Quick and Easy Dairy- and Fat-Free Colombian Vegetable Soup (Ajiaco Negro) Recipe

By
J. Kenji López-Alt
Kenji Lopez Alt
J. Kenji López-Alt
Culinary Consultant
Kenji is the former culinary director for Serious Eats and a current culinary consultant for the site. He is also a New York Times food columnist and the author of The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science.
Learn about Serious Eats' Editorial Process
Updated March 06, 2019
20150215-ajiaco-negro-vegan-colombian-soup-recipe-4.jpg
Creamy and comforting vegetable soup with no dairy and no fat whatsoever. . J. Kenji Lopez-Alt

This quick and easy dairy-free, fat-free Colombian vegetable soup comes out creamy and comforting thanks to the natural thickening power of potatoes. No added cream, milk, or butter means that the soup shines with vegetable flavor from peas, fava beans, and carrots. The stovetop version takes about 45 minutes of hands-off work while the pressure cooker can cut that time down to under half an hour.

Why this recipe works:

  • Fat-free and dairy-free means that the vegetables' flavors really come through in the finished dish.
  • There's no sweating or sautéing at all in this recipe, which means that the only real work is chopping vegetables.

Note: To cook without a pressure cooker, combine ingredients in step 1 in a large Dutch oven on the stovetop. Cover and simmer until vegetables are completely tender, about 30 minutes. Proceed with recipe as instructed. I strongly advise against purchasing any store-bought vegetable stocks as they are universally sub-standard. Homemade vegetable stock or an equivalent amount made with Better Than Bouillon vegetable base or No Chicken Base are the way to go.

Recipe Details

Quick and Easy Dairy- and Fat-Free Colombian Vegetable Soup (Ajiaco Negro) Recipe

Active 10 mins
Total 30 mins
Serves 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

  • 2 large russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch dice (about 1 1/4 pounds)

  • 1 medium carrot, peeled and cut into medium dice (about 5 ounces)

  • 1 cup fresh or frozen peas, divided

  • 1 1/2 cups cooked dried or canned fava beans (see note), or 1 1/2 cups raw fresh fava beans, divided

  • 1 large ear yellow corn, shucked and cut into 6 pieces crosswise

  • 1 1/2 quarts homemade vegetable stock or an equivalent amount made with Better Than Bouillon vegetable base or No Chicken Base (see note)

  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

  • 1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro leaves

Directions

  1. Combine potatoes, carrots, half of peas, half of favas, corn, and vegetable stock (or water with stock base) in a pressure cooker. Bring to high pressure and cook for 15 minutes. Release pressure by running a stovetop pressure cooker under cold tap water or by using the quick steam release on an electric pressure cooker.

  2. Bring soup to a simmer. Using a potato masher or a stick whisk, mash vegetables until broth is thickened but some large pieces still remain. Add remaining fresh peas and fava beans and simmer until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve, making sure to include one piece of corn in each bowl (along with a fork to pick it up), and sprinkline each serving with cilantro.

Special equipment

Electric or stovetop pressure cooker

This Recipe Appears In

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
188Calories
1gFat
38gCarbs
9gProtein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4 to 6
Amount per serving
Calories188
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 1g1%
Saturated Fat 0g1%
Cholesterol 0mg0%
Sodium 921mg40%
Total Carbohydrate 38g14%
Dietary Fiber 7g24%
Total Sugars 5g
Protein 9g
Vitamin C 14mg68%
Calcium 49mg4%
Iron 2mg13%
Potassium 756mg16%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

More Serious Eats Recipes