Every year after the holidays we are left with delicious leftovers. But if I’m honest, we don’t want holiday leftovers past 2 days. We kinda get tired of the same stuff. I make an effort to make delicious meals using our leftover turkey because it’s one of the easiest leftovers to add to my favorite Mexican dishes. This year I knew my leftover turkey would be perfect for a soup so I made pozole rojo.
RELATED: Leftover Turkey Birria
I enjoy eating pozole rather than making it because my grandparents always made the whole process look time-consuming. Pozole is a traditional soup we make for the holidays and other special occasions. It’s traditionally made with pork but I’ve seen it made with chicken so leftover turkey would be perfect!!!
Make Pozole Rojo with Leftover Turkey
The ingredients aren’t many. You will need dried chiles guajillos and ancho. For spices be sure to have ground cumin, bay leaf and garlic! I added extra flavor using Ancho chile powder and hot Mexican chile powder to my sauce. Also, I didn’t give a specific measurement for salt because your turkey will be seasoned differently from mine. Taste the sauce and add salt and taste the soup after adding turkey and sauce for taste.
RELATED: Leftover Turkey Enchilada Pie
- leftover turkey (about 4 cups chopped)
- 1 can of Mexican Style Hominy
- 5 dried guajillo chiles
- 5 dried ancho chiles
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tsp of ground cumin
- 2 tbs vegetable oil
- 1tsp ancho chile powder
- 1tsp hot Mexican chile powder
- chopped cilantro
- diced onion
- thin sliced cabbage
- limes
- sliced radish
- Clean and boil chiles in a sauce pan in water- remove stem and seeds and cook chiles at medium heat for 10minutes.
- In a large pot, add vegetable oil and 2 cloves of garlic and cook until garlic is soft.
- Open can of Hominy and drain.
- Add about 10 cups of water, bay leaf, and the drained hominy to pot with garlic.
- Into a blender, add boiled chiles with at least 2 cups of the water used to boil them in.
- Also add 2 cloves of garlic, cumin, the chile powders (Ancho and Hot Mexican) and salt to taste.
- Add the turkey to the pot of hominy and the chile sauce.
- Mix and cook for 20mins.
- Garnish and serve!
- Tip serve with tostadas or corn tortillas
Let’s Make Pozole Rojo with Leftover Turkey
Clean your dried chiles. Remove the stem and seeds and boil them in water over medium heat for at least 10 minutes. This will rehydrate the chiles and soften them to make them easy to blend.
To a large pot or a large Dutch Oven cook your garlic in a little vegetable oil to give your broth some extra flavor. Then add about 10 cups of water, the bay leaf, and the hominy. Be sure to drain the hominy from the juice in the can.
Once the chiles are done, add them to a blender with at least 2 cups of the water you boiled them in. Also add 2 peeled cloves of garlic, ground cumin, and for extra flavor the ancho chile pepper powder and Hot Mexican Chili Powder. Blend until sauce consistency, be sure to add salt to taste.
Chop your leftover turkey and reserve any liquid from it. The juices will add extra flavor.
Add the turkey to the hominy soup and stir.
Add red sauce and give it a stir. Taste the soup for salt. Add accordingly. Cover and cook at medium heat for about 20mins.
Garnish and serve! We love topping our pozole with cabbage, diced onion, cilantro, sliced radish, and a squeeze of lime. Pair pozole with corn tortillas or corn tostadas!
What do you do with your leftover turkey? Make some delicious Pozole Rojo! #GUBlife Click To Tweet
Like our holiday leftover turkey recipe for Pozole Rojo? Pin it your holiday leftovers board!
Leave a Reply