It’s almost Thanksgiving! We all love cooking and baking and spending time with family. The drama of leftovers starts as soon as we get up from the table. What to do with all of those leftovers! Instead of having to eat turkey for days after, why not use that goodness to make more pantry meals? This Home Canned Pozole Verde is the perfect way to make sure those leftovers do not go to waste.
Thanksgiving Turkey Madness
I don’t know why, but I always seem to get way more turkey than we need. As the oldest daughter in my family, I have been in charge of cooking for longer than I can remember. And my hubby is an only child, so that kind of leaves us on the hook for a lot of responsibility when it comes to family time.
This year I managed to get an 18-pound turkey for only $15. (I know. I’m impressed with myself too.) It is starting to thaw as we speak and will be going into the brine on Sunday to make sure that it is ready to cook on Thanksgiving day.
Turkey Day Menu
I change up our menu every year just to keep things a little more interesting. This year, our menu is obviously the turkey, but my dear husband is going to smoke it after I brine it. I’m also making mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, macaroni and cheese, and homemade dinner rolls. For appetizers, I’m doing a large chartreuse board (more on that later). And dessert is pumpkin pie, apple pie and maybe a pecan one. Hopefully, that’s enough food.
Turkey Leftovers
No matter what I do, I always manage to have way too much food at gatherings and parties. Because I am so concerned that people have enough (and enough options) I overdo it all. Even though I send a ton of leftovers home with everyone, I always have leftover turkey to deal with. I have come up with all kinds of uses for it over the years. But canning this Pozole Verde is one of my favorites.
No Noodles Home Canned Pozole Verde
Instead of noodles in this wonderful soup, hominy provides a chewy starch similar to dumplings. Using hominy in home canning is safe, while the USDA does not recommend noodles, pasta, or rice to home-canned recipes. Not only will it affect the texture, but it may slow the distribution of heat and ruin your canning endeavors. Never can with pasta or rice, but feel free to add at the time of cooking and serving your home-canned fare if desired.
Why Home Canned Pozole Verde?
Not only does this recipe use up some of your leftovers, but it also makes a quick dinner during the week. Once it’s canned and stored, it’s simply dumped, heated, and served. What better use of your leftovers than to make sure that you don’t have to cook again on a busy weeknight? And since the holidays are already stressful enough, having to worry about dinner shouldn’t add even more stress.
Home Canned Pozole Verde
Ingredients
- 3 cups shredded cooked turkey
- 12 cups chicken or turkey broth
- 15 tomatillos husked and chopped
- 3 15 oz. cans hominy drained
- 1 1/2 cups chopped onions
- 1 cup chopped cilantro
- 4 medium jalapenos stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped
- 2 large poblano peppers stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 3 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a large, heavy bottomed pot. Heat to boiling.
- Boil mixture for 5 minutes to ensure meat is heated through.
- Ladle 2 cups of turkey and vegetables into each hot, sterilized quart canning jar.
- Add hot broth to cover, leaving 1-inch headspace. Wipe jar rims; add lids and rings to finger tight.
- Process jars in pressure canner at 10 pounds of pressure for 75 minutes.
- After processing, allow pressure to naturally release. Cool jars in canner after removing lid for 10 minutes. Remove jars from canner and allow to cool for 24 hours.
- Check seals, label, and store.
- To serve: heat contents in a medium saucepan. Brind to a rapid boil. Boil, covered for 10 minutes. Serve with avacado, tortilla chips, and/or shredded pepper jack cheese.
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Looks delicious. What a great way to have a turkey dish whenever you want it. Love the added spices.. I am happy to feature your canned Pozole Verde at Love you Creativity.