First up on the menu this soup season: Pozole Blanco!
It’s soup season, everybody! I love, love, love this time of year, when the weather starts to cool down and the big, oversized sweaters come out. All I want to do is curl up with a steaming bowl of soup and watch Gilmore Girls for the thousandth time. I’ve even gone as far as to host “soup nights” with my gal pals. We heat a giant, cauldron-sized pot of soup and spend the night storytelling and watching fall-themed movies. It’s truly the best.
For the first official “soup night” of the season, I’ve decided to make a classic Mexican comfort dish: pozole blanco. You may not have heard of pozole blanco and are probably more familiar with its colorful counterpart, pozole rojo. Pozole rojo is named for its red-colored broth and spicier taste. It uses guajillo chiles to achieve its signature color and heat. There’s also pozole verde, which, you guessed it, is green!
All the variations of pozole are delicious for different reasons, but today, we’re focusing on the white version, hence the name. Pozole blanco is the mildest version of the soup, made with corn, cabbage, hominy, and pork. Despite its milder taste, pozole blanco is full of delicious spices and veggies that give it just the right amount of flavor. The result is a savory and delectable soup that’s perfect for cozy nights in.
But pozole blanco isn’t just great for nights at home on the couch; it’s also a commonly made dish at Mexican celebrations like birthdays, Christmas, and New Year’s! Pozole has been a celebratory dish since its origins, which date all the way back to ancient Aztec times. It was eaten on special occasions and at ceremonies even then. Cool, right?
Is Pozole Blanco Healthy?
Pozole blanco is as healthy as it is celebratory! Soup is always great when you’re not feeling well, and pozole blanco is made with ingredients that provide plenty of vitamins and nutrients. This recipe uses fresh produce like cabbage and radish to enhance the health benefits, while the pork adds a boost of protein.
What Is Hominy?
The star ingredient in traditional pozole blanco is hominy. Hominy is made of dried maize kernels, and has been the heart of pozole soup since Aztec times. The Aztecs revered maize as a sacred plant and often used it in meals, especially for celebratory dishes like pozole. In pozole blanco, hominy gives the broth its creamy white color.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 large white onion, diced
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 pounds pork shoulder, cut into chunks
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 8 cups water
- 4 cups white hominy, drained and rinsed
- ½ head cabbage, shredded
- 1 bunch radishes, thinly sliced
- 2 limes, cut into wedges
- Fresh cilantro, chopped for garnish
INSTRUCTIONS
Sauté
Cook onions, garlic, and pork with seasonings.
Simmer
Boil and simmer pork until tender, then add hominy.
Serve
Garnish with cabbage, radishes, lime, and cilantro.
Devour!
FAQs & Tips
To store pozole blanco, cook it without the final garnishes, and store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. When you want to reheat it, do so over a low heat, and add your garnishes once you’ve poured your soup into the bowl.
While other pozole dishes could be considered spicy, pozole blanco is the mild, non-spicy version of the soup. People often add salsa to their pozole blanco for a hint of heat, but the original flavor is more savory, and focuses on aromatics like garlic and oregano.
While pozole and menudo are similar (in that they are both delicious Mexican soups), they differ in their star ingredients. Pozole is made with beef, chicken, or pork, while menudo strictly uses tripe as the main ingredient.
Serving Suggestions
If you want to make pozole blanco for a festive celebration, you can also serve other traditional Mexican comfort foods like Spanish Rice, Tortilla Chips, and Mexican Cornbread Casserole.
I’m going to be making pozole blanco for my first “soup night” of the year, so I’m serving it alongside other fall classics. I’ll be making Apple Chips, Vegan Spinach Dip, and, for dessert, Pumpkin Spice Paleo Magic Cookie Bars! Stay tuned to see what other soups I’ll be sharing this season!
Pozole Blanco
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 large white onion diced
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 2 pounds pork shoulder cut into chunks
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 8 cups water
- 4 cups white hominy drained and rinsed
- ½ head cabbage shredded
- 1 bunch radishes thinly sliced
- 2 limes cut into wedges
- Fresh cilantro chopped for garnish
Instructions
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Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat and sauté the onion and garlic until translucent, about 5 minutes.
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Add the pork shoulder chunks, bay leaves, oregano, cumin, salt, and pepper to the pot. Stir to combine.
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Cover the pork with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 2 hours or until the pork is tender.
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Stir in the hominy and continue to simmer for another 30 minutes.
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Serve the pozole in bowls, topped with shredded cabbage, sliced radishes, lime wedges, and chopped cilantro.
Nutrition
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