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Locro de papa {Ecuadorian potato and cheese soup}

Ecuadorian locro de papa or potato soup

Locro de papa is a classic Ecuadorian potato and cheese soup. Soups are very popular in Ecuador and usually served with most meals. They are one of the cheapest and best tasting dishes you can find. A typical Ecuadorian meal will consist of primero or the first course, segundo or second course- usually meat, poultry or seafood with rice; and dessert. Soups are usually served as a primero and most soups -as well as a lot of other dishes- are always served with avocado and aji or hot sauce.

Locro de papa recipe

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Ecuadorian locro de papa or potato soup

Locro de papa {Ecuadorian potato and cheese soup}

Recipe for locro de papa or potato soup, a traditional Ecuadorian soup made with potatoes, onion, garlic, cumin, achiote or annatto, milk, cheese and cilantro.
4.69 from 387 votes
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Course: Soup, Starter
Cuisine: Ecuadorian, Latin
Keyword: Cheese, Ecuadorian potato soup, Locro, Locro de papa, Potatoes
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Servings: 8

Ingredients

  • 10 medium sized potatoes peeled and chopped into small and large pieces
  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • 1 white onion diced
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp achiote powder
  • 7 cups of water
  • 1 cup of milk or more
  • 1 cup grated or crumbled cheese quesillo, queso fresco, mozzarella or monterey jack
  • 1 bunch of cilantro leaves only, minced
  • Salt to taste

To serve:

Instructions

  • Prepare a refrito or base for the soup by heating the oil over medium heat in a large soup pot; add the diced onions, minced garlic cloves, cumin, and achiote powder. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are tender, about 5 minutes.
  • Add the potatoes to the pot and mix until they are coated with the refrito. Continue cooking for about 5 minutes, stirring a every couple of minutes.
  • Add the water and bring to boil, cook until the potatoes are very tender. Use a potato masher to mash the potatoes in the pot, don’t mash all of them, the consistency of the soup should be creamy with small tender chunks of potatoes.
  • Turn the heat down to low, stir in the milk and let cook for about 5 more minutes. You can add more milk if the soup is too thick.
  • Add salt to taste
  • Add the grated cheese and cilantro, mix well, and remove from the heat.
  • Serve warm with the avocados, scallions, queso or feta cheese and aji hot sauce.

Locro de papa is more common in the Andes highlands or Sierra region of Ecuador. Quito probably has the biggest claim on this soup, it is even known as locro quiteño by some. Like many Ecuadorian dishes, the ingredients and preparation will vary from one city to another. Some variations of the locro de papa add fresh corn to the soup, others add chopped cabbage or leafy greens. There’s even a variation with blood sausage called yaguarlocro.

The last time I was there, the mother of one my friends made locro de papas without cheese and used freshly ground peanuts instead. She explained that when people couldn’t afford to buy cheese, they would use ground peanuts; the soup was good but I missed the cheese. In Quito and the northern part of Ecuador they usually serve this potato soup with maiz tostado or Andean corn nuts. This locro de papa is a great soup for cold rainy or snowy weather. It can be served as a first course, but is satisfying and filling enough to make a complete meal.

Step by step preparation photos for locro de papa {Ecuadorian potato and cheese soup}

Locro de papa
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Locro de papas
Locro de papa potato soup
Ecuadorian potato soup recipe
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58 Comments

  1. Thank you for this recipe!!! My husband and I ate so much Locro de Papa when we were in Ecuador two years ago and I have been wanting a great recipe and this was an awesome recipe. I substituted two cups of vegetable broth for two of the seven cups of water and I added some quinoa for added protein and it was so delicious. Topped with monterey jack cheese and avocado for the perfect toppings (i forgot to wash and chop the cilantro, realized it after i finished eating, next time). The recipe was so easy to do, especially in my dutch oven as I could easily do the refrito and then keep adding to the same pot so there were even less dishes to do at the end. Thank you!

  2. Thank you so much for posting this recipe. I am from Argentina and my husband from Ecuador. He complements my cooking every time I make this soup. He says it tastes exactly like he remembers!

  3. We had some of this soup when I was near Bahia in Ecuador earlier this year. It was one of the tastiest soups I’ve ever had. I wasn’t smart enough to take a photo of the soup, but I don’t remember it having achiote/annato in it. I’m looking forward to making this at some point. And I will check out your website further, to see what else I can find. :-)

  4. La receta es exactamente como lo hacemos en casa. Yo vivo en Guayaquil y esta receta familiar es exacta a la tuya. Es un manjar..
    Felicitaciones

    1. Hi Grace – Back in the days when I couldn’t find achiote I would use a little bit of paprika instead – more for the color than the flavor. But even without the color, the soup will still taste great even without achiote.

  5. Hello Laylita,
    First of all I want to thank you for the great recipes. I am costarrican but my husband is ecuadorian. I love Ecuador and the food is great. Right now I am trying to make locro de papas but I do not have any tostado. Is there anything else that I can use to accompany my locro?

    Thank you :-)

  6. Made this soup tonight for dinner. It was just a delicious as we remembered from Quito. Used half feta and half mozzarella for cheese. The only issues I had were deciding what constitutes a “medium” potato. I ended up using 3.25 lbs of potatoes. I think next time I might throw in another one to make the soup a bit thicker. Also, didn’t really know what constitutes a “bunch” of cilantro. So, I used about a quarter of cup of chopped leaves. Will definitely make this again and again.

  7. Dear Laylita, million thanks for your blog and passion for cooking! My boyfriend is Ecuadorian, we visited the country last December and thanks to your page I was not surprised by the food there. I cook quite lot using your recipes and it always works great!!! :) I get the real taste – even here, in Scandinavia, where I really have troubles to find many native ingridients. Now I finally got my bottle of achiote ;) I made locro last night and it’s just amazing! Thanks a lot, good luck with all your cooking and please, don’t stop posting! :) Saludos!

  8. I made this recipe for my hubby who’s Ecuadorian. In Manta, I guess they make it differently- it’s without the achiote and they don’t mash the potato. I made it the way he’s used to, but it looks like it would be great either way! I am so thankful for this easy-to-follow recipe. Thank you so much, as it was delicious!!

  9. This is the best potato soup my husband has ever had! I didn’t have cilantro so used fresh parsley and couldn’t find achiote so used red pepper flakes and chili powder. I topped it with avocado, chives and feta cheese and it was wonderful! Even my teenage son loved it…

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