Soupe de Chalet is a creamy Swiss cheese and potato soup featuring macaroni and spinach. It's incredibly easy to make, super cozy and comforting, and takes less than 30 minutes from start to finish!
Swiss Alpine cooking is comforting and rustic. This particular Swiss soup hails from the Canton of Fribourg in Western Switzerland where you'll find the medieval town of Gruyères, the epicenter of Gruyère cheese production.
It's called soupe de chalet or soupe du chalet and basically means "cottage soup" or "soup of the chalet." It's lighter than fondue but is still super cheesy, making it a great option when seeking something cozy but not too heavy. This particular recipe is simple and minimalistic, keeping with the rustic feel of Alpine cooking.
Soupe de chalet is a vegetable based Gruyère cheese and potato soup which also includes mountain vegetables and herbs such as wild nettles and/or spinach, onions and/or leeks, and occasionally other hearty veggies like carrots or turnips. It also inevitably includes some type of cream or milk.
The flavor of this soup reminds me of a crossbreed of Swiss Alpine macaroni (which features macaroni, potatoes, onions, and cheese) and American cheesy spinach and artichoke dip (minus the artichokes). It's basically the best of both worlds in delectable soup form. If you love either of these dishes, you've got to try this soupe du chalet!
Ingredient notes
- Potatoes: I recommend waxy potatoes such as Yukon gold for the potato component. They hold their shape better when boiled. Floury potatoes like russets may fall apart when you cook them this way, but the cheese and potato soup will still be delicious. If you peel and cube the potato in advance, just cover it with water to keep it from browning.
- Spinach: I use frozen chopped spinach in this soupe de chalet recipe for it's convenience. You can easily replace it with fresh spinach instead, but be sure to use the different weights provided in the recipe card below. Chop the fresh spinach and then stir it in at the same time as directed for frozen spinach. It will look like a lot but will wilt down rather quickly in the hot broth.
- Cheese: Because soupe de chalet hails from the Canton of Fribourg, it's most authentic to use Gruyère cheese which comes from that region of Switzerland. This is the same type of cheese common in French onion soup. Grate it yourself with a box grater. Note that Gruyère cheese is typically made with animal rennet which means it isn't vegetarian. If you're vegetarian, use a vegetarian version of the cheese such as Boar's Head brand vegetarian Gruyère.
- Vegetable Stock: You may use water and vegetable bouillon or broth concentrate in place of the vegetable stock. Use the measurements on your bouillon package to determine how much to add for 4 cups of water. You could use chicken broth if you desire, but the soup would no longer be vegetarian.
How to make it
Heat butter in a medium Dutch oven or pot. Add chopped onion and cook until softened. Then add diced potatoes and give the mixture a stir.
Add the vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper, reduce the heat, partially cover, and simmer for 8 minutes.
Add the elbow macaroni and continue to cook until the macaroni and potatoes are both tender, about 8 minutes more.
Stir in chopped spinach, heavy cream, and grated Gruyère cheese. Adjust seasoning as needed and serve immediately.
Please scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe (in a printable recipe card) including ingredient amounts and detailed instructions.
Expert tips
To thaw frozen spinach put it in a fine mesh strainer and briefly run warm water over it. Then squeeze it tightly in handfuls over the strainer to press out excess water. Note the different measurements in the recipe card below for weighing the frozen spinach before and after thawing and squeezing.
If desired you may incorporate additional diced vegetables like carrots or turnips. Add carrots with the onions and turnips with the potatoes. In this case you may want add a little extra stock or milk to increase the amount of broth to make up for the extra vegetables.
If making this soupe de chalet completely in advance, do not cook the macaroni directly in the soup as it may get soft and mushy over time. Instead make the soup without the macaroni and cook the macaroni separately in boiling water. Then stir in the cooked macaroni before serving to heat through, or add it to individual bowls and pour piping hot soup over the top.
If you make the soup as directed and have leftover soup with macaroni already in it, that's fine. The texture of the macaroni in the soup will change by the next day, but it will still taste delicious! You may want to slightly thin out the soup with a bit more broth, water, or milk when you reheat it.
Other recipes you may like
- Älplermagronen (Swiss Alpine Macaroni and Cheese)
- Ghackets mit Hörnli (Swiss Macaroni with Meat Sauce)
- Basler Mehlsuppe (Swiss Flour Soup from Basel)
- Česnečka (Czech Garlic Soup aka Hangover Soup)
- Red Lentil Potato Soup
- Italian Minestrone Soup
- Meatball Soup with Potatoes and Carrots
- Spinach and Artichoke Puff Pastry Swirls
- Browse all Vegetarian Recipes and Soups and Stews
Tried this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. You can also follow me on social media on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!
Soupe de Chalet (Swiss Cheese and Potato Soup)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 medium onion, chopped or 1 leek, halved lengthwise and sliced (white and light green part only)
- 8 ounces (225 grams) white or yellow potatoes, peeled and diced into ½-inch cubes (about 2 small potatoes or 1 large)
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- ½ cup (75 grams / 2.6 ounces) elbow macaroni
- ½ cup (75 grams / 2.6 ounces) thawed and squeezed frozen chopped spinach (about 175 grams / 6 ounces before thawing and squeezing, or about 175 grams / 6 ounces raw spinach, chopped)
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1 cup (85 grams / 3 ounces) grated Gruyere cheese
Instructions
- Heat the butter over medium heat in a medium Dutch oven or pot. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Then add the diced potatoes and stir for 20 to 30 seconds.
- Add the vegetable stock, raise the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper, reduce the heat to low, partially cover, and simmer for 8 minutes.
- Add the macaroni and continue to cook until the macaroni and potatoes are both tender, about 8 minutes more. Stir in the spinach, heavy cream, and grated Gruyere. Make sure to stir well so the cheese melts into the broth evenly. Adjust seasoning as needed and serve immediately.
Notes
- To thaw the spinach I like to put it in a fine mesh strainer and briefly run warm water over it. Then squeeze it tightly in handfuls over the strainer to press out excess water. There are measurements above for weighing the frozen spinach before and after thawing and squeezing. This doesn't need to be super exact, but there is a pretty big difference in weight and volume of frozen spinach before and after thawing/squeezing.
- If you use fresh spinach instead be sure to use the weights provided above, chop the spinach and then stir it in at the same time as directed in the recipe for frozen spinach. It will look like a lot but will wilt down rather quickly in the hot broth.
- Note that Gruyère cheese is typically made with animal rennet which means it isn't vegetarian. If you're vegetarian, use a vegetarian version of the cheese such as Boar's Head brand vegetarian Gruyère.
- You may use water and vegetable bouillon or broth concentrate in place of the vegetable stock. Use the measurements on your bouillon package to determine how much to add for 4 cups of water.
- If desired, add additional diced vegetables like carrots or turnips. Add carrots with the onions, and turnips with the potatoes. In this case you may want add a little extra stock or milk to increase the amount of broth to make up for the extra vegetables.
- If making this soup in advance, do not cook the macaroni directly in the soup as it may get soft and mushy over time. Instead make the soup without the macaroni and cook the macaroni separately in boiling water. Then stir in the cooked macaroni before serving to heat through, or add it to individual bowls and pour piping hot soup over the top.
- If you make the soup as directed and have leftover soup with macaroni already in it, that's fine. The texture of the macaroni in the soup will change by the next day, but it will still taste delicious! You may want to slightly thin out the soup with a bit more broth, water, or milk when you reheat it.
Nutrition
*All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.*
Comments
No Comments