Soups

A sweet earthy take on this popular soup…

If you’re a fan of Mexican mole and its sweet earthiness, then you’re going to love the combo of mole and black beans. Black bean mole soup is bold – not particularly in heat, but certainly in spices. With its hint of chocolate, nutty undertone, and exotic spices, mole brings flair to black beans. It’s perfect as a hearty lunch or as an appetizer to Mexican meals.

As a topper, our chipotle lime crema gives a nice smoky tang that pairs well with the earthy sweetness of this soup. Ancho powder is part of the holy trinity of chilies that are typically used in mole. It’s earthy and sweet with very little spice. If you want something bolder in the spiciness department, try jumping to guajillo pepper (another holy trinity pepper). Or chipotle powder also works, and it’s a much more common find on spice racks. 

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Lightly smoky and sweet…

Ancho pepper is mild – merely a tickle on the taste buds in terms of spiciness – but there’s plenty of flavor behind this Mexican chili. It’s smoky, earthy, and a little sweet – all of which are perfectly paired with the fall flavors in pumpkin. This is one soup the whole family can enjoy and those that like “spiced” pumpkin dishes will certainly feel at home with the touches of cinnamon and cumin to boot. As a twist on the recipe, consider using maple syrup instead of brown sugar. It doubles down on the sweetness of the soup.

If you’re a spicy food fan with a love for pumpkin soup, be sure to check out some of our other options, like Thai pumpkin soup or one with a Moroccan flair.

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Comfort food good with a hint of exotic flavor…

Carrot soup is always a go to when you need a little comfort food goodness. Sweet and earthy, it’s a soup that delivers on the most meh days. But how about amping that comfort up a notch? How about some comfort food with something to say? That’s curried carrot soup in a nutshell.

Thai red curry paste (see a homemade recipe here) is the heat source here, along with just a touch of crushed red pepper as a garnish. Together they bring the burn to the earthy sweet carrot soup comfort. And then there’s that touch of coconut – it’s a tropical exotic twist. This is a soup that’ll make you feel good and get you talking about how tasty it is.

Want a spicy carrot soup without the curry and coconut flavor? Check out this recipe.

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Smoky and smooth…

This is one of our favorite dishes to pair with taco night. This spicy avocado soup recipe is both smoky and smooth. The flavor pairs perfectly with spicy Mexican food of all types, acting as a quenching treat in-between spicy bites.

Though, there’s a bit of a kick here too. Smoked paprika provides some warmth (along with its smokiness), and the touch of cayenne pepper powder adds a bit more simmer (but you can certainly pull it from the recipe to temper the spiciness). We love the soup with a few dashes of Tabasco sauce, but feel free to play with extra avocado and sprinkles of any of the spices in the soup to give it some color along with a texture/flavor boost.

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Earthy, hearty, and so much more…

In terms of flavor, parsnips are one heck of a root vegetable. They’re hearty, yes, and earthy too. But the underlying flavor is what makes them so delicious in soups. They have delicious cinnamon-like undertones, like the parsnip was spiced while growing in the earth. It’s why they make such a tasty cream soup – this has “feel good” written all over it.

Crushed red pepper provides some extra punch to this creamy parsnip soup, along with a little warmth from the curry powder as well. It’s not overwhelming – in fact the spices really complement the flavor of the parsnip perfectly.

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