3 Easy Nopales Recipes (Cactus Paddles recipes)

Do Mexicans eat cactus paddles (nopales)? Yes! And so should you…

Nopales are a staple in Mexico’s gastronomy, and in this household. If you haven’t tried them, you’re in for a treat! We eat them as a snack, as dinner or as a side dish. Aside from their tastiness, they are high in fiber and antioxidants and are anti-inflammatory, and anti-viral. Some even swear by their weight loss properties (they reduce fat absorption and are low in calories). 

There are thousands of ways to prepare them, including making a ‘green juice’ (which in my experience it’s not something you should try, lol), but to get you started here are our favorite, easy to make, nopales recipes.

¡Buen provecho!

3 easy nopales recipes

Nopal salad

Serves: 2

Ingredients

• 4 medium nopales (cactus paddles)
• 2 medium tomatoes
• 1/4 small onion
• 1 1/2 tsp chicken bouillon or salt
• 1 dried Morita chili pepper or dried Chile de árbol (it’ll give the nopales a spicy touch)

Preparation

1. Dice the tomatoes, the onion, and the cactus paddles.
2. In a medium-sized pan, heat up a little bit of vegetable oil or PAM cooking spray. Add the onion and let it cook for a bit. Tip: you can also cook everything with a big slice of onion and then remove it.
3. Before the onion turns golden, add the diced nopales and the Morita chili pepper and cover the pan with a lid. Move constantly so that it doesn’t stick to the pan.
4. When the nopales turn dark green, remove the chili pepper and add the tomatoes. Then, season with the chicken bouillon or with salt. Mix well and let it cook for 2 minutes.
5. Serve!

Grilled nopales with cheese

Serves: 1

Ingredients

• 2 medium nopales (cactus paddles)
• 2 thin slices of panela cheese
• 2 thin slices of tomato *optional*
• Salsa of your choice. This one would go well with it.
• Salt & Pepper

Preparation

1. In a grill pan, spray some PAM or add a dash of vegetable oil and spread it with a napkin.
2. Cook the nopales on each side and season with salt and pepper. When they turn dark green, remove them from the heat.
3. On the same pan, grill the panela cheese until well browned. Then, grill the tomatoes for a couple of seconds.
4. Present by placing the nopales first, then the cheese and the tomatoes on top, as shown in the photo.
5. Add salsa and enjoy! This is one of our go-to dinner recipes.

Nopal tacos

Serves: 2-3

Ingredients

• 3 very thin beef stakes (bistek or skirt steak)
• 4 medium nopales (cactus paddles)
• 2 medium tomatoes 
• 1/4 small onion
• 6 corn tortillas
• Worcestershire sauce
• Maggi sauce
• Lemon
• Salt & Pepper

Preparation

1. Cut the beef in small squares and marinate for two hours with Worcestershire sauce, Maggi sauce, and lemon.
2. Dice the nopales and the tomatoes.
3. In a medium-sized pan, heat up a little bit of vegetable oil, and add the onion (diced, or in big slices, so you can remove them before serving). 
4. Before the onion turns golden, add the diced nopales and cover the pan with a lid. Move constantly so that it doesn’t stick to the pan.
5. When the nopales turn dark green, season them with salt & pepper. Then, add the beef and 2 tbsp of the sauce it marinated in, and let it cook at low heat (do not cover with lid).
6. When the meat is almost fully cooked, add the tomato. If needed, add more salt & pepper.
7. Heat the tortillas and make your tacos! Tip: You can melt some mozzarella cheese on top if you want.

Hope you try one of these nopales recipes! And let us know how it goes…