This vegetarian posole is a full-bodied Mexican soup that gets its rich flavor from peppers, warm spices and lots of hominy. This meatless version replaces the meat with pinto beans and plenty of veggies!
Much of my fall-cooking mentality involves having as many soups and stews as possible bubbling away on the stove at all times, so that come winter when I'm too cold to leave the apartment or need something warm when I come in from outside, I have a freezer stocked with all sorts of cozy comfort foods.
Unfortunately, my significant other is not as enamored with the mentality that soup is all you need in life. So while I'm totally okay with making a meal out of a loaf of bread and a warm liquid to dunk it in, he refuses to call something dinner unless it requires you to chew.
I can't really say that I understand this approach to eating-hello, ice cream for dinner!-but I am occasionally open to compromise. Especially if it comes in the form of a big bowl of hearty, richly spiced vegetarian posole on a brisk fall night.
Posole is typically not a very vegetarian-friendly dish, as it often relies on the roasting and braising of large cuts of meat to create layers of flavor.
However, when you really get down to the nitty gritty of what makes posole posole, it's the hominy - not the lamb shank or the pork butt. Hominy is essentially maize kernels that have been dried, soaked and boiled until tender, in a manner similar to how you would prepare dried beans.
Though you can buy it in dried form, it is most readily available as a canned good (look for it in the section of your supermarket that sells canned beans) and requires only a quick rinse before using.
For this meatless posole, I've adapted a classic recipe from Food & Wine. I've kept the hominy, which is great for adding lots of bulk and staying power, and added in a few cans of pinto beans for the same purpose.
Chipotle chili powder and poblano peppers give the stew a smoky, spicy umami flavor, while coriander, cumin and cinnamon are added into the mix for an extra layer of warmth.
In terms of heat, I kept it fairly mild because not everyone in my household likes it spicy, but adjust the amount of chili powder to your liking.
Because I can't eat soup or stew without throwing in a few veggies, carrots, tomatoes and zucchini are used to flavor the broth and infuse it with a bit of sweet-tartness.
The result is a stew with a mix of textures and flavors in every bite, to satisfy both the most ardent of soup enthusiasts and those that are a little bit more reticent in conceding their soup love. Let's dig in!
More Vegetarian Recipes
If you love this vegetarian posole, be sure to check out these other delicious ideas:
📖 Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 red onion, medium, diced
- ½ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- 2 poblano peppers, seeded and diced
- 1 zucchini, quartered and sliced
- 4 carrots, medium, diced
- 1 2 inch cinnamon stick
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon ground chipotle chili powder, plus more to taste
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 30 oz canned hominy, drained and rinsed
- 30 oz canned pinto beans, drained and rinsed
- 14.5 oz canned fire roasted tomatoes
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Instructions
- To a large pot over medium heat, add the olive oil. When hot, add the onion and salt. Sauté until translucent, 3-4 minutes. Add the poblano peppers, zucchini and carrots, and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 5 minutes. Stir in the cinnamon stick, oregano, ground chipotle chile, cumin and coriander. Cook, stirring constantly, until spices are fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add the hominy and beans to the pot. Stir to warm through and then add the tomatoes and vegetable broth. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove cinnamon stick, then stir in the lime juice and season to taste with additional salt and ground chipotle chile if desired.
Lisa says
Hi, I'm making this right now and it smells and tastes delicious, and i haven't even added the lime juice yet! We wanted it more soupy, so I used only 1can each of hominy and beans. Oh and I used 1 tsp of chipotle and 2 tsp of smoked paprika as I knew the whole amount of chipotle would make it too spicy for my partner. I can't imagine how mind blowing this is gonna be with the lime and toppings. 🙂 Thank you!
Josh says
I grew up eating this stuff with pork! Recently I became a vegetarian and I am so excited to try this recipe!
Linda says
I love this recipe. I keep coming back to it time and again. I make it in an Instant Pot by cooking dried beans first and then adding the rest of the ingredients and cooking a short while longer. This is fantastic. Thanks for your great recipe.
Linnette Diaz says
Wow I am making this right now and my apt smells amazing. It was super easy to make, and I tasted the broth wow so so good. Thank you
Laura says
Yes, I, too, Have one of these at home too. I am new to your website and I totally love all of your recipes. Thank you so much. Take care...
suzi says
I made this tonite and it is fantastic!!! Had no zucchini but an extra poblano so it came out super spicy and really good!! Subbed black beans for pinto and followed the rest. Added a spoon of plain unsweetened cashew yogurt at serving on top to cool it a bit as well as avocado slices and a few tortilla chips to dunk. DELICIOUS RECIPE!!
Kim says
Delicious! Thank you! Some chopped scallions and cilantro on top a nice touch (and grated parmesan for a vegetarian/non-vegan option). Also I didn't have poblanos so I substituted a jalepeno, a green and yellow pepper.
Leslie says
Just want to say I’ve made this recipe every New Year’s Day for the last several years, and my husband and I love it!
Cynthia says
Thank you so much for this recipe! I had a bag of dry posole I bought when I visited Santa Fe. The bag said to replace the meat with pumpkin for a vegetarian option, but I didn't think the soup would have enough flavor. Plus, I wondered if beans would work as it needed a protein. Using your recipe as a guideline, I added mushrooms, carrots, red kuri squash, zucchini, and both pinto and great northern beans, and a can of chiles in adobo sauce. Oh my! Thanks to you, my first attempt at posole is a huge success! (And by huge, I also mean the more I added the larger the pot I needed! Some will have to go to the freezer for another day.)