Tinga is a delicious chipotle cabbage stews. This recipe is made vegan and you’re going to love it! It’s one of my favorite tostada meals ever.
Tinga!!
Hola amigos! I’m so excited to share with you one of my most favourite Mexican dishes today, tinga. It’s another transformation from meat to vegan version and I promise you’re going to love it. It’s always a big hit in my house and I always make sure to make a big batch for several meals or to freeze.
What is Tinga
This is a dish that comes from the Mexican state of Puebla. Traditionally, it’s prepared by making a sauce from tomatoes, chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, onion, garlic, and spices if desired. The sauce is then stewed with shredded chicken; some people will also add thinly sliced cabbage to the mix.
We, of course, will be skipping the chicken and making a vegan version!
This delectable dish can then can be used to top tostadas, to fill tacos and quesadillas or you could even stuff tamales with it.
Tinga Recipe
The recipe is so super easy and you can have the whole meal on the table in like 35 or 40 minutes. Honestly the “hardest” part will be to slice the cabbage.
Make sure you already have refried beans ready to go — homemade is best, of course! Try my recipe.
Sauté The Onion and Cabbage
As simple as that, just heat some oil and sauté the onion until soft then add the cabbage. You should also sprinkle the cabbage with some salt. Make sure to use a large pot or pan to fit it all in. Then just cover and cook until the cabbage has softened. Do stir often.
Make the Sauce
To make the chipotle sauce just blend fresh tomatoes, garlic, chipotle peppers with a little of the adobo sauce and a pinch of salt. Blend until smooth then set aside.
A tip for controlling the chipotle salsa is to gradually add them and stop to taste to make sure you don’t over do it with the spicyness.
Add The Carrot and Salsa
Next you add the shredded carrots and pour in the salsa and mix well. Cover and allow to simmer for about 15 minutes before serving. Everything should be soft and tender and very flavorful.
Tinga Tostadas
Assembling these tostadas is super easy and fun. You can even place everything on the table and allow everyone to build their own.
First take a tostada and smear it with refried beans. Then top with the vegan tinga.
Next you can start adding all of your toppings of choice.
I love some sour cream and crumbled cheese. You can use either dairy or vegan versions of both.
Then some avocado slices and some sliced radishes. This gives the tostadas another level of taste and texture. So yummy!
!Buen Provecho!
Tinga Tostadas (vegan tinga recipe)
Ingredients
Main Ingredients:
- 14 oz white cabbage thinly sliced
- 2 extra large large carrots peeled & shredded
- 1 medium white onion thinly sliced
- 3 whole large garlic cloves
- 3 whole large roma tomatoes roughly chopped
- 5 whole chipotle peppers in adobo sauce adjust to taste(5 is spicy!)
- sea salt to taste
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 18 whole corn tostadas
Toppings to Choose From:
- 3 cups refried beans homemade
- 1 cup sour cream vegan for vegan meal
- 2 cups queso fresco vegan for vegan meal
- 10 whole radishes sliced
- 1 large avocado sliced
Instructions
- Heat the oil and once hot add the onion with a pinch of salt and sauté for a few minutes. Next add the cabbage, mix well and cover and cook until cabbage is soft.
- Make the sauce while the cabbage is cooking by blending the garlic, tomatoes, chipotle pepper and a little bit of salt until completely smooth. You may want to add one of the chipotles at a time and a bit of the abodo sauce so that you can keep taste testing it to make sure it doesn’t get too spicy for you.
- Once the cabbage is cooked, add the shredded carrot and pour in the salsa. Give the mix a good stir to well combine, cover and simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes or until ready to serve. Taste and if needed add more salt.
- Assemble each tostada by smearing some refried beans on it then adding a generous layer of the cooked tinga, then drizzle with sour cream and cheese if using, lastly add a couple of slices of radishes and avocado. Server right away as the tostadas will get soggy and crack. Leftover cooked tinga can be stored in the fridge for several days or frozen for several months.
Video
Notes
* You can buy the chipotle peppers in adobo sauce just about anywhere, or you can get them online here http://amzn.to/2wqbAMa * The tostadas too can be purchased in supermarkets or online here http://amzn.to/2iPe5mr (I used baked ones)
Nutrition
That’s it amigos, see wasn’t that super easy to make?!
I love to make a big batch then freeze leftovers into smaller portions for those busy nights. To reheat I defrost on the counter and then just reheat in a frying pan. Then use just as I normally would.
This vegan tinga tastes amazing on tostadas, as tacos or as a filling for gorditas or quesadillas. Also fantastic on sopes and as a burrito filling. Enjoy!
More Recipes to Try
Ingredients used in this recipe. (Purchases through these Amazon links help support this blog. Thank you!)
Just put this on my meal planning list for our Monday Meatless main. This looks SO good and I could smell that sauce while watching the video. Thanks for another great recipe!
Thank you MJ! I hope you enjoy the tinga.
Made these for supper tonight. Absolutely fabulous! We’ll be making these again. Thanks!
Hi MJ! I’m so happy, thank you so much. We love tinga here and make it often. 🙂
This meal was so delicious! My first time making Tinga and I’ll be making again! Thank You!
Thank you Melissa, glad to hear you enjoyed the tinga!
If using canned tomatoes would you use a 6oz can or 14oz for this recipe? Thank you!
Hi Gerry!
I’ve never tested this recipe with canned tomatoes, so I’m going to guess a 6 oz can. You can always taste and add more if you’d like. Thank you and enjoy your tinga!
I made these today. Everyone asked if I used real chicken in it since they know I am vegan. They were fantastic.
I made these today. Everyone asked if I used real chicken in it since they know I am vegan. They were fantastic.
This tasted amazing! Thank you!
Thank you Corey, so happy to hear you enjoyed the tinga!