If you love to make soup but are stumped by what to do with all of the leftovers…try canning them!

This recipe, developed for my CuiZen 8 quart Oval Pressure Cooker, makes 7 pints.  However, this pressure cooker works best by limiting my canning to 5 pint-sized jars; which leaves me 2-3 bowls of soup to eat now!  If your pressure cooker is too small to process 5 pints at one time, just make as many as you can.  If your pressure cooker can do more…make 7 pints and forget about saving any for now.

Turkey Tortilla Soup

4 cups of cooked turkey
2 Tbs. Olive Oil
1 cup sweet yellow onion; chopped
1 cup crushed corn tortilla chips; I use baked Tostitos
2 tsp. ground Cumin
8 cups chicken broth; or 8 cups water and 2 Tbs. Better Than Bouillon Chicken
1 15 ¼ -oz can whole kernel corn; drained
1 7-oz. can chopped Green Chilies with liquid
1 15 ½ -oz. can black beans; top liquid drained
1 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 small pinch dried Chipotle Chili Pepper (optional)

Optional Toppings:
Avocado
Sour Cream
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Tortilla Chips

Canning Equipment Needed

Pressure Cooker or Canner (I’m using the CuiZen 8-Qt Oval Pressure Cooker)
stockpot
5-7 pint-sized canning jars
lids and rings
jar lifter
canning funnel
ladle
lid lifter
2 clean dish towels
paper towels

Begin by making the soup:

Pick over the remains of an oven-roasted turkey discarding skin, bones, tendons and anything undesirable until you have 4 cups of meat; chop into bite-sized pieces and set aside.

Use the Browning feature and heat olive oil. Add the chopped onion and sauté for about 2 minutes, stirring often.  Add the crushed tortilla chips and cumin and cook another minute.  Add the chicken broth first, scraping the bottom of the pan, and then add the remaining ingredients; stir well.

Press Stop to cancel the Browning.  Attach the lid and slide the locking mechanism to Lock. Turn the pressure valve to Pressure and use the Pressure Setting button and arrow keys to select 7.5 psi.  Set the time to 10 minutes.

While the soup is cooking, place 5 clean pint-sized jars and their lids into a large pot of water.  Heat the pot on your stovetop until it reaches a simmer and then turn the heat to low.  Gather your canning equipment and spread one of the dishtowels on the counter near your pressure cooker.

When the time has elapsed on the soup, you can release the pressure manually by turning the pressure valve to Steam or you can let it release naturally.  Once the pressure has released, unlock the lid and carefully remove it.  Stir the soup.

Use your jar lifter to carefully empty and remove 1 jar from the hot water. Set it on the dishtowel and place the funnel inside. Use a ladle to fill the jar with soup taking care to include meat, veggies and broth; leave 1/4″ headspace on the jar.  Remove the funnel and use a paper towel to remove any water or soup from the lip of the jar. Use the lid lifter and remove 1 lid from the hot water and place it on top of the jar.  Screw on the ring.  Use the jar lifter and set the jar aside.

Repeat with the other 4 jars. Leave the water in the pot on the stove!

Remove the remaining soup to a smaller pot or container and completely wash the pressure pot.  Place the clean pot into the pressure cooker base.  Lay the second clean towel on the bottom of the pressure cooker pan; don’t try to get it completely flat.

Use the jar lifter and place the jars, one at a time, into the cooker “bunching” the towel between the jars to keep them from rattling together during processing. When all of the jars are inside pour the hot water from the stock pot slowly into the cooker until it reaches 3/4 of the way up the jar (about 9 cups).

Attach the lid and slide the locking mechanism to Lock. Turn the pressure valve to Pressure and use the Pressure Setting button and the arrow keys to select 15 psi.  Set the time to 20 minutes and press Start.

When the time has elapsed, turn the cooker off and wait 15 minutes (or until pressure has released) before removing the lid.  Use your jar lifter and place the jars, on your counter, on top of a dishtowel.

You will hear the lids “pop” into place as they begin to cool.  Leave the jars stationary until they are cool enough to handle.  Remove the rings and gently press up on the edge of the lid with your thumb to ensure you have a tight seal.  If any jar lid did not suction down and seal, it is not shelf stable and must be refrigerated.  The remaining jars may be stored with or without the ring, in a cool, dark place until ready to use; up to 1 year.

To serve:  Reheat and ladle the soup into a bowl.  Top with a dollop of sour cream, avocado pieces, shredded cheese and/or crumbled tortilla chips as desired.