Mexi-Stroni Soup — The Bowl That Made the Week Worth It

October 22nd. I have been teaching for almost nine weeks. The blog post count is now at over two hundred — two hundred things I have written about cooking cheaply, cooking for one, cooking when you are a teacher on forty-two thousand dollars a year in Chicago, cooking when you are grieving, cooking when you are trying to get through something. I did not plan this. I started with rice and beans in a dorm kitchen in DeKalb and it became a thing that people read. I am still not entirely sure how.

Parent conferences this week. All eight families came — seven in person, one by phone. Each one I started with what the child can do. Each one I showed data. T.'s mother brought me a small cake from the Mexican bakery on 18th Street. I said "You did not have to do this." She said "T. likes you." I ate the cake at my desk at lunch. The cake was a tres leches, which is soaked milk cake, which is one of the best cakes that has ever existed in the history of food. I ate the whole piece without guilt.

Made posole this week — the red version, with pork shoulder I bought on sale, hominy from a can, dried red chiles (ancho and guajillo) toasted and soaked and blended into the broth, garlic and cumin. Long braise, two hours. The soup gets deeply red and smoky and rich. It tastes like it has been cooking in someone's kitchen since Tuesday. It essentially has.

Under five dollars for a pot that lasted all week. Topped each bowl with shredded cabbage, radish, dried oregano, a squeeze of lime. Ate it for lunch and dinner alternating. Claudia tasted it on Wednesday (she knocked, as she does) and said "The chiles are right." I said "I toasted them." She said "Good. Most people don't." Then she sat down and we ate it together at my kitchen table and talked for an hour about her daughter in Mexico City and my students in Room 108. Some evenings are a gift.

This Mexi-Stroni Soup is the recipe I reach for when a week has been full in every sense — full of work, full of small human moments, full of the kind of exhaustion that only wants something deeply warm and unhurried on the stove. It pulls from the same pantry logic as the posole I described: chile-forward broth, hearty beans and hominy, spices that bloom with time. Claudia would approve. It costs almost nothing, and it gives back more than you put in — which is the only kind of cooking I have the energy for right now.

Mexi-Stroni Soup

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 40 minutes | Total Time: 55 minutes | Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef or pork shoulder, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can (14.5 oz) fire-roasted diced tomatoes
• 1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can (15 oz) hominy, drained and rinsed
• 1 can (15 oz) kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 4 cups low-sodium beef or chicken broth
• 2 cups water
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• 3/4 cup small pasta (ditalini or elbow), uncooked
• Toppings: shredded cabbage, sliced radishes, lime wedges, dried oregano

Instructions

1. Brown the meat. In a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, cook the ground beef or pork pieces until browned on all sides, about 6–8 minutes. Drain excess fat if needed, leaving about 1 tablespoon in the pot.
2. Build the base. Reduce heat to medium. Add the diced onion and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more, stirring frequently.
3. Add spices. Stir in the chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, and oregano. Toast the spices with the onion and meat for 1–2 minutes until fragrant.
4. Add liquids and solids. Pour in the diced tomatoes, broth, and water. Add the black beans, kidney beans, and hominy. Stir to combine and bring to a boil.
5. Simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover partially, and simmer for 25 minutes to allow the flavors to develop. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
6. Cook the pasta. Add the pasta directly to the pot and cook uncovered for an additional 8–10 minutes, or until the pasta is tender. The soup will thicken slightly as the pasta absorbs broth.
7. Serve. Ladle into bowls and top with shredded cabbage, sliced radishes, a pinch of dried oregano, and a squeeze of fresh lime.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 285 | Protein: 19g | Fat: 8g | Carbs: 33g | Fiber: 8g | Sodium: 620mg