Creamy Rice with Turkey and Nopalitos
Ingredients
- 2 cups Carolina® White Rice
- 3 cactus pads/nopales, trimmed (12 oz)
- 2 poblano peppers
- 2 tbsp canola oil
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 3 cups turkey broth
- 3 cups cooked turkey, shredded
- 1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped
- 2 cups sour cream
- 2 cups Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
Instructions
The spicy dish made with Carolina® White Rice and roasted green cactus pads, or nopales, is creamy and cheesy with charred poblano peppers for a kick!
Step 1
Preheat oven to 450°F. Toss cactus pads and poblano peppers with oil. Arrange on baking sheet; cook for 20 to 30 minutes or cactus is tender and poblano peppers are charred all over. Transfer poblano peppers to a heatproof bowl. Cover and let stand for 10 to 15 minutes or until cooled completely; peel to remove skins. Chop nopales.
Step 2
Meanwhile, melt butter in a Dutch oven or large saucepan set over medium heat; cook diced onions and garlic for 3 to 5 minutes or until softened. Stir in rice, salt and pepper; cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until well coated. Stir in broth; bring to boil. Stir in turkey.
Step 3
Cover and reduce heat to low; cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until rice is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed.
Step 4
Stir in nopales, poblanos and cilantro; fold in sour cream and cheese. Cover and cook over low heat for 3 to 5 minutes or until heated through and cheese melts.
Cooking with Cactus
If you’re not familiar with cooking with cactus, we’ll break it down for you so that you can cook with confidence. Cactus plants are technically vegetables with fruit on the inside, but for this recipe, we are interested in the nopales, which are the green cactus pads. We suggest choosing store-bought and pre-trimmed nopales.
To cook them you don’t need to wear protective gloves, simply toss with olive oil and roast until tender, then chop like you would other vegetables! To add extra flavor to the creamy rice, this recipe calls for roasted nopales and poblano peppers for a kick.
Repurpose leftovers
This recipe is also a delicious way to use up leftover turkey or chicken and broth if you have a family get-together or from Thanksgiving dinner! It’s a simple yet tasty dish that is ready in no time.
Still have more turkey? Try a Turkey Fried Rice or maybe Turkey and Cilantro Lime Rice Burritos If you’re looking for a few more ideas to use up your cranberry sauce and more, make sure to check out our Thanksgiving leftover recipe ideas here. Find more ideas like these in our Cooking section along with how to cook rice in the microwave and so much more!
Cooking Tips
For more cooking tips on topics like cooking rice on a stove, take a look at our website.
Ingredient Substitutions
If fresh nopales are unavailable, substitute canned ones.
Swap in cooked chicken for turkey and chicken or vegetable broth if desired.
