Sopa de Platano (Plantain Soup)

Sopa de platano served in a terracotta bowl with lime wedges in the background.

Sopa de Platano (Plantain Soup)

Sopa de platano (plantain soup) is a thick, starchy soup that’s popular in Caribbean cuisine. In this recipe we’re going with a simple Cuban-style sopa de platano.

Course Soup

Cuisine Cuban

Keyword cuban soups, green plantains

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 55

Total Time 1 10

Servings

Calories 219kcal

Author Elizabeth

Ingredients

2 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Small Onion finely diced
¾ - 1 cup Diced Carrots 1 – 2 carrots, depending on their size
1 Celery Rib finely diced
3-4 Garlic Cloves minced
½ teaspoon Cumin
2 Large Green Plantains peeled and cut into ½ inch rounds
6 cups Chicken Broth
1 Bay Leaf
Salt to taste if needed
Chopped Cilantro or Parsley for garnish optional
Crushed Plantain Chips for garnish optional
Limes for serving optional

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. When the oil is hot, but not smoking, add the onions, carrots and celery. Cook the vegetables for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add the garlic and cumin and cook for 1 minute, stirring almost constantly.
Add the sliced plantains and give everything a good stir.
Add the chicken broth and the bay leaf and stir well.
Raise the heat to high and bring the liquid to a boil.
Lower the heat to medium-low, cover and cook the soup for 35-40 minutes, stirring occasionally. The plantains should break apart when pressed with a wood spoon, if they do not; continue cooking for 10 minutes and check again.
Remove and discard the bay leaf.
Taste the soup and add salt if needed. As a reference we did not add any extra salt to ours.
Process the soup with an immersion blender or potato masher, if desired. Don’t process all the way, leave the soup a little chunky.
Garnish the soup with chopped cilantro (or parsley) and crushed plantain chips, if desired.

Notes

It may be necessary to stir more often and/or lower the heat a little bit as the soup thickens.

Nutrition