Mole de Olla: Traditional Mexican Beef and Vegetable Soup Recipe
Mole de Olla is a traditional Mexican beef stew featuring tender beef shank simmered in a richly flavored broth made from charred tomatoes, garlic, onions, and a blend of dried guajillo, puya, and árbol chiles. This hearty soup is enhanced with fresh corn and calabacita squash, garnished with chopped onion and cilantro, and best enjoyed with warm tortillas.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 35 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients
Scale
Meat and Broth
- 2 lbs beef shank
- Salt to taste
- Water to cover beef
Chiles and Vegetables for Sauce
- 8 tomatoes
- 1 onion (for the soup)
- 3 cloves garlic
- 4 dried guajillo chiles
- 4 dried puya chiles
- 1–2 dried árbol chiles (adjust for spice preference)
- 1 bunch cilantro (plus extra for topping)
Vegetables for Soup
- 2 ears of corn, chopped into 3 pieces each
- 1 calabacita mexicana (small green squash), chopped
Garnish
- Chopped onion (for topping)
- Chopped fresh cilantro (for topping)
Instructions
- Boil the Beef: In a large pot, place the beef shank and cover it with water. Season the water with salt. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer gently until the meat is tender, which should take about 1.5 to 2 hours.
- Char the Ingredients: While the beef cooks, heat a dry skillet over medium heat. Add the tomatoes, onion, garlic, guajillo chiles, puya chiles, and árbol chiles. Char them until they develop slight blistering and a smoky aroma, enhancing their flavors.
- Blend the Mixture: Transfer the charred tomatoes, onion, garlic, and chiles to a blender. Blend until smooth, adding some of the reserved beef broth as needed to help the blending process.
- Strain and Combine: Pour the blended mixture through a strainer into a large pot. Discard any solids left in the strainer. Add additional beef broth to achieve a soup-like consistency. Return the cooked beef shank to the pot and add the entire bunch of cilantro (you can remove this later to avoid overpowering the soup).
- Simmer: Bring the pot to a gentle simmer and cook for another 30 to 45 minutes, allowing the beef to become tender and nearly falling off the bone while the flavors meld.
- Add Corn and Squash: Add the chopped corn pieces and cook for 10 minutes. Then add the chopped calabacita mexicana and cook until just tender, about 5 more minutes. Taste and adjust salt as necessary.
- Serve: Remove the bunch of cilantro from the pot. Ladle the soup into bowls, and top with chopped onion and cilantro. Serve with warm tortillas on the side for a complete meal.
Notes
- The number of árbol chiles can be adjusted depending on your preferred heat level.
- Charring the vegetables and chiles adds depth and smokiness to the broth.
- Calabacita mexicana can be substituted with zucchini if unavailable.
- Removing the cilantro bunch after simmering prevents the flavor from becoming too strong or bitter.
- Warm tortillas are traditional accompaniments that complement the stew well.
Keywords: Mole de Olla, Mexican beef stew, traditional soup, beef shank recipe, guajillo chile soup, calabacita soup, hearty Mexican soup
