This mole de olla recipe is an authentic Mexican soup consisting of beef and vegetables simmered in a flavorful broth made from dried chilies.
What is mole de olla made of?
Recipes for mole de olla will vary between cooks. For the beef, a variety of different cuts can be used such as stew meat, chuck roast, beef shank or beef short ribs. The bone-in cuts of beef like short ribs or shank are the most delicious and create a more flavorful broth.
As for the vegetables, that is up to the cook. Some of the more common vegetables added to this soup include corn on the cob, carrots, potatoes, Mexican squash and chayote.
The soup gets it’s red color and some flavor from three different dried chilies which are guajillo, ancho and pasilla chilies. You may need to visit a Mexican supermarket to find these chilies.
Some cooks will add chochoyotes (Mexican dumplings) to the soup. This is optional as the soup is pretty filling on its own however Mexican dumplings are absolutely delicious and go perfectly in this soup.
How to make it?
In a large pot add short ribs, onion, garlic cloves and bay leaves. Add salt and black pepper. Cover with water. Bring to a boil and skim off the foam that rises to the top. Reduce the heat to medium low and cover. Cook for 1 hour and 30 minutes.
While the meat is simmering go ahead and prepare the chile sauce. Add the chiles to a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil over medium high heat and cook for 5 min. Then turn the heat off and let the chilies soak for around 20 minutes to soften.
Then transfer the chilies to a blender along with garlic cloves, onion, oregano, tomato and chicken bouillon. Add 1 1/2 cups of water to the blender and blend until the sauce is smooth. Set aside.
Also go ahead and prepare the Mexican dumplings if using. Then cover with a damp towel.
Go ahead and chop the veggies you will be using as well. Make sure to cover the peeled and diced potatoes in a bowl of water to prevent them from turning brown. When it’s time to add the potatoes to the soup drain the water first.
After the beef has simmered for 1 hour and 30 minutes remove the lid and remove the onion, garlic cloves and bay leaves from the pot and discard.
Strain the chile sauce into the pot using a fine mesh strainer. Then add the veggies and cover. Continue to cook for 20 minutes. Then add the Mexican dumplings and cook for another 20 minutes.
The soup is ready when the meat and veggies are tender and the dumplings float to the surface.
How to serve it
The mole de olla can be served as is or with warm corn tortillas. Freshly chopped cilantro and diced white onion are good for garnishing. You can’t forget fresh cut limes. Squeezing fresh lime juice into the soup is a must! it really helps bring out the delicious flavor of the soup.
I hope you enjoyed this mole de olla recipe and I’d love to hear what you think of it in the comments below!
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Mole de Olla
Mole de olla is a flavorful and authentic Mexican beef soup.
Ingredients
For the meat
- 2 lbs beef short ribs
- 5 garlic cloves
- 1/2 white onion
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 10 cups water
For the Chile sauce
- 2 guajillo chilies
- 2 ancho chilies
- 2 pasilla chilies
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1/4 white onion
- 1 roma tomato roughly chopped
- 1 tsp oregano
- 3 tsp chicken bouillon
For the chochoyotes
- 2 cups masa harina
- 2 tsp chicken bouillon
- 2-3 hoja santa leaves crumbled
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1 1/4 cup water
For the vegetables
- 1 corn on the cob cut into 3
- 2 carrots peeled and chopped
- 2 gold potatoes peeled and chopped (reserve in a bowl covered with water)
- 2 Mexican squash chopped
Instructions
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In a large pot add all of the ingredients for the meat and bring to a boil. Skim off the foam that rises to the top.
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Reduce heat to medium low and cover. Cook for 1 hour and 30 min.
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While meat is simmering prepare the sauce. Add the chilies to a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil over medium high heat and cook for 5 min. Turn the heat off and let chilies soak for 20 minutes.
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Transfer the chilies to the blender along with the garlic cloves, onion, roma tomato, chicken bouillon and 1 1/2 cups of water. Blend until smooth and set aside.
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For the chochoyotes combine the masa harina, chicken bouillon, hoja santa leaves and oil. Mix well. Then slowly add the water while mixing with your hand. Form the dough into a ball.
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Divide the dough into about 20 dumplings. Poke a small hole into the top of each dumpling using your thumb. Set aside and cover with a damp cloth.
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After the beef has simmered for 1 hour and 30 min remove the lid. Remove the onion, garlic cloves and bay leaves from the pot and discard.
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Strain the chile sauce into the pot using a fine mesh strainer. Add the veggies and cover. Cook for 20 minutes.
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Add the chochoyotes to the pot and continue to cook for another 20 minutes.
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The soup is ready when the meat and veggies are tender and the dumplings float to the surface. Serve and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Make sure to drain the water from the potatoes before adding to the soup.