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Pork and nopales in chile colorado served on a white plate with fried beans.
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5 from 10 votes

Pork Chile Colorado with Nopales

This Pork Chile Colorado with Nopales recipe is to die for. Tender pork in a RICH, red chile sauce with incredible depth of flavor. This dish is seriously OMG delish!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time45 minutes
Total Time55 minutes
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Mexican
Servings: 4 peopld
Calories: 475kcal

Ingredients

For the Chile Colorado Sauce:

  • 10 Chile Guajillo stems removed, seeded and deveined
  • 2 Ancho Chile stems removed, seeded and deveined
  • 4 cups water
  • 1 tspn salt
  • ½ tspn cumin
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • ¼ onion
  • 2 cups pork broth (or chicken broth)

For the Cactus Paddles:

For the Pork:

Instructions

For the Chile Colorado Suace:

  • Cut the stems off, and remove the seeds and veins of all the chiles.
  • Add the chiles to a large stock pot.
  • Cover with water.
  • Bring to a boil.
  • Turn heat off.
  • Let sit in the pot for 5-10 minutes, or until pliable.
  • Discard the water.
  • Add the rehydrated chiles to a blender.
  • Add salt, cumin, garlic, onion, and pork broth to the blender.
  • Blend until smooth.
  • Set aside until ready to use.

For the Cactus Paddles:

  • Carefully remove the thorns (if necessary) with a sharp knife.
  • Rinse the cactus paddles.
  • Dice into 1-inch pieces.
  • Place them in a stock pot and cover with water.
  • Add salt and baking soda to the pot.
  • Boil for 10 minutes.
  • Discard water and rinse the cooked nopales.
  • Set aside until ready to use.

For the Pork:

  • Heat the olive oil.
  • Season the pork with salt, pepper, and cumin.
  • Add the pork to the pot.
  • Brown the meat.
  • Stir occasionally.
  • This will take about 5 minutes.
  • Add the diced onion and cook for 1 minutes, or until translucent.
  • Add the pork broth and chile colorado sauce.
  • Mix to combine.
  • Cook for 25 minutes on medium heat.
  • Add the nopales.
  • Cook for 5 additional minutes.
  • Serve and enjoy!

Notes

Chile Colorado freezes extremely well. It lasts up to 7 days in the fridge and up to 6 months in the freezer.
  • Look for nopales that already have the thorns removed. Or, buy the pre-diced nopales. Best option for the newbies: Use cooked cactus in a jar. Drain the liquid, and it's ready to use. 
If you don’t have homemade pork broth, you can substitute with:
  • chicken broth
  • 1 cup water + ½ tablespoon chicken bouillon
  • beef broth
  • vegetable broth

Nutrition

Calories: 475kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 45g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 139mg | Sodium: 3073mg | Potassium: 1407mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 6953IU | Vitamin C: 28mg | Calcium: 72mg | Iron: 5mg