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Mexican

Caldo de res

Non-vegetarian

A generous Mexican beef soup of bone-in shank simmered until tender with corn on the cob, carrots, potatoes, courgette, chayote and cabbage, served with lime and chilli.

Caldo de res is a Mexican soup from Mexico, ready in about 2 hours 50 minutes and made with beef shank (bone-in, cross-cut) and sweet corn. It serves 6 and is rated easy to cook.

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Prep
20 min
Cook
2 h 30 min
Total
2 h 50 min
Serves
6
Level
Easy
Calories
315

Ingredients

6 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Put the beef, water, onion (opens in a new tab), garlic (opens in a new tab), bay and salt in a large pot. Bring to the boil, skimming off the foam, then simmer gently, partly covered, until the beef is tender — about 2 hours (or 45 minutes at high pressure in a pressure cooker (opens in a new tab), with a natural release).

    Food safety: Wash hands and surfaces after handling raw beef.

  2. Step 2

    Discard the onion (opens in a new tab) and bay. Stir in the blended tomato (opens in a new tab) if using, then add the corn (opens in a new tab), carrots (opens in a new tab) and potatoes (opens in a new tab) and simmer for 15 minutes.

    • 15 min
    • medium-low heat
    A sauce simmering in a pan
    How it looks · Photo: Nanda Mends on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Add the chayote (opens in a new tab), courgettes (opens in a new tab) and cabbage (opens in a new tab) and simmer until everything is tender, 10–12 minutes. Taste for salt.

    • 12 min
    • medium-low heat

  4. Step 4

    Serve in deep bowls with a piece of every vegetable, scattered with coriander, with lime (opens in a new tab) wedges and chopped chillies on the side.

      A finished dish being plated
      How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

    About this dish

    Origin
    Mexico · Well documentedAlso popular in United States, GuatemalaMore food from Mexico
    Dish
    Lunch · Dinner · Soups · Main courses
    Cooking method
    Simmered, Pressure-cooked
    Taste
    savoury, mild, fresh
    Diet
    No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · High-protein
    All labelsNon-vegetarian · Whole-food focused · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · High-protein · Low-fat · Low-sodium · Carb-conscious · Calorie-conscious
    Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
    Good for
    One-pot · Batch cooking · Freezer-friendly
    Cook more with
    Beef shank (bone-in, cross-cut) · Sweet corn · Onion · Garlic · Bay leaves · Carrot
    Techniques
    Boiling · Simmering · Pressure cooking

    Allergens

    None of the 14 major allergens appear in the listed ingredients.

    Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

    Nutrition

    315 kcal per serving

    Calculated

    1 serving ≈ 938 g · recipe makes 6

    Where the energy comes from

    • Protein 42%
    • Carbohydrate 41%
    • Fat 17%
    Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
    NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
    Energy315 kcal34 kcal
    Protein34.1 g3.6 g
    Carbohydrate32.9 g3.5 g
    Net carbohydrate26.9 g2.9 g
    Sugars——
    Added sugars0 g0 g
    Fibre6.1 g0.6 g
    Fat6.2 g0.7 g
    Saturated fat2 g0.2 g
    Trans fat——
    Cholesterol52 mg6 mg
    Sodium919 mg98 mg
    Salt equivalent2.3 g0.2 g
    Vitamins & minerals per serving
    Potassium
    1340 mg
    Calcium
    144 mg
    Iron
    4.7 mg
    Magnesium
    86 mg
    Vitamin A (RAE)
    267 µg
    Vitamin C
    57 mg
    Vitamin D
    —
    Vitamin B12
    4.4 µg
    Folate (DFE)
    89 µg

    How these numbers were made

    • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
    • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
    • Optional ingredients are not included: tomato, chayote, green chilli.
    • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
    • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

    Good to know

    Tips

    • Leave the vegetables in big pieces so each bowl gets a little of everything.

    Common mistakes

    • Adding all the vegetables at once — the courgette and cabbage turn to mush before the corn and potatoes are cooked.

    Serve with

    • Serve with warm corn tortillas, Mexican rice and salsa.

    Food safety

    • Cool the broth quickly and refrigerate within 2 hours; lift off the set fat once chilled and reheat to a full boil.

    Storage

    • Keeps 4 days chilled; freeze the broth and meat without the vegetables.

    Reheating

    • Reheat until piping hot.

    Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

    Recipe DNA

    How this dish is built

    Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

    What the dish is built around

    Main ingredient

    Used in steps 1, 2, 3

    Reviews & corrections

    Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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