Mexican Corn Soup

Prepared with sour cream and cream cheese, Mexican Corn Soup is warm and cozy, creamy and cheesy, and has a little bit of heat and zing. Serve with crumbled bacon, tortilla chips, and lime wedges.

MEXICAN CORN SOUP

We love dishes with a Mexican twist. That’s probably why this Mexican Corn Soup disappeared in no time! We all loved it. The option of adding toppings was a great touch. I added bacon and extra jalapeno to mine, while John.e opted for tortilla chips and diced avocado.

This soup really does have it all. It’s very inexpensive and it’s very family friendly. Not only does it come together quite easily, but you can also freeze it and re-heat it without losing any flavour or texture.

My favourite part of the soup is that it’s completely customizable. If you want more heat, add more heat. If you want more crunch, top your bowl of soup with crumbled tortilla chips or spicy croutons. Stir in some shredded cheese if you want a creamier, cheesier soup.

If you are feeding a crowd, I suggest you get together as many toppings as you can think of. Place them all in individual bowls and place those bowls onto a lazy Susan right in the middle of your table. It would be just like a dim sum restaurant if a dim sum restaurant served Mexican food!

I assumed that all Mexican food would be too spicy for me to handle, but I was wrong. It’s so easy to control the spice and heat level in most Mexican dishes.

TAKING OUT THE GUESSWORK

Last summer, I shared my Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad, and this Mexican Couscous Salad. Those were delicious! Whenever I make those, I always pair them with my Mexican Dry Rub Grilled Chicken Skewers. Those are probably my favourite way to prepare skewers.

As the primary cook in our home, the one thing I struggle the most with is what to serve with something. It’s easy to roast a chicken, grill a steak, or bake some fish. But, deciding what to serve with it is always an issue. That’s why I love Mexican food so much. Just about everything pairs well with the flavours.

So, if you’re making this soup, how will you serve it? Will you add anything to the soup, like black beans maybe? Or will you keep it simple and direct like I did?

INGREDIENTS YOU WILL NEED:

1. White Onion – The onion is cooked in olive oil first, and then cooked with the garlic. All good things start with onion and garlic, right?
2. Garlic – You’ll need two cloves of garlic. Use fresh garlic rather than that stuff in the little jar. There’s a huge difference between the two in terms of taste.
3. Jalapenos – I used 4 large, but you can use less. Dice them very finely. Leave the seeds in for more heat or discard them before dicing.
4. Corn – You will need six cups of corn. Fresh corn is best; just slice it right from the cob and toss it in. Can you use frozen corn? Absolutely!
5. Sour Cream – Use a full fat sour cream. Most creamy soups use cream, but we are going to use sour cream, because it’s a very popular Mexican ingredient, and it adds tang to the soup.
6. Cream Cheese – Again, this adds to the creaminess of the soup. It will help to add more zing and tang, but also it will even out the pungency of the onion and garlic.
7. Vegetable Stock – Use low sodium. Taste and season the soup with more salt if needed.
8. Lime Juice and Zest – These are both popular in Mexican cooking and they add such fresh, vibrant flavour.
9. Chili Powder – You can use regular chili powder, ancho chili powder, or even cayenne. Add as much as you like, but know your heat tolerance.
10. Cilantro – Gross. I know! It tastes like soap. I used parley instead, but if you like the taste of cilantro, use that instead.

HOW TO MAKE MEXICAN CORN SOUP

1. In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, add the olive oil, onion, salt, and black pepper. Over medium heat, cook for five minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is cooked.
2. Add the garlic and jalapenos. Stir into the onions and cook for 2-3 minutes.
3. Next, add the vegetable stock, corn, and chili powder. Stir to combine. Place a lid on the pot and cook for 10 minutes.
4. Add in the sour cream and cream cheese. Slowly stir continuously until the cream cheese has dissolved into the vegetable stock.
5. At this point, you can leave the soup as is, or you can puree half of it to make a smoother, creamier soup. Add half of the soup to a blender and puree. Be careful! The soup is hot and will burn you if it splatters. Pour the pureed soup back into the pot and stir to combine. Turn off the heat.
6. Lastly, add the lime zest, lime juice, and cilantro/parsley. Stir to combine.
7. Serve and add toppings of choice.

SOUP TOPPING OPTIONS

The toppings for Mexican Corn Soup are only limited by our imaginations. My go-to toppings are crumbled, cooked bacon, and tortilla chips. I also like to add crumbled feta or Cotija cheese. Croutons work nicely, and so does French’s Fried Onions or French’s Fried Jalapenos.

Try adding some grilled or charred corn to the top of the soup. Of course, you can’t go wrong with more shredded cheese. Even warmed black beans, or diced tomatoes would be nice!

I’ve been known to drizzle the top with a little bit of chili oil. And, I topped it with a little bit of cooling sour cream. It all depends on how you feel on that particular day. Just bear in mind that the added toppings are not counted for in the nutritional information below. Enjoy!

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