Although I’ve spent most of my adult life outside the United States, I grew up in Arizona on the border with Sonora, Mexico, where the food is deeply influenced by Mexican flavours. While many Texans favour red chile, I’ll always reach for a green chile — chile verde.
Traditionally made with pork, I wanted to create a version that keeps the deep, nostalgic flavour but is entirely plant-based. This mushroom chile verde is vegan, hearty and complex in taste, delivering the same satisfying experience you’d expect from a meat-based version.
How to Make Vegetarian Chile Verde
This recipe takes some active cooking time, so it’s best suited to a relaxed weekend meal rather than a busy weeknight. The steps are straightforward and well worth the effort for the flavour payoff.
Start by charring the peppers — this adds depth and a smoky complexity to the sauce. If you have a gas stove, char them over the open flame. If not, the broiler works very well.
Preheat the broiler to high and place the oven rack in the top position. Put poblanos and jalapeños on a rimmed baking sheet and broil until the skins are blackened, about 8–10 minutes. Remove them and cover with an inverted bowl to trap steam; this makes peeling much easier.
Next, roast the tomatillos. I developed this recipe using canned tomatillos (drained and patted dry), which makes it accessible if fresh tomatillos aren’t available where you live. Place the drained tomatillos and several garlic cloves on a rimmed baking sheet and broil until charred, about 10 minutes. When finished, lower the oven rack to the centre and switch the oven to bake at 220°C/425°F.
Once the peppers are cool enough to handle, peel away the charred skins, remove poblano stems, ribs and seeds, and discard the skins. If you prefer less heat, remove the seeds and ribs from the jalapeños as well. Add the peeled poblanos, jalapeños, charred tomatillos and peeled garlic to a food processor and pulse until smooth. Set the tomatillo mixture aside.
For the “meaty” component, use a mix of oyster and shiitake mushrooms. Their texture and umami quality make them an excellent substitute for pork or chicken. Tear oyster mushrooms into strips and thinly slice the shiitakes. Toss the mushrooms with a drizzle of neutral oil and a generous pinch of salt, spread them on a baking sheet and roast at 220°C/425°F until golden and significantly reduced in size, about 20–30 minutes, stirring once or twice.
Move to the stovetop: heat the remaining oil in a large saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add one diced yellow onion and a pinch of salt, and cook until the onion is softened and translucent, about 5–10 minutes. Stir in ground cumin and, if you want extra heat, one or two finely chopped dried chiles de arbol. Cook briefly until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Scrape the pureed tomatillo and pepper mixture into the pan, add the roasted mushrooms and pour in vegetable stock. Stir well and bring to a simmer. Let the chile simmer for 10–15 minutes so the flavours can meld.
If you prefer a thicker chile, whisk in 2 tablespoons of masa harina and simmer for another minute or two; add up to 1 more tablespoon if needed to reach your desired consistency. Finish with roughly chopped fresh cilantro, taste for seasoning, and remove from the heat.
Serve the vegetarian chile verde with warmed corn or flour tortillas — whichever you prefer — and enjoy.
Vegetarian Chile Verde With Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 3-4 poblano peppers
- 2-3 jalapeños
- 1 (800g/28oz) can tomatillosdrained and patted dry
- 5 cloves garlic
- 300 g oyster mushroomstorn into small strips
- 200 g shiitake mushroomsthinly sliced
- 60 ml neutral oilsuch as sunflower, canola or avocado, divided
- 1 yellow oniondiced
- 1½ tsp ground cumin
- 1-2 chiles de arbolfinely chopped, optional
- 250 ml vegetable stock
- 2-3 tbsp masa harinaoptional
- 15 g cilantroroughly chopped
Instructions
-
Preheat broiler/grill to high and move the oven rack to the top position. Add the poblanos and jalapeños to a rimmed baking sheet. Place under the broiler and cook until blackened and charred. Remove and cover with an inverted bowl for 10 minutes.
-
Meanwhile, add the tomatillos and garlic to a rimmed baking sheet and broil until charred, about 10 minutes. Once cool enough to touch, remove the peels from the garlic.
-
Reduce oven temperature to 220°C/425°F and roast the mushrooms: toss oyster and shiitake mushrooms with 2 tbsp neutral oil and salt, spread on a baking sheet and roast until golden and reduced in size, about 20–30 minutes, stirring halfway through.
-
Peel the charred skins from the peppers, remove stems and seeds from the poblanos, and remove stems and optionally seeds from the jalapeños. Add poblanos, jalapeños, tomatillos, garlic and ¼ tsp salt to a food processor and pulse until smooth. Set aside.
-
Heat remaining 2 tbsp oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the diced onion and a pinch of salt and cook until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes.
-
Stir in ground cumin and chiles de arbol if using, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
-
Add the pureed tomatillo mixture, the roasted mushrooms and the vegetable stock. Bring to a simmer and cook 10–15 minutes to allow flavours to meld.
-
If desired, whisk in 2 tbsp masa harina to thicken, adding up to 1 more tbsp to reach the desired consistency. Cook briefly, adjust seasoning, remove from heat and stir in chopped cilantro before serving.
Notes
- If you don’t have a food processor, finely chop the peppers, tomatillos and garlic with a sharp knife; the texture will be chunkier but still delicious.
- Masa harina (nixtamalised corn flour) is ideal for thickening and adds a subtle corn flavour. Avoid substituting plain wheat flour, as it behaves differently in this dish.
Nutrition
Chile verde is easy to adapt to a vegetarian diet, and the roasted mushrooms provide wonderful umami depth that makes this version truly satisfying.
Looking for a vegetarian green chili? Have questions about the recipe? Leave a comment below.
