Jalapeño Popper Soup (Spicy with Roasted Jalapeños!)
This creamy Jalapeño Popper Soup uses jalapeños two ways for real popper flavor. One batch is broiled until blistered, steamed, peeled, and chopped for sweet, smoky depth. A second batch goes in diced with the seeds for heat that holds through the simmer. Everything is built on crispy beef bacon and its rendered fat, from the onions to the roux to the torn sourdough croutons. Cream cheese melts in over low heat, then Monterey Jack and pepper jack go in off the heat for a smooth, rich pot loaded with tender Yukon Gold potatoes. Top with pickled jalapeños, extra beef bacon, and croutons.
Servings: 8 servings, about 1 ¼ cups each
Calories: 557kcal
Ingredients
Roasted jalapeños
- 10 ounces jalapeños any color (285 grams), halved lengthwise, seeds and membranes removed (yields about 6 ounces / 180 grams roasted and peeled)
Bacon
- 20 ounces Godshall's beef bacon 2 packages, diced about ¼ inch
Soup
- 4 tablespoons rendered beef bacon fat
- 1 large yellow onion about 10 ounces / 275 grams, diced
- 8 ounces jalapeños any color (234 grams), seeds and membranes left in, cut a generous ¼ inch
- 12 cloves garlic about 2 ounces / 60 grams, minced
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ cup all-purpose flour 60 grams
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1 ½ pounds Yukon Gold potatoes 680 grams, skin on, cut into about ½ inch pieces
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt or to taste (this recipe uses Diamond Crystal salt, see notes)
To finish
- 1 cup whole milk or half and half
- 8 ounces cream cheese 227 grams, cubed, at room temperature
- 4 ounces Monterey Jack 113 grams, grated from a block
- 4 ounces pepper jack 113 grams, grated from a block
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt or to taste, this recipe uses Diamond Crystal salt, see notes
Croutons
- 4 tablespoons rendered beef bacon fat
- 5 ounces bread stale or day-old, sourdough is our pick, 150 grams, torn into bite-size pieces
- Generous pinch of salt
Topping/serving
- Reserved crispy beef bacon
- Pickled jalapeño rounds homemade or store-bought
- Grated Monterey Jack or pepper jack
- Croutons
Instructions
- Arrange the halved jalapeños cut side down on a sheet pan. Broil on high, 4 to 6 inches from the element, for 5 to 8 minutes, until the skins are blackened in patches. Ventilate the kitchen. Transfer to a bowl, cover tightly, and steam for 10 minutes. Slip off the skins and chop into bite-size pieces. This can be done a day ahead.10 ounces jalapeños
- Add the diced beef bacon to a cold Dutch oven and set over medium heat. Render for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until crisp. The pot will be crowded, and it takes the full time. Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper-towel-lined plate. Pour off and reserve the fat, leaving the browned bits in the pot. Two packages render about 11 tablespoons (150 grams).20 ounces Godshall's beef bacon
- Return 4 tablespoons of the rendered beef bacon fat to the pot. Add the onion and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until soft, scraping up the browned bits.4 tablespoons rendered beef bacon fat, 1 large yellow onion
- Add the diced jalapeños and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.8 ounces jalapeños
- Add the garlic, onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and black pepper. Cook for about 1 minute, stirring constantly, until fragrant.12 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- Sprinkle in the flour and stir constantly for 1 to 2 minutes, until it smells toasty. Do not let it brown.½ cup all-purpose flour
- Add a splash of the chicken stock and whisk until smooth, then whisk in the rest.4 cups chicken stock
- Add the potatoes, the chopped roasted jalapeños, and 2 teaspoons of the salt. Simmer gently, uncovered, for 12 to 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender but still holding their shape. Taste. It should be a little hotter than you want the finished soup, but not painful.1 ½ pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- Reduce the heat to low and stir in the milk. Add the cream cheese a few cubes at a time, stirring each addition in fully before adding more.1 cup whole milk, 8 ounces cream cheese
- Take the pot off the burner completely. Add the Monterey Jack and pepper jack in three handfuls, stirring until smooth. Never return the soup to a boil after the cheese goes in.4 ounces Monterey Jack, 4 ounces pepper jack
- Stir in about two-thirds of the crispy beef bacon, reserving the rest for topping.
- Taste and add the remaining 1 teaspoon salt if needed, for 1 tablespoon total.1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Heat 4 tablespoons of the rendered beef bacon fat in a skillet over medium heat. Add the torn bread in a single layer and salt lightly. Toast, turning occasionally, until golden with crisp edges, about 5 to 8 minutes. Go by color, not the clock. To save time, you can toast the croutons while the potatoes simmer.4 tablespoons rendered beef bacon fat, 5 ounces bread, Generous pinch of salt
- Serve topped with crispy beef bacon, pickled jalapeño rounds, a little grated cheese, and croutons. Add the croutons at the table, not in the pot, because they soften fast.Reserved crispy beef bacon, Pickled jalapeño rounds, Grated Monterey Jack or pepper jack, Croutons
Notes
- Make ahead: Broil, peel, and chop the jalapeños up to a day early and refrigerate. Cook time drops to about 50 minutes.
- A note on salt: We use Diamond Crystal kosher salt. If you're using Morton's or table salt, cut the amount in half since they're saltier by volume. Salt the soup in two stages: 2 teaspoons with the potatoes, then the rest at the end after the beef bacon goes in, since it's well salted and moves the baseline.
- Heat level: The seeds and membranes in the diced batch carry the heat. Seed them too for a milder soup.
- Potatoes: Add more for a heartier soup. Yukon Gold or red potatoes hold their shape; skip russets. If it gets thicker than you like, loosen with a splash of milk at the end.
- The cheese: Monterey Jack and pepper jack keep it tasting like a real popper. Both are higher in moisture and lower in acid than aged cheddar, so they melt more forgivingly. Cheddar works, but it is more likely to break, so keep the pot off the heat.
- Croutons: The ratio is about 1 tablespoon of fat per 1 ½ ounces (40 grams) of bread, in a skillet wide enough to hold the pieces in one layer. Any sturdy day-old loaf works. If your beef bacon renders shy, finish the croutons with butter alongside the beef bacon fat.
- Garnish: For a whole roasted jalapeño on top like in our photos, broil a few extra whole jalapeños alongside the halves.
- Storage: Keeps in the fridge for 4 to 5 days. Reheat gently over low heat without boiling. Croutons are best made fresh.
Nutrition
Calories: 557kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 111mg | Sodium: 1982mg | Potassium: 1002mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 1404IU | Vitamin C: 96mg | Calcium: 353mg | Iron: 2mg