The cheese. It doesn’t reheat well and becomes grainy.

Crispy tortilla strips: Make up to 2 days ahead. Store in zip-top bag at room temperature. They stay crispy and save you time.

How to Make Sopita de Chile Verde con Queso

Step 1: Roast the vegetables (15 minutes)

Preheat your oven’s broiler to high. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Place the tomatillos, poblano peppers, jalapeños, onion quarters, and unpeeled garlic cloves on the baking sheet in a single layer.

Position the pan about 6 inches from the broiler.

Roast for 5-7 minutes until the tops are charred and blackened in spots.

Flip everything over with tongs and roast another 5-7 minutes on the other side. The tomatillos should be soft and collapsing slightly. The peppers should have blackened, blistered skin.

Remove from oven and let everything cool for about 5 minutes. The steam helps loosen the pepper skins.

What you’re looking for: Genuine char marks. Not just warm vegetables, but blackened, blistered, aromatic roasted vegetables that smell incredible.

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Step 2: Prep the roasted vegetables (5 minutes)

Peel the garlic cloves – they should slip right out of their skins.

For the poblanos and jalapeños, you can peel off most of the blackened skin (I usually leave some for flavor).

Remove the stems and seeds from the poblanos.

For the jalapeños, remove stems and decide how many seeds to keep based on your heat preference.

The tomatillos and onions go in as-is, char and all. That’s where the flavor lives.

Step 3: Blend the salsa verde (3 minutes)

Add the roasted tomatillos, peppers, onion, garlic, and cilantro to your blender. Add 1 cup of the chicken broth.

Blend on high speed for 30-45 seconds until completely smooth.

You might need to stop and scrape down the sides once.

The mixture should be bright green and pourable. If it’s too thick to blend smoothly, add another ½ cup of broth.

Blending tip: Start on low and gradually increase to high. This prevents air pockets and gives you a smoother, more emulsified salsa.

Step 4: Cook the soup base (4 minutes)

Heat the vegetable oil in your large pot over medium-high heat.

Toast the cumin in the oil for about 30 seconds until fragrant and a shade darker.

Carefully pour in the blended salsa verde.

It will sizzle and sputter – that’s normal. Stir immediately.

Let this fry for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. You’ll notice the color deepens and the raw smell becomes cooked and aromatic.

This step concentrates the flavors.

Watch for: The color changing from bright green to a deeper, richer green. That’s your cue that it’s ready.

Step 5: Simmer the soup (15 minutes)

Add the remaining 5 cups of chicken broth to the pot. Stir well to combine.

Add the salt, black pepper, and lime juice. Stir again.

Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes.

This allows all the flavors to marry together.

Taste and adjust seasoning. The soup should be tangy, slightly spicy, and well-seasoned. Add more salt if needed.

Step 6: Add protein if using (3 minutes)

If you’re adding shredded chicken, stir it in now and let it heat through for 2-3 minutes.

The chicken should be warm and have absorbed some of the green chile flavor.

Step 7: Add the cheese (3 minutes)

Turn off the heat completely.

This is important – the residual heat will melt the cheese without making it grainy.

Gently stir in the cheese cubes. Let them sit in the hot soup for 2-3 minutes.

Stir gently once or twice.

The cheese will soften and start to melt into the soup, creating creamy pockets of goodness.

Step 8: Serve immediately

Ladle the soup into bowls while it’s piping hot.

Top each bowl with:

• Crispy tortilla strips
• Drizzle of Mexican crema
• Fresh cilantro leaves
• Diced avocado
• Sprinkle of extra queso fresco

Serve with lime wedges on the side for squeezing.

I also like to put warm corn tortillas on the table. Some people tear them up and drop them into the soup – they soften and soak up all that green chile goodness.

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Cooking Time Breakdown

Step	Time	What’s Happening
Roasting vegetables	15 min	Building smoky, charred flavor
Cooling & prepping	5 min	Peeling peppers, garlic
Blending salsa	3 min	Creating smooth base
Frying salsa	4 min	Concentrating flavors
Simmering soup	15 min	Melding all flavors together
Adding cheese & serving	5 min	Final touches
Total Active Time	35-40 min	Faster than delivery!

Leftovers and Storage

Store leftover soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Here’s the thing about reheating: do it gently over medium-low heat.

Don’t microwave if you can avoid it – the cheese can get rubbery and the soup can split.

If the soup has thickened in the fridge (it will), add ½ cup of broth while reheating and stir well.

Storage Hacks:

Item	Storage Method	Shelf Life
Soup base (no cheese)	Airtight container, fridge	4 days
Soup base (no cheese)	Freezer-safe container	3 months
Crispy tortilla strips	Zip-top bag, room temp	2-3 days
Toppings (crema, avocado)	Separate containers	Add fresh when serving

The crispy tortilla strips will get soggy in the fridge, so store them separately in a zip-top bag at room temperature. They’ll stay crispy for 2-3 days.

Same goes for the avocado and crema – add these fresh when serving leftovers.

Honestly, this soup tastes even better the next day after all the flavors have had time to hang out together. I sometimes make it specifically for meal prep lunches.

Nutritional Information

Per serving (based on 6 servings):

Nutrient	Amount	% Daily Value
Calories	245	12%
Protein	18g	36%
Carbohydrates	15g	5%
Fat	14g	18%
Fiber	4g	14%
Sodium	890mg	39%
Calcium	280mg	22%
Vitamin C	45mg	50%

This is a moderate-calorie soup that’s high in protein (especially if you add chicken) and loaded with vitamins from the tomatillos and peppers.

Tomatillos are packed with vitamin C and antioxidants.

The cheese adds calcium and makes this more filling than a typical brothy soup.

Perfect Pairings

This soup is a meal on its own, but it pairs beautifully with a few things:

On the Side:

🌮 Mexican rice – The mild rice balances the tangy, spicy soup
🧀 Quesadillas – Use leftover Oaxaca cheese and shredded chicken
🥗 Simple salad – Jicama, cucumber, and lime keeps things light
🌽 Elote – Sweet, creamy street corn contrasts perfectly

To Drink:

🍺 Mexican beer – Modelo or Pacifico, ice cold
🍹 Agua fresca – Horchata or jamaica
🍋 Limeade – Simple and refreshing

FAQ

Can I use a different type of chile pepper?

Absolutely. Anaheim peppers work if you can’t find poblanos (the soup will be milder). Hatch green chiles are fantastic when in season. Some people add a serrano for extra kick. Just keep the same total volume of peppers – about 8 ounces total.

Also Read: Easy Pecan Pralines

Why are my tomatillos sticky?

That’s completely normal! Fresh tomatillos have a sticky, waxy coating under their papery husks. Just rinse them well under warm water and that tackiness will wash away.

Can I make this in a slow cooker?

You can, but you’ll lose some of that essential roasted flavor. If you go this route, still roast the vegetables first, then add the blended salsa and broth to your slow cooker. Cook on low for 3-4 hours. Add cheese just before serving.

The soup is too spicy. How do I fix it?

Add more broth to dilute the heat. You can also stir in some Mexican crema or regular sour cream – dairy tames spice. Adding more cheese helps too. And if all else fails, serve with plenty of avocado and tortillas to balance things out.

Can I use dried chiles instead of fresh?

Not for this particular recipe. The fresh, bright flavor of roasted poblanos and jalapeños is really what defines this soup. Dried chiles have a different, earthier flavor profile that would change the entire character of the dish.

My soup is too thick/too thin. What do I do?

Too thick? Add more broth, ½ cup at a time, until it reaches your desired consistency. Too thin? Let it simmer uncovered for another 10 minutes to reduce slightly. You can also blend a handful of tortilla chips and stir them in – they’ll thicken the soup and add corn flavor.

What’s the difference between queso fresco and Oaxaca cheese?

Queso fresco is a crumbly, fresh cheese that softens but doesn’t fully melt – it holds its shape in the soup. Oaxaca cheese is like Mexican mozzarella – it melts into long, gooey strings. I like using both for different textures, but either one works great on its own.

Can I roast the vegetables on the stovetop instead?

Yes! Use a comal or cast iron skillet over high heat. Roast the tomatillos, peppers, onions, and garlic directly on the hot surface, turning frequently until charred all over. This actually gives you more control and is the traditional method. Takes about 10-12 minutes total.

Wrapping Up

This soup changed how I think about Mexican comfort food.

It’s bright and fresh, but also rich and satisfying. It comes together faster than ordering takeout. And it uses ingredients you can find at any decent grocery store.

The roasted green chile flavor is addictive.

That first spoonful – tangy, spicy, creamy – just pulls you in. Then you notice the melted cheese. Then the crispy tortilla strips.

Then you’re scraping the bottom of your bowl wondering where it all went.

That abuela in Guadalajara was right. This really is medicine for the soul.

Make a batch this week. Adjust the spice to your liking. Top it however makes you happy. Serve it to people you love.

Then come back and drop a comment below.

Tell me how it turned out. Let me know if you added your own twist. Share what toppings you piled on top.

This soup deserves more love than it gets, and I want to hear about your experience making it.