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
Quick & Budget-Friendly Posole
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!
Recipe Tips & Suggestions
- Try a different meat. Pork is the typical meat for posole, and some readers have swapped the pulled pork for leftover cooked pork chops (roughly chopped). But if you have leftover shredded chicken or beef, I say, why not go ahead and use that. I think it would be equally as delicious!
- Like our chicken enchilada soup, I used my homemade red enchilada sauce as a base for this soup, which helped thicken the broth and provide a TON of instant flavor. I don’t recommend substituting with store-bought enchilada sauce as I don’t think it’ll work quite the same!
- To make this recipe vegetarian/vegan, use vegetable broth and add an extra can of hominy in place of the pulled pork. Canned pinto, kidney, or black beans (drained) would also be delicious and add some protein.
- Add your favorite toppings! I kept the toppings for my soup simple to keep costs low, but if you want to splurge, I think this soup would be awesome with a little shredded cheddar, pepper jack, sour cream, avocado, shredded cabbage, or thinly sliced radish, too.
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Easy 30 minute Posole
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Step-by-step photos can be seen below the recipe card.
Equipment
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Large Pot
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp cooking oil $0.08
- 1 yellow onion diced, (1 cup, 150g) $0.54
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour $0.02
- 2 Tbsp chili powder mild, $0.22*
- 2 cups water $0.00
- 3 oz. tomato paste $0.43
- ½ tsp ground cumin $0.02
- ½ tsp garlic powder $0.02
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper optional, $0.03
- ¾ tsp salt $0.03
- 3 cups chicken broth $0.35**
- 1½ cups shredded pork pre-cooked, (or chicken or beef) $3.79
- 4 oz. can diced green chiles $0.88
- 15 oz. can hominy golden or white, (drained) $1.42***
Toppings
- 1 fresh lime $0.25
- ½ bunch fresh cilantro $0.42
Instructions
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Gather and prep all of your ingredients.
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Finely dice the onion, then add it to a large soup pot along with the cooking oil. Sauté the onion in the oil over medium heat for 3-5 minutes, or until it is tender and transparent.
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Add the flour and chili powder and continue to sauté for two minutes more. The mixture will be fairly dry, so stir continuously to prevent burning.
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Add 2 cups water, tomato paste, cumin, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and salt to the pot. Whisk the ingredients together until the tomato paste is dissolved. Allow the mixture to come to a simmer, at which point it will thicken.
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Finally, add the chicken broth, shredded meat, diced chiles, and hominy (drained). Stir to combine and then heat through (about 10 minutes).
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Cut the lime into wedges and roughly chop the cilantro. Top each bowl with chopped cilantro and a wedge of lime to squeeze over top.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Notes
**I like to use Better Than Bouillon to make my broth to keep costs low.
***Hominy, one of the key ingredients in posole, is a large maize grain that has been treated with lye or lime, which softens its outer husk and gives it a wonderfully chewy texture. You can find hominy both dried and canned, like beans, but I use the canned version for convenience. They are, without a doubt, my favorite part of this stew. However, if you can’t find hominy, you can use canned, fresh, or frozen corn in a pinch.
Nutrition
How to Make Posole Step-by-Step Photos
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!
What to Serve with Posole
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.
Storage & Reheating
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.
More Mexican-Inspired Soup Recipes
Chicken and Lime Soup
$7.76 recipe / $1.29 serving
Easy Taco Soup
$11.43 recipe / $1.90 serving
Butternut Squash and Black Bean Soup
$8.59 recipe / $1.43 serving
Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup
$9.79 recipe / $1.63 serving
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.
