Jalisco-Style Carne en su Jugo Made Meatless
Carne en su jugo or “meat in its juice” is a beloved dish from Jalisco traditionally made with beef that’s browned in bacon fat, then simmered with a tangy tomatillo salsa, mixed with pinto beans, and topped with crumbled bacon, diced onion, and fresh cilantro. This is my vegan carne en su jugo recipe that’s made with TVP vegan beef, crispy oyster mushrooms and still packed with traditional flavor in every spoonful!
Carne en su jugo is a scrumptious dish that’s easy to make, budget friendly, and bursting with delicious flavor.
Carne en su Jugo Recipe Made Jalisco-Style
If you’ve ever spent time in the beautiful state of Jalisco (or if your family is from there, like mine), you know just how iconic carne en su jugo is.
It’s a flavorful, brothy dish made with thinly sliced beef simmered in its own jugos (juices), salsa verde, bacon, cebollitas, and small chile güero. It’s served with frijoles de la olla, and topped with finely chopped white onion, fresh cilantro, radishes, lime wedges, and chopped crispy bacon.
And guess what? You don’t need meat to enjoy this scrumptious Mexican favorite.
My meatless or vegan carne en su jugo recipe captures the essence of the traditional dish using wholesome plant-based ingredients and a few flavor-packed tricks. Just because you gave up meat doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy this popular Mexican stew without compromising your values or your taste buds.
What is Carne en Su Jugo?
Carne en su jugo, which translates to “meat in its juice”, is a traditional dish from Jalisco, Mexico-and originated in the city of Guadalajara. It’s often enjoyed as a hearty family meal at home and at local eateries.
The stew starts off by cooking bacon until crispy then using the leftover fat to cook spring onions and small yellow peppers. The same bacon grease is then used to cook the sliced beef. Then a savory green broth (or salsa verde) made with tomatillos, Roma tomato, onion, garlic, and cilantro are added to the beef. It’s typically simmered until tender then served with beans and traditional garnishes to create a flavorful and comforting dish.
Over time, this dish has become a beloved staple in many Mexican households, with every family giving it their own little twist.
My version of this plant-based Mexican stew is a little different from how my mom makes it, but it’s still full of delicious authentic flavor. You will not miss the meat in this vegan carne en su jugo recipe!
My recipe is still flavorful thanks to the classic tomatillo salsa also used in the meat-based versions. This plant-based vegan stew is lighter, high-protein, and so close to the meat version.
Why Try This Vegan Carne en Su Jugo Recipe
• If you’re craving all the flavor of the original, but without the meat, this plant-based recipe still hits all the right notes.
• It’s full of flavor thanks to the classic tomatillo salsa that’s used in both vegan and traditional meat-based version.
• It’s a protein packed vegan stew that uses frijoles, oyster mushrooms, and vegan beef slices (a type of TVP).
• It’s umami-rich and smoky, thanks to the soy sauce, jugo Maggi, crispy oyster mushrooms, liquid smoke and soy sauce.
• It’s comfort food with soul! Rich with tradition and classic Mexican flavors that fill your belly and warm your heart.
Vegan Carne en Su Jugo Ingredients
This recipe may be plant-based but it’s still totally satisfying and packed with flavor. My recipe sticks as close as possible to the traditional one but makes some swaps to make it a 100% plant-based recipe.
The carne: I use a type of soya meat or TVP that’s looks like beef slices. They’re high in protein and have a chewy, meaty texture that mimics sliced beef surprisingly well. Look for it at Asian food stores under the name of “vegan beef slices” or on Amazon.
The bacon: I can’t find vegan bacon where I live so I use oyster mushrooms. I pan-fry until golden and crispy, season with liquid smoke and smoked paprika to mimic the smokey and savory flavor of bacon.
The beans: I stick with the traditional bayo beans but you can also use pinto beans. The frijoles help round out the dish with fiber and more protein.
The veggies: Traditionally, cebollita cambray (spring onions) and chile güero, a small pale yellow chili pepper, are used for the stew base. When I don’t have chile güero I use jalapeño. The garnishes used are finely chopped white onion and cilantro, radish slices, and lime wedges.
The seasonings: The simple spices use are just salt, black pepper, and a bit of ground cumin. I also use vegan beef bouillon powder for extra flavor. But the real flavor comes from the salsa verde.
How to Make Vegan Carne en su Jugo
1. Rehydrate The TVP: Place the vegan beef slices in a microwave-safe container and cover with water. Microwave, allow to cool, squeeze out all the liquid, cut into smaller pieces, then set aside.
2. Sauté The Veggies: Heat some olive oil in a large pot, then sauté the cebollitas and chile until browned on all sides. Remove from the pot.
3. Cook The Vegan Bacon: If you’re using store-bought vegan bacon sauté it until crispy then remove half from the pot. If using the oyster mushrooms, fry them with plenty of oil until browned and crispy. Season with liquid smoke and smoked paprika. Remove half the crispy oyster mushroom “bacon” from the pot.
4. Make The Tomatillo Sauce: While the bacon cooks place the tomatillos, Roma tomato, onion, garlic, cilantro, and a splash of water into a blender cup. Blend until smooth.
5. Cook The Vegan Steak: Add the minced garlic to the pot and cook for a minute. Mix in the vegan beef steak, add more oil, the soy sauce, Maggi seasoning, and spices. Sauté a few minutes.
6. Add Salsa Verde: Carefully pour in the salsa verde over the vegan carne. Then sprinkle in the vegan beef bouillon powder, drop in the cooked cebollitas and whole chiles, then mix well, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
7. Add Beans: Traditionally carne en su jugo is served topped with the frijoles, but I like to add them to the meat for added flavor–add them to the pot with some of their broth or just some water or vegan beef broth, mix, cover and simmer for another 10 minutes.
8. Taste: Careful not to burn yourself. Taste the stew and adjust seasonings and add more salt if necessary.
How to Serve
Serve vegan carne en su jugo in a large bowl topped with finely chopped white onion and cilantro, radish slices, chopped bacon, and a squeeze of lime juice. Make sure a cebollita and chile are in the bowl too. You can also drizzle with spicy salsa roja if you’d like. Warm corn tortillas are a must for dipping into the broth and scooping up the carne en su jugo!
Your favorite chilled agua fresca pairs perfectly with this dish. My personal favorites are jamaica and agua de pepino.
For dessert if you’re vegetarian you can do a carlota de limon or fresas con crema (either dairy or non-dairy). Buttery polvorones de nuez also make a great dessert.
Nancy’s Tips
Adjusting The Heat Level: Guero chilies tend to be mild and if you prefer a spicier dish use either jalapeños or serrano peppers. Leave the seeds for extra heat.
Don’t Like Mushrooms? You can swap them for vegan bacon.
Don’t Like TVP? If you don’t like soya meat then you can use vegan steak tips like the Beyond Meat Steak, or Impossible Steak Bites, or Gardenin Ste’k Tips.
Storing and Reheating
To store, allow the carne en su jugo to come to room temperature, then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Reheat over medium-high heat on the stove top until warmed through. Or in a microwave safe dish in the microwave for a few minutes.
More Plant-Based Recipes from Jalisco
- BEST Vegan Birria Tacos
- Agua de Tuna
- Vegan Pozole Rojo Jalisco-Style
- Easy Jericalla Recipe (vegetarian recipe)
- Frijoles Charros
- The BEST Mole Ranchero Recipe Made Veg
Gracias
I’m so happy you stopped by. If you have any questions or want to let me know how you liked this recipe, do leave a comment. Muchas gracias, I appreciate you!
Jalisco-Style Carne en su Jugo (Vegan Recipe)
Ingredients
- 3 oz soy beef strips Textured Vegetable Protein or 85 gm or 2¼ cups (TVP Taiwanese Vegan Beef Slice)
- 2 ¾ cups water for hydrating the soy strips
- 3-4 Tablespoons olive oil divided
- ⅛ teaspoon Liquid smoke
- ¼ tsp paprika
- 4 whole spring onion (cebollitas) whites and greens separated
- 2 large jalapeno or serrano peppers
- 14 oz oyster mushrooms (400gm)
- 1 large garlic clove finely minced
- 1 teaspoon low sodium soy sauce adjust as desired
- ½ teaspoon Maggi seasoning adjust as desired
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin adjust as desired
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon ground black pepper to taste
- 3 cups cooked beans bayo or pinto
- 4-6 cups of vegan beef broth low-sodium preferably (I used 4 cups but you can do more)
- 1 Tablespoon vegetable or vegan beef bouillon powder
- 1 teaspoon salt adjust to taste
Salsa Verde Ingredients
- 8-10 medium tomatillos it's 1/2 lb or ¼ kilo, quartered
- 1 medium roma tomato quartered
- 2 medium serrano peppers roughly chopped
- 2 medium fresh jalapenos roughly chopped
- ½ small white onion roughly chopped
- 3 large cloves of garlic
- 1 large handful of cilantro with stems
- ½ cup water
Garnishes
- onion, cilantro, lime wedges, radish, corn tortillas
Instructions
- Place the soy meat in a microwave safe bowl and pour in enough water to cover it. Microwave for 2 minutes or until fully rehydrated and softened. Cool and squeeze out all the liquid. Once cooled, chop into small bite-size pieces.
- Heat 2 Tablespoons oil and saute the cebollitas and chiles until charred, remove from the pot and set aside.
- Add another tablespoon of oil then add the mushrooms and sauté until they become crispy.
- While mushrooms are cooking, place the salsa ingredients in the blender (and blend until smooth.
- Once mushrooms are crispy add liquid smoke and the smoked paprika, stir and sauté for a minute. Remove half the mushrooms from the pot and set aside.
- Add the minced garlic to the pot and cook for a minute. Next add rehydrated soy meat, add the cumin powder, salt and pepper, drizzle in the soy and Maggi seasoning, and sauté for a couple minutes. You can also add more oil if you'd like.
- Pour in the salsa, the sautéed cebollitas and chiles, the beef bouillon if using, cover the pot and simmer for 20 minutes to cook the salsa verde.
- Uncover and add the cooked beans and pour in the vegan beef broth or water. Cover and simmer for another 10-15 minutes.
- Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve with finely chopped cilantro, onion, sliced radishes, lime wedges, a little bit of the crispy mushroom "bacon", and warm corn tortillas and spicy salsa on the side.
Recipe Notes & Pro Tips
Nutrition
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Looking for a Barro Plate Like Mine
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Nancy Lopez is a Mexican-born food writer and author of Mexican Tamales Made Meatless. Raised in the U.S. and now living in Southern Mexico, she creates authentic vegan and vegetarian Mexican recipes rooted in tradition and tested for real home kitchens.Read more…
