Relleno de Pavo de Carne Molida

Thanksgiving and Christmas means turkey. And, turkey needs stuffing. This recipe for Mexican Style turkey stuffing comes from my wife’s family who are originally from, Reynosa, Taumalipas in Northeast Mexico. Mexican turkey stuffing is usually made with ground beef and pork and without any breadcrumbs. This is a stovetop stuffing. You don’t cook it in the oven with the bird. You can make it a day ahead of time and it will taste even better. Just reheat and serve. Provecho!

How to Make

This recipe is labor intensive but easy to make. Make sure that you have all of the ingredients on hand before starting.

You will need:

• 1/2 lb. ground beef
• 1/2 lb. ground pork
• 7 ounces bacon
• 3 hotdogs
• 1 cup pecans
• 1 cup almonds
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup pitted prunes
• 1 large white onion
• 4 celery stalks
• 2 red apples
• 1 cup sliced green olives
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp. black pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp. thyme
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt + to taste
• 1 1/2 cups white wine

Chop Everything First

First, you need to chop all of the ingredients as shown: Roughly chop the pecans, almonds, and prunes. Chop the onion, apple, and celery into 1/4″ pieces. Chop the hotdogs and bacon into 1/4″ pieces. Finely chop the garlic. Leave the raisins whole.

Cooking

Over medium heat, fry the bacon until it starts to brown. (About 5 minutes)

Add the chopped onions. Cook until they just start to brown. (About 5 minutes)

Add the ground meats to the pan.

Break up the meat with a spatula.

Cook the meat until it is no longer pink then add the chopped hotdogs. In Northern Mexico, it is common to add chopped hotdogs. In other parts of the country chorizo is preferred.

Mix and cook for 5 minutes.

Add the chopped celery and garlic.

Mix and cook for 5 minutes.

Add all of the remaining ingredients to the pan. Mix well.

Cover your pan with aluminum foil or a lid. Cook for 15 minutes over medium heat. Remove the foil but don’t discard. Mix the stuffing well. Add 1/4 white wine or water if the stuffing is getting dry. Cover again with the lid or aluminum foil and cook for another 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and let rest for 10 minutes. Remove the foil and check the salt. Add more salt if needed.

Looks good, doesn’t it?

Try this stuffing at your next holiday meal.

Let’s us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Other Holiday Recipes

• Beef Tenderloin with a 3 Chile Sauce
• Vegan Strawberry Tamales
• Hot Chocolate
• Kahlua Hot Chocolate