Sopa de Plátano Verde (Vegan Green Plantain Soup)

Sopa de Plátano Verde also known as Green Plantain Soup. My version is a vegan friendly Cuban style soup, that is starch enriched, thick and velvety smooth.

Who knew green plantain could make should a delicious soup? Don't believe me, then you gotta try it for yourself.

This soup has been on regular rotation in my house for some time now and we love it. It makes a change from the usual soup that I'm used to.

In the Caribbean soup is served annually, unlike the West where soup tends to be served during the cooler months or during sickness.

Despite living in the dispora, I still like to keep my Caribbean custom of reserving my Saturdays for soup. Be it Chicken, Mutton or even some Ital Soup, I'm having them all.

Contrary to popular belief not all soup has to be of a chunky texture and packed with an alsortment of starchy vegetables.

Soup can be silky in texture with an island flare and still just as tasty. A good example of that is my Split Pea Soup and Caribbean Pumpkin Soup recipe.

Both soups are pureed not chunky but incredibly tasty.

What is Sopa de Plátano Verde?

Sopa de Plátano Verde which translates to green plantain soup is a popular Latin American soup especially in the Dominican Republic, Colombia, Puerto Rica and Cuba.

Each island has their own unique way of making it but the primary ingredient are green plantain (plátano verde) and broth usually, beef or chicken along with the typical base ingredients of onion and garlic. 

Then you will have additional ingredients depending on the island - cumin, adobo, sofrito, ham, cilantro, oregano, annatto and so fourth.

Some people will grate the plantain while others will chop them into chunks and boil them in the broth as part of their cooking method.

Vegan green plantain soup

As you already known this soup is 100% vegan and is MY VERSION of this popular Latino dish which means it is by no means authentic, I just want to make that very clear to avoid any disbaraging comments.

In appearance it looks different from the other sopa de plátano recipes that you may see online, but don't let that put you off.

My version takes on a few changes that I feel makes the vegan version very tasty. The first change is that I bake the plantain in the oven for about 20 minutes.

This helps the plantain to take on much more depth in flavour compared to how it would be in its raw state, if there is one thing you shouldn't skip, it's this step!

I also use vegetable broth instead of chicken or beef to keep things 100% vegan along with adding some additional vegetables - celery, carrots, and bell peppers for variety and more depth in flavour.

The seasoning is very simple - garlic, cumin, cilantro, black pepper and pink salt. Nothing too excess but yet it does the job in terms of taste.

The steps

• Preheat the oven at 180C/356F.
• Line a baking tray with parchment paper, coat with oil and set aside.
• Slice both ends of the plantain and then discard.
• Score the plantain lengthways (not too deep).
• Use your thumb to peel away the skin and discard.
• Slice the plantain and repeat the above steps with the other 2 green plantain.

• Arrange the sliced plantain on the baking tray and coat the tops with oil.
• Bake the plantain for 20 minutes or until lightly golden.
• Once baked set aside to cool.
• On medium heat in a medium sized saucepan, heat the olive oil.
• Saute the onion and garlic until soft and translucent.
• Add the carrot, celery and bell peppers and cook for a further 5 minutes.
• Season with the cilantro, cumin and garlic granules.

• Pour the vegetable broth into the saucepan and add the bay leaf.
• Bring the saucepan to a rolling boil then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer with lid for 5-7 minutes.
• Remove the broth from the stove, discard the bay leaf and transfer into a blender along with the baked plantain (you may need to do this in batches).
• Blitz the soup into a smooth consistency.
• Add more vegetable broth if you want a thinner consistency in soup.
• Add pink salt and black pepper to taste.

Notes and tips

• You can purchase green plantain (platano verde) from any neighbourhood or supermarket that is frequented by African/Caribbean or Latinos.
• Refrigerate any leftover soup for 3- 4 days.
• This is the recipe that I use for the Vegetable Broth.
• I highly recommend baking rather than frying the plantain first as a healthier option.
• If the consistency of the soup is too thick for your likening have some more broth on standby and add more once you have pureed it.
• If you don't care for the taste of cumin then use adobo seasoning instead.
• You may need to puree the soup in batches.
• You will need a powerful blender or hand blender to puree the soup.
• DON'T use YELLOW plantains you need GREEN ones.
• The soup may thicken some more as it cools down so thin out some more if needed.

More Latin American soups and dishes to try

• Crema de Malanga
• Cuban Black Bean Soup
• Vegan Empanadas
• Vegan Mofongo
• Yuca En Escabeche
• Yuca Fries (Cassava Fries)

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