Chile Verde with Rice & Beans
when your husband texts you about dinner from the other room
I love Chile Verde. It’s a favorite that I keep coming back to when I eat at our local Mexican place (alternating with their chile relleno, enchiladas, and camarones al mojo de ajo, YUM.)
But I had never tried to make Chile verde at home. It just seemed so complicated? There’s the roasting of tomatillos and peppers for the sauce, and what I assumed was a complex process of getting the pork to taste as good as it does. But when I was scouring the internet for new recipes to try, I kept coming back to it. It just sounded so delicious.
So I tried it. But in true ADHD fashion, I was curious if I could skip the more complicated or tedious steps and use a store-bought salsa instead. I even looked up a few more versions of this recipe to see if anyone else made it this way, but I didn’t see any examples right off the bat.
Reader, I tried it anyway. It was amazing.
So amazing, in fact, that my husband texted me from the office, “This is freaking delicious!”
You can eat chile verde lots of ways… in tacos, as a bowl with rice, beans, and toppings, or even for breakfast with an egg thrown in (I’ve done all 3!) It makes a ton, so you’ll have plenty of chances to try it however you want. And the pork, beans, and rice freeze really well, so you can always stash any leftovers for a rainy day!
Chile Verde with Rice & Beans
Total time: 45 minutes to prep the pork, then 4-8 hrs to simmer; 30 minutes for the rice right before serving
Serves: 8-10
For Dietary Restrictions
Gluten free: this recipe is gluten-free with corn tortillas
Dairy free: this recipe is dairy-free
Kids Can Help
peel onion and garlic, measure and add spices, open cans; older kids can help toast the rice
Ingredients
For the pork:
3-4 lb boneless pork shoulder
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
24 oz jar (3 cups) mild salsa verde (I used Herdez)
4 -6 garlic cloves
1 white or yellow onion
1 Tbsp cumin
1 Tbsp Mexican oregano (regular oregano works too)
2 tsp salt
1 cup chicken broth
1 Tbsp lime juice
For the rice:
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 onion
1 garlic clove
2 cups medium or long-grain white rice
3 cups chicken broth
½ cup water
1 heaping Tbsp tomato paste
¼ tsp Mexican oregano
1 tsp kosher salt
To serve:
Corn or flour tortillas
2 15 oz cans of black beans
2 avocados
2 limes
Fresh cilantro
Fresh jalapenos (optional)
Tools
Tongs or a wide spatula
Large Dutch oven or soup pot (or a slow cooker)
2 medium or large cutting boards
Chef knife
Directions
**Note: These directions assume you have at least 3-4 hours for the pork to cook; it will be safe to eat after 1 hour but not tender and juicy until 3-4 hours of cooking on the stove, or 6-8 hours in a slow cooker.
Step 1
Slice the pork shoulder into 1-inch slices, trimming off large lobes of fat; discard. (Leave smaller sections of fat intact.) Cut remaining pork into 1-inch pieces.
Step 2
Optional, for better flavor: Heat 2 Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil in a large dutch oven over high heat. Once the oil is hot (almost smoking!), quickly but carefully add a layer of pork pieces, leaving about an inch of space in between them. Sprinkle with ½ tsp of salt. Sear for a minute, then turn and sear again. Remove to a large plate, or to your slow cooker, if using. Repeat until all the pieces of pork have been seared and salted (maximum of 2 teaspoons total).
Step 3
Peel and quarter the onion; peel and halve the garlic cloves.
Step 4
Place all of the pork pieces back in the dutch oven (or slow-cooker) along with any juices that accumulated while resting, then add the remaining ingredients: a 24 oz jar of salsa verde, garlic and onion pieces, 1 Tbsp each cumin and Mexican oregano (regular oregano works too), 1 cup of chicken broth, and 1 Tbsp lime juice.
Step 5
Cover and cook on low heat for about 4 hours if using a dutch oven (set the burner to the lowest setting that will allow a simmer, stirring occasionally) or 6-8 hours if using a slow cooker.
About 30 minutes before serving, make the rice and prepare the toppings (remaining steps):
Step 6
Peel and mince the second onion and a clove of garlic.
Step 7
In a large (5.5 L or similar) skillet with a lid, heat 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil over medium-high heat. Add 2 cups of rice and cook, stirring frequently to avoid burning, until rice is toasted (lightly browned), about 5 minutes.
Step 8
Add the minced onion and garlic to the pan and cook, stirring gently, until the onion begins to soften.
Step 9
In a separate saucepan, combine 3 cups of chicken or vegetable broth, ½ cup water, 1 heaping tablespoon of tomato paste, ¼ teaspoon of Mexican oregano, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil and stir, making sure to fully mix the tomato paste into the broth.
Step 10
Once hot, add the broth mixture to the rice. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to the lowest setting. Cover and cook for about 15 minutes, then turn off heat and let sit for 10 minutes.
Step 11
While the rice is resting, prepare the toppings: open and rinse the canned beans, halve and slice the avocados, quarter the limes, wash and mince the cilantro, and slice the jalapenos, if using. (I also like to toast my corn tortillas over a gas stove– a minute or so on each side gives a gentle char that deepens the flavor and improves the texture of the tortilla so it will be less likely to fall apart! This doesn’t work as well for flour tortillas- you can warm these for a few seconds in the microwave.)
