With white beans and corn, this vegan chile verde is a spicy stew that’s a blend of tomatillos, poblano peppers, jalapenos, cilantro and lime. Most of the cooking happens under the broiler in the oven.
As my fingers type, I am wearing a hat and scarf, but I’m not outside. Even though I’m at the comfort of my desk, I am feeling the chill inside. We never crank up the heat at our house. Instead we bundle up, and I make lots of soup. Don’t ask me why, but it’s become a game to see if we can get to Thanksgiving without switching on the heat.
When it comes to these edible pots of warmth, the heartier and spicier the better. Give me pastes like harissa and spices like red pepper flakes, and I am good to go. But for this chile verde, it’s different because the heat comes from a combination of poblano peppers and jalapenos.
And the most important part of cooking this stew happens on a sheet pan under the broiler in the oven and not on the stovetop like most soups. The final result is broth with incredible smoky flavor.
Traditionally chile verde is a Mexican stew where chunks of pork are simmered in a spicy tomatillo sauce. In some variations you see it made with chicken. But in this version, I go vegan and add white beans for the protein.
Because I use beans instead of pork or chicken, I change the order of the steps to make a typical chile verde recipe. Since there is no protein to sear, I get right to making the stew and add the beans along with corn to simmer toward the end of cooking, so everything is warmed through.
This is what you need for the recipe:
If you have a high tolerance for heat, when you peel and prep the roasted jalapenos, you can leave some of the seeds and ribs. They puree in the blender and leave behind an added kick.
You can enjoy chile verde paired with corn chips or warm tortillas. If you want something more filling, you can make veggie quesadillas or even tacos. In that case, you could think of the soup as a side dish and serve it in a cup or mug instead of in a full bowl.
The soup can be stored in the fridge in a container up to 5 days. To have it last up to a month, go ahead and freeze it. As always, I suggest freezing the soup in portions, so leftovers are easier to thaw and serve.
Chickpea Harissa Vegetable Soup
Vegan Poblano White Bean Chili
Black Bean Soup
Slow Cooker Lentil Tortilla Soup
One Pot Quinoa Chili
Tomato Carrot Lentil Soup
Three Bean Chili
Black Bean Chili
I really like this recipe as is. I did leave some of the jalapeno seeds and ribs in because I like the extra heat. I am participating in a chili cook off St Patty’s Day weekend so I just might give this an Irish twist by adding some small diced yellow skinned potatoes next time.
This was absolutely delicious and a surprisingly simple recipe. After broiling the veggies, it’s basically a one pot meal so the cleanup was easy as well. It’s definitely rich so I’d recommend pairing it with a relatively simple carb. I am also considering adding more beans next time.