Name: Green Chile Stew with Hominy and Plant-Based Meat
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 2 teaspoons vegetable oil; 1 large onion , chopped fine; 2 poblano chiles , stemmed, seeded, and chopped; 2 jalapeño chiles , stemmed, seeded, and minced; 12 ounces plant-based ground meat; 4 garlic cloves , minced; 1 teaspoon ground cumin; 2 (12-ounce) cans whole tomatillos , drained; 3½ cups vegetable broth; 2 (15-ounce) can white hominy , rinsed; 2 tomatoes , cored and cut into ½-inch pieces; 2 radishes , trimmed, halved, and sliced thin; ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves

Why This Recipe Works

Mexican green pozole is traditionally a long-simmered pork and hominy stew. Although many typical recipes call for pork shoulder, in the past we've found that we could quicken the process by using ground pork—so when it came to our meat-free adaptation, we were confident that we could substitute plant-based ground meat for the pork in our weeknight-friendly recipe. Two types of chile peppers—poblano and jalapeño—give the stew complex spiciness; we soften the chiles along with an onion and then add the meat, which takes just a few minutes to cook through. Tomatillos are the base of a classic green pozole, so next we stir in two cans of mashed tomatillos, broth to thin the stew's consistency, and a couple cans of hominy (corn kernels treated with an alkali to soften their tough hulls). We simmer the lot until the flavors meld, crowning each steaming bowl with chopped tomatoes, sliced radishes, and cilantro leaves.

Instructions

Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion, poblanos, and jalapeños and cook until softened and lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Add ground meat and cook, breaking up meat with wooden spoon, until firm crumbles form, about 3 minutes.

Stir in garlic and cumin and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Mash tomatillos coarse in bowl using potato masher, then add to pot along with broth and hominy. Scrape up browned bits on bottom of pot using metal spatula or wooden spoon and bring to simmer.

Cook, stirring occasionally, until stew is slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve, topping individual bowls with tomatoes, radishes, and cilantro.