Whenever I have leftover pulled pork in my fridge, this easy 30 Minute Posole recipe is the only thing on my mind. It’s my budget-friendly, quick take on traditional posole, made with pantry staples and ready in half an hour. This filling, flavor-packed, comforting stew is leftovers done right. It’s a weeknight dinner you’ll purposefully make extra pork for, just so you have an excuse to whip it up again. 😊
“Don’t let this recipe pass you by. This recipe has become our “go to”. It’s so flavorful, easy and quick. Don’t forget the lime and cilantro at the end, it really makes it pop! So delicious.”
Margaret
Posole, or pozole, is a rich stew, typically made with slow-cooked pork, hominy, chiles, and lots of delicious toppings. The “posole” I made here is definitely not authentic; it’s more of a quickie stand-in for the good stuff. Kind of like ramen you buy in a 50-cent pack versus real ramen. If you want to make real posole/pozole, here is an authentic Mexican Pozole recipe from My Latina Table, so you can see what it’s really all about.
I used up leftover pork from my chili rubbed pork recipe, which helped my “quickie posole” come together really fast, so this recipe is a great way to take advantage of those leftovers on busy nights!
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Gather all of your ingredients.
Sauté the onion: Dice 1 yellow onion and add it to a large soup pot along with 2 Tbsp vegetable or canola oil. Sauté the onion in the oil over medium heat until it is soft and transparent.
Although 2 Tbsp oil seems like more than needed to sauté one small onion; that amount of oil is needed to make the roux in the next step, which provides the thickening power for the soup.
Make the roux: Once the onion is soft, add 2 Tbsp flour and 2 Tbsp mild chili powder. Continue to sauté this mixture for two minutes to toast the flour and chili powder. It may be slightly dry, so stir continuously to prevent burning.
Add the sauce base: Whisk in 2 cups water, 3 oz. tomato paste (half of a 6 oz. can), ½ tsp cumin, ½ tsp garlic powder, ¼ tsp cayenne pepper, and ¾ tsp salt, until the tomato paste has completely dissolved. Allow the mixture to come to a simmer, at which point it will thicken. This is basically my easy red enchilada sauce (plus an onion).
Make the soup: Drain one 15 oz. can of hominy and add it to the pot. Then add a 4 oz. can of diced green chiles and 1½ cups of pre-cooked, shredded meat (I used pork, but chicken or beef would also work). Finally, stir in 3 cups chicken broth and heat through.
Serve: Toppings are one of the most fun parts of this dish, so I chopped up about ½ bunch cilantro and cut 1 fresh lime into wedges. The lime juice adds a really nice tart/fresh flavor to the broth. Top each bowl with the chopped cilantro and a wedge of lime when serving. Enjoy!
I would absolutely love this soup with cornbread on the side, so I could crumble the cornbread into the soup and soak up all that wonderful broth! A scoop of cooked rice would also be a great topper for the soup to round out the meal. I’d also serve this posole with a tostada shell or air fried tortilla chips for dipping.
It’s recommended to use up leftovers within 3-4 days, so how long you can store this soup for will depend on the freshness of your leftover pulled pork (or chicken/beef). Keep leftovers stored in an airtight container in the fridge. This quick posole can also be frozen for up to 2-3 months. Reheat the leftovers in the microwave or on the stovetop before enjoying again. Let frozen leftovers thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.
Our 30 Minute Posole recipe was originally published 12/8/15. It was retested, reworked, and republished to be better than ever 10/10/25.
The post 30 Minute Posole appeared first on Budget Bytes.
