Mexican Images are for illustrative purposes only, may be inaccurate, and do not guarantee the presence or absence of specific ingredients. 
Serving Images are for illustrative purposes only, may be inaccurate, and do not guarantee the presence or absence of specific ingredients. Menudo
A traditional Mexican soup made with cow's stomach in a red chili pepper base.
No common allergens detected
Based on this recipe's ingredient list. Always verify with your own brands and labels.
Instructions
6 steps- 1
Boil Tripe: Place the thoroughly cleaned tripe and the calf's foot in a large stockpot. Cover with 12 cups of water. Add the quartered onion and halved garlic head. Bring to a boil, skim the foam, and simmer for 2.5 to 3 hours until the tripe is very tender.
- 2
Prepare Chili Base: Toast the Guajillo chilies in a dry skillet, then soak in hot water for 20 minutes. Blend the softened chilies with 1 cup of soaking liquid and 2 cloves of garlic until smooth.
- 3
Strain and Sauté: Strain the blended chili paste through a fine-mesh sieve. Sauté the strained paste in a skillet with 1 tbsp oil for 5 minutes.
- 4
Combine: Remove the spent onion and garlic from the tripe broth. Pour the sautéed red chili paste into the simmering broth.
- 5
Add Hominy: Stir in the drained hominy. Simmer everything together for another 45-60 minutes to meld the flavors. Season generously with salt to taste.
- 6
Serve: Ladle the steaming menudo into large bowls. Serve alongside plates of fresh garnishes: chopped onions, cilantro, crushed dried oregano, red pepper flakes, and lots of lime wedges.
Images are for illustrative purposes only, may be inaccurate, and do not guarantee the presence or absence of specific ingredients. Listahan Family Score™
65/100
Works for many families
Score reflects how well this recipe fits a typical busy household. In the app, your Family Score is personalized to your household's allergens, kids, and pantry.
Nutrition
per serving430
Calories
44 g
Protein
1 g
Carbs
26 g
Fat
Estimated per serving. Actual values depend on the brands and portions you use.
Listahan cooking guide
Chef notes & practical guide
Technique notes, ingredient swaps, serve-alongside ideas, storage guidance, and equipment for this recipe.
Cultural context
Menudo is a slow-simmered Mexican soup of beef tripe in a red chile broth, famous as a weekend dish and a celebrated remedy for the morning after. Families gather to make big pots, often overnight, and serve it on Sunday mornings with warm tortillas and a flurry of garnishes. The long simmer transforms the humble tripe into something tender and deeply flavored, a dish that carries strong cultural memory and ritual.
Listahan note
This version walks through cleaning and simmering tripe in a guajillo-chile broth, with the classic hominy and the lime, onion, and oregano garnishes that finish each bowl.
Technique cues
- Scrub and blanch the tripe, then discard that first water to remove the strong odor before the real simmer begins.
- Toast and soak the dried chiles, then blend and strain the puree into the pot so the broth is smooth and clean.
- Simmer low and slow for hours until the tripe is fully tender, since rushing leaves it chewy and tough.
Kitchen flow
- Parallel prep
- While the tripe simmers, toast and blend the chile puree and prep all the table garnishes.
- Make-ahead
- Menudo deepens overnight, so make it a day ahead and reheat, adding hominy when you warm it.
- Leftover move
- Reheat leftovers with extra broth and fresh garnishes; the flavor is often best on day two.
- Cleanup rhythm
- Blend and strain the chiles into the one big pot, and set garnishes in small bowls to wash little else.
Ingredient brief
Role, handling, and swap guidance for each key ingredient.
beef tripe
main protein
Purpose: Honeycomb tripe is the defining ingredient, turning silky and tender over the long simmer.
Handling: Rinse well, scrub, blanch and drain, then cut into bite-sized squares.
Adaptation: Some cooks add beef foot or shank for body, but tripe is essential to true menudo.
hominy
starchy body
Purpose: Plump nixtamalized corn kernels add chew and corn flavor that balance the rich broth.
Handling: Drain and rinse canned hominy, or use cooked dried hominy, and add toward the end.
Adaptation: If hominy is unavailable, the soup is still menudo without it, though it loses a classic texture.
dried guajillo chiles
broth base and color
Purpose: Guajillos give the broth its deep red color and mild, fruity chile flavor.
Handling: Toast, soak, blend, and strain into the simmering pot.
Adaptation: Ancho or a mix of guajillo and a little chile de arbol for more heat.
Mexican oregano
garnish and aroma
Purpose: The citrusy, bold oregano is sprinkled at the table and is a signature menudo flavor.
Handling: Offer dried oregano at the table for each person to crush over their bowl.
Adaptation: Marjoram or regular oregano in a pinch, though Mexican oregano is distinct.
white onion
garnish
Purpose: Finely diced raw onion adds sharp crunch that cuts the rich broth.
Handling: Dice small and offer at the table.
Adaptation: Sliced green onion gives a milder fresh bite.
lime
finishing acid
Purpose: A generous squeeze of lime brightens the whole bowl and is non-negotiable at the table.
Handling: Cut into wedges and serve alongside.
Adaptation: Lemon in a pinch, but lime is the traditional and brightest choice.
Technique notes
- Skim the foam and fat off the surface during the early simmer for a cleaner, clearer broth.
- Add the hominy only in the last stretch so it stays plump rather than breaking down.
- Serve the garnishes separately so each person seasons their own bowl with onion, oregano, lime, and chile.
Ingredient swaps
- Weeknight shortcut
- Use a pressure cooker to tenderize the tripe in about an hour instead of several on the stove.
- Gluten-free direction
- Menudo is naturally gluten-free; serve with corn tortillas rather than flour.
- Milder direction
- Use only guajillo and ancho chiles and skip the chile de arbol for a gentle, family-friendly broth.
Serve alongside
- warm corn tortillas
- diced white onion and cilantro
- lime wedges and dried oregano
- bolillo rolls
- cafe de olla
- Mexican lager
- agua fresca de jamaica
Serving suggestions only — check pairings for your household's allergens.
Storage & reheating
- Refrigerate menudo for up to four days; the flavor deepens with time.
- Reheat on the stovetop with a little extra water or broth, since it thickens as it sits.
- Freeze the broth and tripe for up to three months, adding fresh hominy and garnishes after reheating.
Equipment
- large stockpot for the long simmer
- blender for the chile puree
- fine-mesh strainer for the chiles
- ladle and small garnish bowls
Make this household-aware
Listahan Pro checks this recipe against your household's allergens, finds pantry-aware swaps, builds the shopping list, and helps you plan the week around it.
Plan it in Listahan
Add Menudo to your week, check it against your household's allergens, and build the shopping list automatically.
More Mexican recipes
Mexican Lens Verified Images are for illustrative purposes only, may be inaccurate, and do not guarantee the presence or absence of specific ingredients. Camarones a la Diabla
Shrimp simmered in a fiery, smoky red chilli sauce — bold and quick.
Mexican Lens Verified Images are for illustrative purposes only, may be inaccurate, and do not guarantee the presence or absence of specific ingredients. Elote (Mexican Street Corn)
Corn on the cob coated with mayo, cheese, chili powder, and lime.
Mexican Lens Verified Images are for illustrative purposes only, may be inaccurate, and do not guarantee the presence or absence of specific ingredients. Arroz Rojo (Mexican Rice)
Fluffy tomato-tinted rice toasted in oil and simmered with aromatics.