I was at the farmer’s market in St. Louis and needed inspiration. Sometimes it only takes 1 ingredient to help me decide what I want to make. For this trip, they had baskets of tomatillos for $1 and I couldn’t pass that up. I grabbed a basket and told my friend I was going home to make posole…and I did.
I have always loved hominy and have made many different versions of posole over the past few years. I keep my basic recipe the same and switch out pork and chicken and then sometimes, I take the meat out all together, add veggie stock and make it vegan.
These flavors are so classic and go together so well. The extra attention to what may seem like the most insignificant flavor will make a huge difference in this soup. The best example of this is the lime zest. This is such a warm soup, it needs a little tang. For many soups, that tang comes from a splash of vinegar – this one, lime does the trick.
Many pork posole recipes will use a slow cooked shredded pork, but not everyone has the time for that. Using a lean cut of meat, such as pork loin (or chicken breast) still gives a delicious soup without the added time needed to slow cook a pork butt.
Let’s just say you don’t have to cook for 4 and you are cooking for one. Make this! I ate this for lunch the day after, and the day after that. It only gets better on day 3. That’s about my max for leftovers, but this recipe is crave-able.
Let’s talk nutrition:
Pork is rich in thiamine, a B vitamin that is essential in the health of your metabolism. It also has iron. If you are not a big meat eater, it can be hard to get enough iron in your diet. Pre-menopausal women, teenage girls, and children also may be struggling to get enough iron.
This is a great soup for those watching their calories. One serving has less than 300 calories with over 20 grams of protein. That’s about the same as a meal replacement protein drink. However, with this, you are getting all of the veggies you don’t get with a protein drink.
Of course the optional toppings will add extra energy (calories), but also extra nutrition. You can never have too many veggies!
Enjoy!
Easy Pork Posole
Author: Sarah Pflugradt
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 25 mins
Total time: 35 mins
Serves: 4-6 servings
Ingredients
- 1 pound pork loin
- 3 tablespoons canola oil, divided
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 1 poblano pepper, diced
- 1 tomatillo, diced
- 1 tablespoon diced jalapeno pepper
- 1 clove garlic chopped
- 1, 4 ounce can diced green chilis
- 1, 15 ounce can white hominy, drained and rinsed
- juice and zest of 1 lime
- 2.5 cups chicken stock
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- Additional Toppings: Radishes, avocado, cilantro, sour cream, scallions
Instructions
- Dice pork loin into bite sized pieces
- In a medium sized stock pot or dutch oven over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons canola oil and diced pork loin
- Sauce the pork for 5-7 minutes or until a thermometer pushed into the center of one piece reaches
- Using a slotted spoon, remove the pork from the pot and set aside
- Add additional tablespoon of canola oil and add onion, poblano pepper, tomatillo, jalapeño
- Saute for 3-4 minutes or until the veggies are soft
- Add the garlic and green chilis and sauté for 1 minute
- Add hominy, lime zest and juice, chicken stock, salt, paprika, cumin, and pepper
- Add the pork back into the pot
- Bring to a simmer
- Top with additional toppings if desired
Calories: 279 Fat: 18g Carbohydrates: 7g Sugar: 0g Sodium: 617mg Fiber: 2g Protein: 21g Cholesterol: 60mg