Nopalitos con Chorizo en Salsa de Chipotle is one of those recipes that can be served in a variety of ways. For breakfast, lunch or dinner, it is fairly inexpensive to prepare and can be prepared quickly. When fresh nopales are not available, the next best thing for me, is Doña Maria brand nopalitos in a jar. They are readily available in many stores and are much easier to find than a good store bought corn tortilla, lol! This is not a sponsored post.
I am not sure how they decide what each store will carry when it come to Latin or Hispanic foods, but where I live most people have never tried nopales. Most often nopal recipes are prepared during the time of lent when meatless meals are a way of life. In a simple salsa, with potatoes or with queso panela, they are a delicious meal to prepare anytime. Once drained and rinsed you can add them to your favorite salad, salsa recipe, soups, stews, chili or for scrambled eggs for breakfast tacos. They are mild in flavor, tender and a good source of fiber.
Did You Get Your Copy Yet? https://salsa-pinaenlacocina.customcontent.store/
Mexican Salsa Cookbook!
But, If You Can Cook Fresh Nopales, Even Better!
Do you know how easy it is to cook fresh nopales? In many Mexican markets you can purchase previously cleaned cactus paddles. After I slice 2 pounds of nopales, I transfer them to a skillet combined with a piece of onion, some sliced serrano pepper, cilantro and some garlic. I sprinkle with about 1/2 teaspoon of salt evenly. No water! Cover skillet with a lid and turn heat to below medium. After about 8-10 minutes, the cactus will begin to release it’s own liquid. Stir now and then until 98% of the liquid evaporates. You can use them right away in your favorite recipes. The longer they sit, then they will have a tendency to release a little baba or slime. Simple solution is to just rinse them under cold water. Some people don’t like to rinse them because they say it washes away the nutritional value of the cactus. It’s up to you!
Nopalitos Con Chorizo en Salsa de Chipotle(Cactus and Mexican Chorizo)
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 1 dried chipotle or 2 chipotles in adobo
- 2 to 3 chile de arbol
- 1 jalapeño sliced
- 1 to 2 cloves garlic
- 3 roma tomatoes
- Olive oil
- 1/3 to 1/2 cup water
- 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules
- 1 cup uncooked mexican chorizo
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced white onion
- 1- 1 1/2 lbs previously cooked nopales or one 30 oz., jar drained and rinsed
- Salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
Instructions
Directions
- To a small skillet, add the chipotle(only if using the dried chipotle), chile de arbol, jalapeño, garlic and tomatoes. Add in 1/4 cup of olive oil and heat to medium heat. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, turning often so that the dried chiles and garlic does not burn.
- To that same pan, add 1/2 cup of water and cook for another 5 minutes to soften the dried peppers a little more. Transfer to blender, add the bouillon and blend on high until smooth, set aside.
- Add the chorizo to a large skillet and heat to medium. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, breaking into smaller pieces with a wooden spoon.
- 4. Add the onions and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes. Add the nopalitos and salsa fom blender. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Taste for salt and add a little fresh cracked pepper. Serve as is with rice, beans and warm tortillas. Or top with egg and salsa as pictured. Yields 6 servings.
Notes
Can’t wait to try this recipe!
Thanks Amanda! I enjoy it anytime of the day.
We made this! LOVED IT! I served it overtop of scrambled eggs… AMAZING flavor. It is a bit spicy… but we all kept eating 😉 Gracias!
That’s awesome to hear!!!! Thanks for the feedback.
Excelent recipe!!!
Thank you Brianda V.!
Loving this recipe Sonia!! Nopales don`t get near the recognition they deserve & everything`s better with chorizo! Can`t wait to give this a try! It looks AMAZING!!
Thank you Tez! I agree! I love nopales year round. They are so misunderstood in the states, lol! So happy you stopped by! You have a blog? I will look it up.
Oh boy is 2019 I just finished the receipt step by step and my family loved !!! Thank you 🙏 we went today to the local flee market and the nopals where all over the place .was something like I need to buy this !!!my hubby a big Cuban men looked at me youuu are crazy I’m not eating that !! Lol .He loved he ask me to make more for mother’s Day family party 🎉
That’s so awesome! I love it!! Lol!! I do love my nopalitos too. I am so happy your hubby enjoyed the nopales.
I love nopal recipes and this one is now one of my favorites! So delicious! I grew up eating nopales but hadn’t ever heard about this recipe. I came across your IG page and saw your post about this recipe. Se me antojo! So I decided to try it today. Luckily I had all these ingredients and wow, this dish turned out amazing. Thank you for sharing. I appreciate your blog!!
Thank you Dalia for the feedback on the recipe. I absolutely love nopales and could literally eat them everyday!