Top 15 South American Meat Soups

Sopa criolla is a comforting and filling Peruvian soup. It's made with a combination of beef, onions, garlic, aji panca paste, tomato paste, stock, potatoes, angel hair pasta, evaporated milk, oregano, and eggs. Once it has been cooked, the soup is typically garnished with homemade croutons. It is believed that sopa Criolla was brought to the country by Italian immigrants. For the best experience, serve it on a chilly winter day.Expand

Served after most parties and also an ideal Sunday meal, sancocho is a Colombian chicken stew that can also be made with beef or pork. Originally from the El Valle region, it used to be made exclusively with hens. It is a hearty stew with the addition of potatoes, corn, and plantains. Traditionally, white rice, spicy aji sauce, and avocado slices are served on the side. The thick broth is very satiating and could easily feed a whole family, and what's best is that it can be cooked in just one pot. Some like to top the dish with fresh coriander, onions, and a squeeze of lime juice in order to enhance the flavors even further. Found throughout Latin America, its name stems from the Spanish word sancochar, which translates to parboil. Although the ingredients are basic, they all merge together to develop delicious flavors and aromas, and the best part just may be the corn – which has been soaking up all the flavors in its kernels.Expand

Aguadito de pollo is a traditional soup prepared with a combination of large chicken pieces, aji amarillo peppers, peas, corn, onions, yellow potatoes, rice, and cilantro, which gives the soup its typical flavor and green color. In the country, this soup is well-known as being a great hangover cure, but it is also often prepared as a flu remedy. Due to the fact that the soup is so popular in Peru, there are many variations, prepared with turkey, duck, mussels, fish, or scallops instead of chicken. Once done, aguadito de pollo is usually served in big bowls with lime wedges on the side.Expand

Ajiaco is the national dish of Colombia, a flavorful chicken and potato soup with the addition of herbs and corn. Considered a poor man's dish in the past, ajiaco must include three varieties of potatoes cooked together, abundant and inexpensive in Colombia. It is best to use the local varieties of potatoes: the waxy sabanera, the tiny papas criollas and the soft pastusa. These varieties provide a thick and creamy texture of the final dish. Simmered in chicken or beef broth until they break down, the potatoes also provide a unique combination of flavors. The soup is seasoned with a Colombian herb called guascas that provides an intense, grassy flavor that is of key importance for an authentic ajiaco. There is also a vegetarian version where the shredded chicken meat is omitted, and when ajiaco is done, it is often served with avocado slices, capers, rice, heavy cream, corn, and black pepper. Traditionally, the soup is served in a rounded bowl with a rounded bottom that is placed in a basket in order to ensure stability. Some versions of ajiaco have corn on the cob dipped into the soup as a garnish. Cooked until thick and fragrant, it's best to try this creamy soup in Bogota, where it's especially popular.Expand

Sancochado is a robust Peruvian soup that was originally prepared with around ten different meats, but nowadays only one or two are used in its preparation. Besides meat, sancochido is made with a variety of vegetables such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, yucca, and cabbage. When served, the soup is typically accompanied by lime slices on the side, as well as several sauces such as salsa criolla, rocoto, or huancaina sauce. It is believed that sancochado was prepared in pre-Hispanic times, and was later influenced by the Madrilenian cuisine which came to the country with Spanish immigrants.Expand

Caldo de costilla is a beef soup from Colombia, namely its Andean region. The soup is a breakfast dish, made by boiling beef ribs with potato slices, onion, garlic, and cilantro leaves. Popularly nicknamed levantamuertos (lit. death’s awaker), due to the fact it’s an effective aid when dealing with a hangover, caldo de costilla is a perfect comfort food dish that is commonly eaten with a side of either arepas, bread, or rice.Expand

Inchicapi is a creamy Peruvian soup made with chicken or hen meat, cornmeal, peanuts, oil, cassava, and garlic as key ingredients. It originates from the Peruvian jungle regions of San Martin, Loreto, and Ucayali. Before serving, this traditional soup is usually garnished with chopped coriander.Expand

Menestrón is a Peruvian soup that is an adaptation of the famous Italian minestrone. The soup became popular in Peru with the first Italian immigrants, and over time, it was adapted for local palates using a variety of Peruvian ingredients that it doesn't have a lot in common with the Italian classic anymore. The ingredients vary from region to region, but menestrón is usually prepared with beef stock, beef, local vegetables such as beans, peas, carrots, cabbage, celery, choclo, and potatoes. Interestingly, there are no tomatoes in menestrón. As a replacement for pesto, the Peruvian version contains salsa verde made with a combination of garlic, onions, basil, and spinach, while inside the soup, you will often find chunks of queso fresco. Pasta may also be used in menestrón, either penne, rigatoni, or broken spaghetti. It is recommended to serve menestrón in big bowls and garnish it with parsley or cilantro.Expand

Locro de gallina is a traditional Andean chicken soup, particularly popular in Bolivia and in some parts of Peru. The primary ingredient is chicken, usually the whole chicken cut into pieces. Other key ingredients typically include potatoes (which provide the stew its thick consistency) and corn or maize. The flavor base of the stew is typically made from sautéed onions, garlic, and aji peppers. Cumin, oregano, and cilantro (coriander) are commonly used to season the stew, giving it a unique and aromatic flavor profile. Some versions of Locro de Gallina are made creamier with the addition of milk, cream, or even cheese. This gives the stew a rich and velvety texture. Locro de gallina is typically served hot, often garnished with fresh cilantro or parsley., and accompanied with rice or avocado slices.Expand

Valdiviano is one of the most famous and oldest Chilean soups. Since it is extremely popular throughout the country, it appears in numerous versions, but it typically consists of thin strips of beef jerky or charqui, onions, eggs various spices, and occasionally potatoes. It is believed to have originated in 1598 when the Spanish conquistadors suffered a significant defeat by the Mapuche people and had to withdraw to the secluded city Valdivia. Cut out from the main food supply routes, their diet relied heavily on beef jerky, which they used in many innovative ways, including this hearty soup that soon became a national favorite.Expand