Sit back, relax, and let me show you some culinary magic that recently took place in my kitchen.. and when I say magic, I really mean MAGIC. If you recall (or even if you don’t) I made an incredible “Pulled Pork Tamale Casserole” featuring an oh-so-generous amount of delicious pulled pork courtesy of Smithfield Fresh Pork Loin. Well, with their generosity comes ..wait for it, LEFTOVERS!
Lots and LOTS of leftovers…
That’s right, even after serving family and friends. after-dark digging into late-night leftovers, I found myself in the company of tons of leftover Tamale Casserole. So what’s a girl to do? … I did something amazing, I did something that might seem a little strange at first, but I also did something that ended up becoming a family favorite that will definitely be made again even without the leftovers.
What exactly did I do you ask? .. Here’s the answer, I placed the entire casserole (what was left of it) into my slow cooker with a few added ingredients (see below), and transformed it into the most decadent, succulent, flavorful, warm & comforting chowder I’ve ever had in my life, and that’s the truth!
This chowder is chock full of season pulled pork, thickened with creamy, tasty and satisfying cornbread mix all held together by melty spoonfuls of cheese. The balance of flavors are to die for, and the taste and texture are one of a kind. Do yourself a favor, and whip this up (no leftovers required) the ingredients are SO simple, and the slow cooker does (almost) all the work for you. Trust me… you will share the comfort all winter long one bowl at a time.
What you’ll need:
You can use the leftovers from your own Tamale Casserole (use amounts accordingly to yield the servings you’d like), or you can use the following:
A slow cooker
YOUR LEFTOVERS WITH:
4 cups of water, or broth/stock (this will vary depending on the size of your slow cooker, just be sure to cover the ingredients with water) and 1 can of whole kernel corn..drained, with 1 cup of red chile sauce, garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste.
NO LEFTOVERS? ..NO PROBLEM .. just use the following:
4 cups of water, or broth/stock (this will vary depending on the size of your slow cooker, just be sure to cover the ingredients with water)
Approx. 4 cups or so of pulled pork made from Marinated Fresh Pork Slow Roasted Golden Rotisserie Marinated Fresh Pork Tenderloin
1 box of Jiffy Cornbread Mix.. dry. This seems like a strange addition, however it adds taste, texture, and great thickness to the chowder.
1 can of whole kernel corn..drained
1 cup red chile sauce
1 cup shredded cheese.. your favorite
garlic powder, slat and pepper to taste
Toppings:
Cheese
Sour Cream
Directions:
Add either your leftovers, or the individual ingredients into your slow cooker… If you’re using your leftovers, just plop what’s left of the casserole into that slow cooker..lol Mix it up!
Gently stir to combine, and set it according to your slow cooker specs.
You will know it’s ready when all the ingredients have thickened up, blended together…and created the BEST tasting chowder you’ve ever had.
Serve it up nice and hot, with cheese on top!
~Enjoy!
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