Latin American & Caribbean · Lunch · Dinner
Ecuadorian Potato and Cheese Soup
Locro de papa
A thick, golden Andean potato soup tinted with achiote, made creamy with milk and melted queso fresco, and finished with cool slices of avocado and fresh cilantro.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 40 min
- Total
- 60 min
- Serves
- 4
Calories come from: Carbs 53% · Fat 33% · Protein 14%
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Ingredients
For 4 servings- 6 medium1,000 gPotatoes (russet or yellow), peeled and cut into chunks
- 2 tsp10 gCanola oil
- 1 tspGround achiote (annatto)
- 1 medium150 gWhite onion, finely chopped
- 330 gScallions, white and light green parts, chopped
- 3 cloves9 gGarlic, minced
- 1 tspGround cumin
- 5 cups1,200 gWater
- 1 cup240 gLow-fat milk (1%)
- 1 cup120 gQueso fresco, crumbled
- 1 tsp6 gSalt
- 1/2 tspBlack pepper, ground
- 1 medium150 gAvocado, sliced
- 1/4 cup10 gFresh cilantro, chopped
Steps
- 1
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat and stir in the achiote for 30 seconds until the oil turns orange.
- 2
Add the onion and scallions and cook for 5 minutes until soft.
- 3
Stir in the garlic and cumin and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
- 4
Add the potatoes and stir to coat them in the seasoned oil.
- 5
Pour in the water, add the salt, and bring to a boil.
- 6
Lower the heat, cover, and simmer for 25 minutes until the potatoes are very tender.
- 7
Mash about half of the potatoes in the pot with a potato masher to thicken the soup, leaving some chunks.
- 8
Stir in the milk and heat gently for 3 minutes without boiling.
- 9
Remove from the heat, stir in three quarters of the queso fresco, and season with the black pepper.
- 10
Ladle into bowls and top with the avocado slices, the remaining queso fresco, and the cilantro.
Swaps, storage and make-ahead
Swaps
- For a dairy-free and vegan version, use unsweetened soy or oat milk and a plant-based feta-style crumble, choosing a milk labelled gluten-free if you need that.
- Swap queso fresco for crumbled feta or mild farmer's cheese if queso fresco is hard to find, adding salt more sparingly since feta is saltier.
- If you can't find ground achiote, use 1 tsp sweet paprika with a pinch of turmeric for a similar golden colour.
- Use low-sodium vegetable broth instead of water for a richer flavour, choosing one labelled gluten-free to keep the soup gluten-free.
Storage
Refrigerate the soup without the avocado and cilantro within 2 hours in a covered container for 3 to 4 days, and reheat gently, stirring, until steaming hot. Freezing is not recommended because the potatoes turn grainy and the milk and cheese can separate.
Make ahead
Make the soup through the simmering and mashing step up to 2 days ahead and refrigerate, then reheat until steaming hot before stirring in the milk and cheese. Slice the avocado and chop the cilantro just before serving.
Nutrition values are for the recipe as written.
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Allergens and nutrition
Contains: Milk
Check the labels of packaged ingredients for allergens and suitability for your diet.
Full nutrition
| Per serving (733 g) | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 419 kcal | 57 kcal |
| Protein | 14.4 g | 2 g |
| Carbohydrates | 57.8 g | 7.9 g |
| of which sugars | 7.4 g | 1 g |
| Fiber | 6.9 g | 0.9 g |
| Fat | 16.1 g | 2.2 g |
| of which saturated | 5.3 g | 0.7 g |
| Sodium | 870 mg | 119 mg |
Nutrition is calculated from USDA FoodData Central data and may differ from what you cook.
