Cold Winter Nights Are Perfect For a Warm Bowl of Homemade Chile Verde Soup.  

Those who know me well, know that I LOVE to both cook and eat Mexican food.  This Chili Verde Soup is one of the most authentic and flavorful Mexican meals that I make.

This hearty soup is great for using up leftover cooked shredded pork or chicken since you only need about a pound of it. If you don’t have quite enough, no worries, a little less than a pound will work as well. This soup is full of delicious authentic Mexican flavor, using fresh ingredients unique to Mexican Cuisine including, fresh tomatillos, cumin, garlic, hominy, and cilantro. Yum!

Start With Fresh Tomatillos

I love recipes that are both easy to make and made with natural wholesome ingredients, however, sometimes this is hard to find. A blender or food processor enables this soup to be both.

If you have not cooked with tomatillos before, let me fill you in on a few things. You can find them in most grocery stores, and they are both delicious and inexpensive. They are little like a green tomato but have a tangier flavor perfect for Chili Verde. Since their seeds are tiny and edible, they don’t need to be removed. So, tomatillos are not hard to prepare. Simply remove the outer husks, which come off easily, and they are ready to chop.

If you don’t want to mess with the tomatillos, this soup can be made without them.  Just increase the the Verde Sauce to two cups instead of one. 

Prepare The Vegetables

Wash the tomatillos and the onions and chop them into large chunks. Wash and coarsely chop the cilantro, add 1/4 cup to the blender and set the other 1/2 cup aside for later. Add the other veggies to the blender. My Ninja blender works beautifully for this but of course, any blender will work.  If you don’t already own a blender (or even a large food processor will get the job done) I suggest you check out a Ninja blender. I got one as a gift and love it.

Add The Tomatoes

I add the can of chopped Mexican seasoned tomatoes to the blender with the vegetables and pulse everything until pureed because we don’t like large chunks of tomatoes in our soup. You can do the same or just add the tomatoes directly to the crock pot if you prefer chunky tomatoes.

About The Beans

I make this soup with two cans of Bush’s Southwestern-style beans and one can of  pinto beans. It gives the soup just the right amount of spicy kick for us.  If you like a lot of kick, you can use 3 cans of the Southwestern-style beans and omit the regular beans.  On the other hand, if you prefer a milder version of this Chile Verde soup, you can omit the Southwestern-style beans all together and opt for 3 cans of pinto beans instead.

Add Everything to the Crockpot

Once the vegetables have been pureed, it’s time to let the dumping begin! Simply add everything on the list of ingredients to the pot EXCEPT for the last three items.  Set sour cream, remaining 1/2 cup of chopped cilantro and cheese aside to use as toppings for the soup when serving. Cook as directed for at least 6 – 8 hours on low or 3 – 4 hours on high.  

Which to Use, Hominy or Corn?

I used corn for this recipe this time because I had it in my pantry and it works fine.  But I actually prefer the hominy when making Chili Verde soup if I can find it at the store.  It makes it heartier, richer, and more authentic. The large, tender morsels contribute to the texture of the soup, making it thicker and heartier. If you have never tried hominy, I would definitely recommend it.

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