Two Vegetarian Hominy Soups

Two Vegetarian Hominy Soups

Pozole Verde
and
Velvety Hominy Soup

Vegetarian pozole verde offers a delightful departure from the traditional Mexican hominy stew typically featuring pork or chicken. This meatless rendition successfully preserves the lively flavors and comforting warmth that characterize classic pozole.

The heart of this dish lies in its rich green broth, which is made by roasting fresh tomatillos, green chiles, onion, and garlic. This roasted blend is then pureed with cilantro, oregano, and cumin resulting in a zesty and herbaceous base that forms the backbone of the vegetarian pozole verde.

Hominy contributes a pleasing corn-infused chewiness to the stew, while meaty avocado chunks replace the role of traditional meat. Lots of various toppings add flavors, textures, and colors.

The beauty of preparing a big pot of vegetarian pozole verde is the possibility of leftover soup and toppings, providing the chance to reimagine them into a completely new rendition which retains the essence of the original flavor profile but evolves into a unique soup with a creamy and velvety texture.

Two Hominy Soup Recipes

Soup #1

Vegetarian Pozole Verde (not pictured)

6 c. cooked prepared hominy – divided

1 lb. tomatillos, halved

2 -3 large jalapeños, seeded and halved

3 poblano chiles, seeded and halved

1/2 white onion, halved

5 cloves garlic, whole

1/2 bunch cilantro

1 T. dried mexican oregano

2 t.  ground cumin

8 c. flavorful vegetable stock

2 T. olive oil

sea salt and fresh ground pepper

avocados, cubed

Roast tomatillos & both chiles (cut side down), onion, and garlic on a sheet pan in a 425°F oven until charred in spots. Let cool to room temperature then place in a blender. Add cilantro, oregano, cumin, and one cup of water then blend until smooth.

Heat olive oil in a soup pot. Add the tomatillo mixture and cook for 10 minutes over medium-low, stirring occasionally. Then add the vegetable broth to the pot and bring to a boil. Immediately add 4 cups of hominy, lower the heat, and simmer until the hominy is hot. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Place cubes of avocado in soup bowls. Ladle hot pozole into the bowls. Since this is a vegetarian version of  pozole, meaty hunks of avocado take the place of pork or chicken. Dress the pozole with plenty of the garnishes and sides (scroll down).

Soup #2

Velvety Vegetarian Hominy Soup (pictured)

4 c. leftover pozole verde from previous recipe

1/2 bunch cilantro

1 jalapeño, rough chopped

1/3 c. sour cream

hominy, olive oil, salt and pepper

Using a high performance blender such as Vitamix, puree Pozole Verde with cilantro and jalapeño until completely smooth. Then add sour cream and blend another 10 seconds. Then heat soup to temperature on stovetop or microwave.

Gently warm the remaining 2 cups of hominy with olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Ladle soup into warm shallow bowls.

Notes

A high performance blender is necessary to get a completely smooth velvety  texture for the soup. Otherwise, the hominy could be gritty if using a standard blender or food processor.

If your blender has a hot soup mode, use that to heat the puree, then add sour cream.

Garnishes and Sides

sour cream, thinned to a drizzle consistency

watermelon radish, thin half-moons

cilantro, chopped

red onion, fine dice

lettuce, shredded

limes, sliced

jalapeños, sliced

pepitas

tortilla chips

To Serve

Drizzle sour cream around the perimeter of the hominy soup. Swirl it around with a chopstick. Mound warm seasoned hominy in the center. Arrange watermelon radish around the hominy. Sprinkle cilantro and red onion on top.

Serve shredded lettuce, limes, jalapeños, pepitas, and tortilla chips on the side for guests to garnish to their liking.

A Mocktail for Dry January

Orange Cactus Slush

6 oz. orange juice

2 T. prickly pear cactus syrup

1 T. fresh lime juice

tajín chili lime salt

lime wheel

Blend orange juice, cactus syrup, and lime juice with plenty of ice to get a slushy consistency. Generously salt the rim of a goblet with tajín salt. Pour slush into the goblet. Garnish with a lime wheel.

Or try my Cactus Ginger Margarita with Pozole Verde or Velvety Hominy Soup if Dry January isn’t your thing!