Vegan Pozole Recipe - Authentic Mexican Flavor Without the Meat!

Prep time 10 minutes | Total Time 60 minutes

I created this vegan pozole verde recipe while I was living in New Mexico. Inspired by a traditional Mexican pozole recipe, in this plant-based version I incorporate the rich and unique flavor of hatch green chiles. No hatch chiles? No problem - you can substitute with Poblanos or Anaheim chiles. This is a wonderful, easy soup recipe that is full of flavor and is also a great recipe to learn how to use tofu in vegan cooking. With about 30 grams of protein per 1 cup, this is a high protein vegan recipe and is also rich in calcium making it a

perfect, nourishing, and easy vegetarian dinner.

Ingredients

• 1 can hominy 

• 1 16-ounce package of firm tofu - I usually freeze and then thaw my tofu before using it in this recipe

• 1 medium yellow onion

• Green Chiles (to taste) - I use 2 HOT chiles - I use Hatch green chiles but you can substitute Anaheim or Poblano - see notes and adjustments. I use roasted chiles and remove the seeds.

• Olive oil 

• Salt 

• Vegan “chicken” broth 

• Cilantro - 1/3- 2/3 cups fresh

• Mexican oregano - optional

Instructions

1. Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a Dutch oven or soup pot

2. Chop one onion and saute in the oil until translucent

3. Add in Hatch chiles or other green chiles to taste - this will really depend on how much heat you like (see notes and adjustments for more information) and saute for about a minute or two

4. Squeeze the water out of your tofu with your hands, then crumble into bite-size pieces

5. Add the tofu into your chile and onion mixture and stir - cook over medium low heat for about 2-3 minutes

6. Add one can of hominy - rinsed!

7. Add in 6 cups of vegan “chicken” or vegetable broth.

8. Partially cover the pot and heat over medium until the soup begins to simmer. Once it is simmering, let it simmer for about 45 minutes

9. Add in 1/3 cup of fresh cilantro and cook for another 15-30 minutes

10. Salt to taste depending on how salty your broth is - I add about 1 teaspoon of salt

Notes and Adjustments:

• Mexican oregano adds a nice flavor to this soup. You can add it in when you are sauteing the onion and chiles.

• Another option is to add in about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of tomatillo salsa when you are sauteing the onion - this will add a bright flavor and a bit of acid as well. (Check out my tomatillo salsa recipe!)

• You will have to add the chiles based on the level of heat you like. I buy and freeze authentic Hatch chiles from New Mexico each year and the hot ones are actually HOT, so I only use 2-3 chiles in this recipe.