Chile Verde


cooking spray
1 lb. pork tenderloin trimmed of visible fat, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoon flour divided
2 medium onions, chopped
2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
4 to 5 fresh roasted Anaheim or Poblano chilies, peeled, seeded, deveined and chopped
1 14.5-oz. can chopped tomatoes or 2 large tomatoes peeled and chopped
2 1/2 to 3 cups water
3 to 4 teaspoons beef or chicken base or bouillon
fresh ground black pepper to taste
chile powder to taste – optional
fat free or low fat flour tortillas made without hydrogenated vegetable oil.


1. Toss pork with 2 tablespoons flour and set aside.

2. Lightly spray a 4 to 6-quart Dutch oven or pan, with cooking spray and preheat on medium for 2 to 3 minutes. Add pork to pan and cook turning often until flour has left a dark golden brown glaze on bottom of pan. The pork will stick to bottom of pan because of flour. This is fine, just pry it gently off pan’s surface. Reduce heat to low and continue to cook for an additional 5 minutes or until moisture from pork starts to lift browned glaze off bottom of pan. Remove pork from pan and set side.

3. Increase heat to medium and add onions and garlic to pan. Sauté onions until soft and browned from deglazing bottom of pan, about 5 minutes. Add small amounts of water if necessary to aid in the deglazing process and keep onions from drying out. Add salt, cumin and oregano to onions, continuing to sauté until spices are fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.

4. Add tomatoes and chilies to pan; stir in flour a little at a time, mixing well after each addition. Slowly stir in water and bouillon. Stirring frequently, increase heat to medium-high and bring to boil; return pork to pan and reduce heat to low. Simmer, covered for 35 to 45 minutes.

5. Uncover pan and increase heat to medium. Stirring often, cook Chile Verde at a high simmer until sauce is thickened, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve hot with warm flour tortillas.

Yield: 6 1-cup servings w/o tortillas at approximately 166 calories; 3.5 grams total fat; 1.1 saturated fat; 43 milligrams cholesterol; 18 grams carbohydrate; 2 grams dietary fiber; 17 grams protein; 1000 milligrams sodium.

Cook’s Note: To roast chiles, place oven rack on top shelf directly under boiler. Place chiles on a foil lined baking sheet and place under broiler. Leaving oven door ajar, roast chiles turning frequently to allow chiles to toast as evenly as possible on all sides. After chiles have been roasted, about 10 to 15 minutes, remove from oven and place chiles in an airtight container or bag for 20 minutes. Remove from container. Under a gentle stream of cold water peel skin from chiles; slit sides with finger and remove stems, seeds and veins. Set chiles aside to drain on paper towels before chopping.

The Recipe: Chile Verde, is from the cookbook, Lighten Up — The Art of Low Fat Gourmet Cooking, by Mary E. Ross

Add comment