Warming and delicious, this hearty chorizo soup is a comforting companion as the weather takes a cooler turn, and when something brothy yet filling is what you crave.
A Cozy Bowl of Chorizo Soup
To say that we love soup in our household is a bit of an understatement. We absolutely adore it and could eat it almost everyday if it was up to my husband and I.
I would say that I prepare soup, or a hearty stew, at least once a week; prepare a huge pot that will take us through several days, making sure to have lots of crusty bread on hand to slice and serve along side for dipping.
For us, that's an abundant and complete meal, one that comforts us and keeps us warm and cozy, especially in the cooler months.
The beautiful thing about a big pot of soup is how truly simple it is to prepare, typically requiring only about 20-40 minutes to simmer to delectable perfection, depending on what type of ingredients are in it.
And soup gloriously tastes better the longer it sits—if a pot is prepared and then enjoyed the next day or even a couple of days after that, the flavors become even richer and more pronounced because the ingredients have an opportunity to mingle and marry, and that's a pretty magical thing, if you ask me. 😉
Chorizo Soup With a Hint of Spice to Turn up the Heat
While a thick and creamy soup is deliciously velvety, our favorite kind of soup is one that is thick and broth-y and loaded with lots of veggies and herbs, perhaps even has a nice spicy kick when we're looking to turn up our inner thermostats, and this chorizo soup recipe is filled with all of those scrumptious things.
Chorizo, which is wonderfully flavory and a bit fiery, is gently simmered in a rich stock filled with hearty and creamy white beans, zesty fire-roasted tomatoes, leeks and sweet potato, all tied together with a liberal sprinkling of a few aromatic spices.
Finished with a handful of baby spinach and a few vibrant fresh herbs at the very end, this flavorful chorizo soup is ready to be ladled into large bowls to bring some warmth and life back into one's soul, along with much needed coziness.
Tips & Tidbits for Chorizo Soup:
- Canned beans for ease: I love to use good quality, organic canned navy beans for this recipe; quick and simple, I just drain and rinse, and add to the soup.
- Go vegetarian: If you'd like to go meat-free with this recipe, it's super simple: purchase a soy chorizo (Trader Joes' has a “Soy-rizo” that's really tasty, or you can try Whole Foods) and substitute veggie stock for the chicken stock.
- No leeks? Use onions: You can use a medium-large onion in place of the leeks for this recipe, if you prefer.
Feast your eyes on these, or just jump to the recipe:
Recipe
Chorizo Soup
by Ingrid Beer
Print Recipe
Category: Soup
Cuisine: Mexican-American
Yield: Serves 6
Nutrition Info: 458 calories
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Total time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:
• Avocado oil
• 1 (9 ounce / 255 gram) package pork chorizo (Mexican style), plastic casing removed
• 2 leeks (white part only), cleaned, quartered and sliced
• Salt
• Black pepper
• 6 cloves garlic, pressed through garlic press
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced small
• 1 (28 ounce / 793 gram) can diced, fire-roasted tomatoes, drained of juice
• 2 (15 ounce / 425 gram) cans organic navy beans, drained and rinsed
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup baby spinach leaves
• 1 tablespoon fresh, chopped cilantro
-Place a large soup pot over medium-high heat, and drizzle in about 1 tablespoon of avocado oil; once the pot is hot, crumble in the chorizo, and stir it around for a few minutes until mostly cooked through.
-Add in the leeks, plus a pinch of salt and pepper, and cook those with the chorizo for about 4 minutes, or until they start to become tender; add the garlic and stir, and once aromatic, add in the cumin, chili powder and smoked paprika, and stir to combine.
-Add in the diced sweet potato, the drained fire-roasted tomatoes and the navy beans, along with the chicken stock, and to stir to incorporate; bring the soup to a vigorous simmer, then cover with a lid askew, and turn down the heat to allow the soup to simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the sweet potato is tender.
-Turn off the heat, and check to see if additional salt/pepper is needed; then, stir in the spinach and the cilantro, and serve.
YUM! This looks SO good- I mean, does it get any better than a big bowl of this stuff on a fall night? I think not.
Thanks Karly!
Just made this for dinner. I knew it would be a winner as soon as I read the recipe. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Mercedes, wonderful! I'm so very glad you enjoyed the recipe, and thank you for taking the time to share your experience.
Recipe looks amazing. My children don't love spinach or kale cooked. I was thinking of substituting fresh basil or parsley instead—less of it of course...
Hi Shannon, you know your kiddos best, so yes—substitute whatever your feel you all would enjoy! Hope you find some warmth and comfort in this soup!
Is the chorizo Spanish or Mexican? Big dffernce between the two, although I think either would be yummy. Thought I might be able to tell with the cooking instructions, but no.
Hi Mel, great question! While it is true that either would be really tasty in the soup, it is the Mexican style chorizo that I used, the one that is the raw, uncooked pork with spices in a casing that you remove.
I'll make that specification in the recipe...thanks!
Hope you enjoy!
Hi! Thanks for the great recipe. I made it without knowing it was the raw kind and used Spanish chorizo... still yummy though! Also subbed beans with lentils. 🙂
Hi Karen, so glad you enjoyed! (Hey, you made it your own with the Spanish chorizo!) 😉
Delicious!! I’m using my family farm’s chorizo! I’m making it for the second time today 🙂 thank you!!!
Kristen, that is super cool! Chorizo from your own family farm must be scrumptious.
So glad you're enjoying this tasty soup, and thank you for sharing your experience!
Just made this soup for lunch. I am now I new fan of yours, Ingrid, and will watch your site. I'm always trying new recipes and this was first from you. I used Johnsonville Chorizo sausage, which is raw/fresh, but isn't the orange spiced sausage I'd find in Texas. I'm living in Singapore and I'm lucky to find raw frozen Chorizo. I personally love any sausage from Johnsonville. I also follow Weight Watchers and this is WW friendly. For those interested, it's 6 Freestyle Smart Points for 6 servings, but I'm getting more than 6 servings, so those points will actually come out lower. Thanks, Ingrid, for creating and sharing such a wonderful recipe.
Hi Jeanne, thanks for taking some time to share your experience with me—I'm thrilled that you enjoyed the recipe, and that we now have you as a new fan! 🙂
I hope you do find many, many more recipes to prepare and be nourished by!