Caldo de queso is a Sonoran-style cheese and potato soup unique to the Arizona-Mexico borderlands. Hearty chunks of Yukon Gold potatoes simmer in a light, milky broth with roasted green chiles, tomatoes, onions, and Mexican oregano. Shredded cheese melts into each bowl at serving, and crushed chiltepin chiles finish the soup with a distinctive Sonoran heat. Serve it with warm flour or corn tortillas for scooping.
What Make Caldo de Queso Special?
The potatoes are large, quartered Yukon Golds that hold their shape. Evaporated milk replaces heavy cream for a lighter, milkier broth that lets the green chile and cheese flavors come through cleanly. The cheese goes into the bowl, not the pot. Hot broth is ladled over shredded cheese at serving creates pools of melted cheese in every spoonful. Crushed dried chiltepin chiles finish each bowl instead of hot sauce. Chiltepins are small, intensely hot wild chiles native to the Sonoran Desert. They add heat without masking the subtle flavors of the broth.
This recipe comes from my Taste of Tucson Cookbook — a celebration of Tucson’s UNESCO City of Gastronomy designation and the Sonoran culinary traditions unique to the Arizona-Mexico borderlands. For a deeper look at the technique behind this soup, read my Serious Eats feature on caldo de queso.
Sonoran Caldo de Queso
A Sonoran cheese and potato soup in a light milky broth with tomatoes, green chiles and onions. Be careful not to confuse evaporated milk with condensed milk which is very sweet and used in desserts. Use the tortillas to scoop up chunks of potatoes and cheese. Canned roasted Anaheim or Hatch green chiles can be substituted if fresh are not available. Mexican blend shredded cheese can be used if you can’t get the other kinds.
- 5+ quart Dutch oven or soup pot
- 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 cup water
- 4 medium Yukon Gold potatoes (about 2 pounds, scrubbed and quartered)
- 1 large tomato diced (about 8oz)
- 1 medium white onion diced (about 8oz)
- 1 7-ounce can chopped roasted Anaheim or Hatch green chiles, hot or mild,
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic (about 4 cloves)
- 1 to 2 teaspoons (Knorr chicken flavored granulated bullion, or 1 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt if vegetarian, divided)
- 1 12-ounce lowfat or nonfat evaporated milk
- 1 tablespoon dried Mexican oregano (plus more for serving)
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 8 ounces (Queso Quesadilla, Oaxaca, or Mexican blend cheese, shredded)
- 4-8 dried chiltepin chiles for serving (crushed, optional)
- 4-8 flour or corn tortillas (for serving)
- In a 5+ quart Dutch oven or soup pot, combine broth, water, potatoes, tomatoes, onion, green chiles, garlic and 1 teaspoon bullion powder or salt if using.
- Remove from heat, Stir in the evaporated milk and Mexican oregano and simmer for 5 minutes longer. Taste and season with additional salt, teaspoon of bullion powder and pepper as desired.
- Put ¼ cup of shredded cheese in the bottom of each of 4 bowls, then ladle the soup over the top.
- Sprinkle with crushed chiltepin chile, and Mexican Oregano. Scoop bits of potato and cheese into warm corn and/or flour tortillas.
