Happy St. Patrick’s Day! I wanted to share one of my favorite Irish recipes, beer cheese soup, but putting a bit of a spin on it per usual! I added some veggies to bring more flavor to the soup, and added homemade croutons using FROZEN BURRITOS! Yes you heard me, frozen burritos! Who knew you could make croutons out of them, huh?! It was a crazy idea I had, but now I think it’s my favorite way to eat frozen burritos! The tortilla gets super crispy, and any filling that slightly comes out does as well and it’s the perfect little ‘hot pocket’ bite!
I’m so happy to be partnering with Alpha Foods to bring you this incredible recipe! Their Plant-Based Philly Burritos (and all of their products/frozen burritos honestly) are INCREDIBLE. You know with most frozen burritos, after microwaving the tortilla is a soggy mess, there’s barely any filling, and what is in the filling is usually bland & just… boring? Alpha Foods Plant-Based Burritos are THE game changer in the frozen burrito world. The tortillas aren’t soggy, they have a good amount of filling, and the filling is delicious and always seasoned beautifully! Plus they’re 100% VEGAN which y’all know is the best kind of frozen burrito, duh!
Here are my tips & tricks to insure everything goes smoothly for you when making this dish! As well as any substitutions if necessary for your needs!
The soup itself can definitely be made gluten free if needed! All you’d have to do is substitute (the same measurements) all-purpose flour for a gluten free flour, and beer for gluten free beer! The only thing that can’t really be subbed out to make it fully gluten free, would be the tortillas from the burrito croutons since I used frozen burritos. If you are gluten free & still want to try this, you can make the gluten free version of the soup, and if you want a similar flavor topping as the burritos- sauté up some of your favorite gluten free vegan beef crumbles with green bell pepper, onion, garlic, and Cajun seasoning/salt/pepper & serve that on top! It’ll taste pretty similar, just minus the gluten! You can also top with gluten free crackers, crispy chickpeas, etc. as well for some crunch!
Let’s talk consistency, shall we?! When you add in the onions, green bell pepper, jalapeño, and garlic to the soup to cook- you can get a little creative. Some people love bigger pieces of veggies in their soup, so if that’s you just do a fine (or larger) dice on everything so they’re all the same size & skip the step where you blend them! If you like a little texture to your soup, but not having pieces of things in there, yet totally not smooth- the immersion blend option will be your best bet! It still leaves some texture, but leads it to the smoother side. If you want your soup fully smooth, blending (in batches) in a high-powered blender will do the trick!
Frozen burrito croutons! Yes! We have to talk about them. I’ll be honest, I have not ever seen this done before with frozen burritos… and I don’t know how this idea came to me, but I am DAMN SURE happy it did! I tested out a couple different ways and this was the best result for me personally! First off, microwave your burritos to cook them first before turning into croutons- don’t choose a toaster oven/oven option as we don’t want the tortilla getting crispy at all during the first step! And when microwaving them, microwave them for about 10-20 seconds less then what the package recommends. Once they’re done in the microwave, let them sit for about 10-15 minutes before cutting, that way the filling cools and re-solidifies a bit so they don’t fully explode haha. Cut then long ways first in half, then in the opposite directions into bite sized pieces. Preheat your oven to 450F & spray a baking sheet with cooking oil spray. Place your burrito babies carefully onto the baking sheet, making sure none of them touch & they have space between them! Spray some more oil over the top of them, and then season however you’d like if you wish! Pop them in the oven for 10 minutes, or 12-13 if you want them extra super browned and crisp… but anything longer than 15 minutes will burn them! Just make sure you keep an eye on them throughout the cooking process to make sure they don’t burn! Once they’re done in the oven, leave them on the tray & don’t touch them (as much as you might want to) for 10 minutes so they can cool and harden up a bit more. Then you’re ready to use them however you wish!
I hope you all have a great day & that you enjoy this recipe as much as I do! Beer Cheese Soup is truly a favorite of mine, and I can’t wait to hear about how it’s now one of yours too, haha. And a big thank you to Alpha Foods for collaborating with me on this recipe! Go show them some love & tell them how much you love this recipe too! You can find a how-to video on my instagram (@plvntfood) as well, and I hope y’all tag me there when you make this! xx
Beer Cheese Soup with Philly Burrito Croutons
Happy St. Patrick's Day! Looking for a cruelty free way to celebrate?! Creamy beer cheese soup with croutons made from Alpha Foods frozen BURRITOS (yes you heard me, frozen burritos!) is the absolute perfect thing to celebrate the day!
Ingredients
Philly Burrito Croutons
- 3 Alpha Foods Plant-Based Philly Burritos
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 ½ tsp Cajun seasoning
Beer Cheese Soup
- 1 yellow onion
- 1 green bell pepper
- 1 jalapeno pepper
- 6-8 cloves minced garlic
- A few springs fresh thyme
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 4 tbsp melted vegan butter
- 1 ½ cups or 2 cans Irish beer
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup plain unsweetened plant-milk
- 12 oz. vegan cheddar cheese shreds approximately 2 bags
- Salt & black pepper to taste
- 3 tbsp olive oil
Other
- Chives *optional
Instructions
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Preheat your oven to 450F.
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Take your Alpha Foods Plant-Based Philly Burritos & microwave according to package instructions. Allow to cool for 5 minutes.
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Carefully cut your burritos into small pieces, lay on a greased baking tray, and spray or brush a small amount of olive oil over top each burrito crouton, and sprinkle over Cajun seasoning (or any seasoning you prefer).
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Place the burritos in your preheated oven & bake for 10 minutes until browned & crispy.
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For the soup, add your olive oil to a pot with your chopped onion, bell pepper, jalapeno, and minced garlic. Season with salt & pepper and cook until golden, about 5 minutes over medium heat. Add your melted butter, flour, and thyme & stir again over medium heat for 1-2 minutes.
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Pour your beer in and mix very well to combine all the flour/butter. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 5 minutes until thickened slightly.
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Remove your thyme temporarily & using an immersion blender (or regular blender), blend until the veggies are smooth. *this step is completely optional
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Add your plant-milk, vegetable broth, and vegan cheese. Bring back to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 15 minutes, half-covered, stirring frequently until the cheese is melted and the soup has reached your desired thickness.
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Ladle your soup into bowls (or bread bowls), top with your Alpha Foods Plant-Based Philly Burrito croutons, and fresh chives if desired. Serve with your favorite Irish beer and dig in! Cheers!
