Recipe of the Day – Kid Friendly Caldo de Queso
This Recipe of the Day is for Kid Friendly Caldo de Queso and it is one of my kid’s favorites. This soup is traditional to the state of Sonora in Mexico. The main ingredients are chicken broth, potatoes, regional cheese, chile anaheim and a little bit of milk. Sonora is known for its queso fresco, if you can get your hands on some cheese from Imuris, even better! Imuris is a small town in Sonora that is famous for its cheese and of course quesadillas. Imuris is about 31 miles south of Nogales, Arizona. Some people call it queso panela or queso fresco, you can find it at any US market as panela cheese.
(Cheese Soup)
This cheese soup is regional in Sonora but it has many variations. This Kid Friendly Caldo de Queso variation will have your children asking for a second serving. My kids are picky eaters, they cannot stand squishy or mushy textures as it ruins pretty much any meal for them. I know, I should have fed them more of those textures when they were babies… but here we are.
Where to Find the Ingredients?
If you need help finding some of the ingredients, you will likely find them in any Mexican market nearby. You can also find the ingredients in your local Food City, Bashas or even Walmart!
If you are looking for a set of Mexican style bowls, you can find a set similar to my own online here*.
This dish is kid friendly, filling and delicious AND it takes about one hour to make. I usually serve this with Horchata or Jamaica.
Feel free to share this recipe via facebook, twitter or comment down below. I love to see your success pictures and secret recommendations!
Good luck and enjoy!
*This post contains affiliate link(s). An affiliate link means I may earn advertising / referral fees if you make a purchase through my link, without any extra cost to you.
Kid Friendly Caldo de Queso
Cheese Soup
- 4 potatoes
- 10 oz queso panela ((or more if you like))
- 1 anaheim chile
- 1/2 cup milk ((I use 2% but you can use the one you like))
- 1 onion
- 4 tomatoes
- 32 oz chicken broth ((You can make your own))
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 chicken leg quarters ((only if you are making your own broth))
- 1 garlic head ((only if you are making your own broth))
- salt
Chicken Broth – If you already have some chicken broth ready, skip these steps
In a large saucepan over high heat put the two chicken leg quarters and water to fill about 3/4 of the saucepan. When the water starts boiling you will get some foam floating on top of the water. Remove this foam and throw away. Put in a full garlic head and 1/2 an onion, lower the heat, put on a lid and cook for 30 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked.
After 30 minutes remove the chicken, garlic and onion. And this will be the broth we'll be using for the cheese soup.
TIP: I always save the chicken for a different dish on a different day, usually involving shredded chicken. Discard the onion and garlic.
Caldo de Queso – Cheese Soup
Put some olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. White it heats up peel the potatoes and cut them into squares. The squares should not be too small or too big, I cut them about 3/4" by 3/4".
Put the potatoes in the frying pan for about 5 minutes and stir, don't let them burn. This will seal the potatoes so they keep their shape in the soup. After about 5 minutes transfer them to the chicken broth which should be cooking over medium heat.
Cut the tomatoes and onions into squares also. No need to be really detailed since we'll end up pureeing this mix. Put the cut tomatoes, onions, peeled garlic and peeled garlic cloves into the frying pan with a little bit of oil and cook for about 5 minutes.
When the tomatoes look like a paste, turn off the heat and let it sit for a few minutes so it cools down.
Move the tomato, onion and garlic into the blender and puree until you get a smooth paste. Use a strainer to put the paste into the chicken broth with the potatoes. The broth should be on medium heat with the lid on.
Take the anaheim chile and put a few drops of olive oil directly on it. Put the chile directly on the stove over fire. If you have an electrical stove you can use the frying pan once more. You should burn all of the skin of the chile.
Once the whole skin of the chile looks burnt, put the chile inside a plastic bag and fold so that the vapors are stuck inside the bag and let it sit. After 7 to 10 minutes you can open up the bag and you'll be able to easily peel off the skin with your fingers. Open it up and remove the top and all of the seeds. At this point I usually rinse it with water. Cut in thin stripes and put that into the chicken broth with the potatoes.
Put in the milk into the chicken broth and let it cook for about 20 minutes over low heat with the lid on. After 20 minutes the potatoes should be fully cooked. If they are not, leave it for another 10 minutes.
Cut the queso fresco into squares about the same size as the potatoes.
To serve: Get a bowl and put in some cheese on it. Fill with the soup. Enjoy!
