A thick and hearty vegetarian chili verde with white beans plus a good kick of heat. And, of course, the zingy tang of fresh-roasted tomatillos.
Yield: 4
Ingredients
1poundtomatillos
2jalapeno peppers
1/4cupolive oil
1medium yellow oniondiced) (about 2 cups
1/2teaspoondried oregano
2medium cloves garlicminced
1/2teaspoonground coriander
1/2teaspoonsalt
1/4teaspoonfreshly ground black pepperplus more to taste
1/4cupall-purpose flour
4cupslow-sodium vegetable broth
4cupscooked small white beansor 2 (15-ounce) cans, drained and rinsed
4ouncesmild diced green chilesone 4 ounce can
1tablespoonfreshly squeezed lime juice
Garnishes/toppings:
Lime wedgesfor squeezing over the top
Cilantro leaves
Sour cream or Greek yogurt
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Remove papery husks from the tomatillos and rinse off any dirt. Place tomatillos and jalapeno peppers on a rimmed baking sheet. If you want to minimize the risk of the tomatillos exploding, score them by giving each a quick shallow slice with a knife - though I've never done this. Which is probably one of many reasons why I need to clean my oven.
Bake, turning tomatillos and peppers over once about 15 minutes in, until they're soft and blackened in spots, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
While the tomatillos and the peppers are roasting, assemble the base of the soup. To a large saucepan or medium soup pot over medium heat, add the olive oil. When heated, add the onion and oregano. Saute until soft and fragrant but not browned. Add garlic, coriander, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring, for one more minute. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for three minutes. Slowly pour in the vegetable broth, stirring while you pour. Reserve about 1/4 cup of the veggie broth if you want to deglaze your roasting pan, otherwise, pour it all in (see "optional" step below).
Bring to a boil, stirring frequently, and cook until thickened, about 15 minutes.
Peel jalapenos and taste the flesh. If they're very mild, you may want to add both peppers to the soup, seeds and all. On the other hand, if they're particularly hot, you may want to discard the seeds entirely and only one pepper, or even half of one pepper. Jalapenos can vary greatly in heat, so I've learned tasting and then adding cautiously is the way to go. Add the tomatillos and juices from the pan to the soup as well.
Optional: Add a little veggie broth to the roasting pan, stirring and scraping to work up all of the flavorful bits that were left behind. Add that to the soup. This adds even more flavor to the soup!
Remove soup from heat and, using an immersion blender or by carefully transferring to a blender in batches, puree the soup. Return to medium-low heat. Add the beans and the can of diced green chilies and stir to combine. Taste and add additional salt and pepper if desired.
Bring to a simmer to heat the chilies and white beans. Remove from heat and stir in the lime juice.
Ladle into bowls and serve with cilantro leaves, additional lime wedges for squeezing over the top, and sour cream or Greek yogurt if desired.
Leftovers keep refrigerated in an airtight container for 2-3 days.
Notes
One dish two ways (meat option):
Top meat-eaters' servings with 1/3 cup cooked, shredded chicken (rotisserie chicken is easy!) or cooked shredded pulled pork.
Vegan chili verde:
This recipe as written is already vegan. Top with cashew sour cream. Recipe update 3/23/2024: I added the optional step of deglazing the roasting pan with a bit of vegetable broth to scrap up every bit of flavor.