What happens after Thanksgiving passes? You have lots of turkey leftover right?
Now it is time to enjoy leftovers du jour and create a pot of Greens and Beans Spicy Turkey Soup.
Greens and Beans Spicy Turkey Soup
The best eats are just ahead and they don’t make an appearance until AFTER Thanksgiving.
For some, the best eats are right after the leftover turkey appears.
Actually, my recipe for Greens and Beans Spicy Turkey Soup absolutely celebrates the season for days after!
My ingredients are swappable, meaning as long as you use the leftover turkey, you can change anything else out in the recipe!
The Greens and Beans Spicy Turkey Soup recipe keeps things easy, so if you cooked all day before Thanksgiving, this soup is not hard to make the day after! PHEW!!
The Holidays Create the need for simple remedies to use leftovers!
Holidays are that fabulous time of year when food seems to be the ingredient to happiness!
No matter where you go, or who you are hosting, extras are on the menu.
Before you know it your fridge will be filled to the brim with leftovers.
The rule of the holidays seems to be that if your refrigerators are not stacked too full, you’ve not done enough party attending or cooking.
I mean, a pandemic stocked fridge doesn’t go out of style during the holidays! (sorry I couldn’t help myself!!)
Once the first official holiday, Thanksgiving passes by, leftover Turkey meat runs rampant.
Whether you dish out leftovers and still have more or just love turkey and cook extra, try out this recipe.
Greens and Beans Spicy Turkey Soup
Besides, offering a slight Italian tilt on holiday meat leftovers, the taste is crazy good and I’ve eliminated the noodles.
So rather than more unhealthy carbs I’ve gone ahead and added a twist of white beans with a protein, TURKEY!
So for those of you that don’t want more unhealthy options, this is another great reason to enjoy this soup as I’ve eliminated some of those holiday carbs which can quickly add up to pounds on the scale (ugh!)
Make sure to grab some leftover turkey from whoever’s house you visit for Thanksgiving, then you can easily create my spicy greens and beans turkey soup.
In short, there’s nothing quite like it and there are so many optional ingredients you might just make this a staple year-round!
Greens and Beans Spicy Turkey Soup + Who Wants Some Leftovers?
The All Too Familiar Scene in Homes At Thanksgiving are platters of extra turkey and the dreaded thought of how many days is this going to go on?
Does this platter look all too familiar?
Look at this lovely, freshly roasted turkey that is amazing with every bite, until it is not.
What do you do when you have too many turkey leftovers!
Here you will find the solution to leftovers and give your leftover turkey a complete makeover.
Here, traditional egg noodles are replaced with white beans and an assortment of fresh vegetables.
So, exactly what is this dish called greens and beans turkey soup for?
The name really tells you a lot already.
To that end, this tasty soup is a great way to use up leftover holiday turkey.
Therefore you will be creating a very hearty and delicious dish without all those fabulous carbs from those starch-laden noodles.
As a result, you can enjoy it by itself for a light lunch or pair it with a crisp, green side salad for a more satisfying meal.
Have family staying over the holidays? Need a new guest room bed? I’ve got you covered on that too.
Optional Ingredients In My Greens and Beans Spicy Turkey Soup
From leeks to yellow onions and some tasty spices, this soup has some punch to it!
Chances are, you might have used some form of sausage to stuff your turkey and you might have some of it leftover?
Use it!
Even assuming you might have it already crumbled and browned you saved it right?
Turkey and sausage are really besties and sausage complements turkey well as a combined ingredient.
Need A Good Basting Sauce? Try Mine, it’s 3 ingredients big and delivers MOIST to your Turkey!
Kale. Spinach. Broccoli Rabe (rapini).
All in all, these are equal greens.
While each offers a bit of a different taste, they all wilt beautiful and add the GREEN you are in need of.
Broccoli Rabe will be a bit more bitter, while spinach will just be there.
However, if you use Kale, allow it to simmer for at least 10 minutes to really get the wilting effect.
Additionally, make sure to CHOP both Kale and Broccoli Rabe into bite-so-pieces.
Greens and Beans Spicy Turkey Soup and The Spice You Will ♥
There are a few ways to kick this soup up a bit and give it a more robust and full flavor.
At its core, it will be more Italian spice than heat.
However, you can change this just a bit and give it some heat which totally is the perfect addition to the recipe.
As you might note in the recipe there is a jalapeno (scrape out the seeds and the rib or you will have FIRE)
Use it or don’t.
Alternatively, for a more earthy flavor, I suggest a shishito pepper or two.
They have a mild smoky and earthy taste. Mmmm!
To bring on the heat, you can use the listed cayenne pepper or you can use red pepper flakes.
To that end, you can use equal amounts of red pepper flakes or up to 1 1/2 x more.
Last, if you don’t want the soup too spicy eliminate either the pepper or the cayenne.
Leeks or…
Additionally, you can sub out the leeks.
What can you use?
Instead of leeks, use a cup of green onions (with the holidays I am sure you have those on hand).
Try my Green Onion and Brown Rice Noodle Soup, it’s both easy and tasty!
Also, you could use a cup of shallots if you have those, just note that may sway the flavor a bit.
As always, you can use a plain, old, sweet, yellow onion, chopped nicely!
Recipe For Greens and Beans Spicy Turkey Soup
Greens and Beans Turkey Soup.
Ingredients
- 2 T. extra virgin olive oil
- 3-4 cloves garlic sliced in half
- 1 Tbsp Minced Garlic
- A medium yellow onion diced
- Large leek 1, diced (or shallots, green onions, or sweet onion*)
- 4 carrots peeled and diced
- 1 jalapeno pepper diced (optional) – ribbed and seeded
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
- Bay leaves 1-2
- 2 t. each dried parsley & dried oregano
- ½ t. cayenne pepper Or Red Pepper Flakes use = amount or up to 1 1/2 Tsp.
- 4 c. organic chicken stock
- 3 ” Parmesan cheese rind
- 2 c. water
- 15- oz. cans 2 cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
- Cooked turkey shredded 2 Cups
- 2 c. baby spinach coarsely chopped (or Kale, Broccoli Rabe)
- OPTIONAL GARNISH
- Freshly shaved Parmesan cheese
- Fresh parsley chopped (cilantro can be used it will just be stronger)
- *if you are using yellow onion in the recipe you can just add about 1/2 c more)
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat.
- (Next add garlic, onion, leeks, carrots, and jalapeno.
- Cook, stirring occasionally until vegetables are soft and develop a bit of color.
- You are ‘sweating’ the veggies to get them to cook faster!
- As a result, this will take approximately 6 – 8 minutes, and usually, it’s the latter.
- Now, season with salt and black pepper, to taste.
- Add bay leaves, dried herbs, and cayenne pepper (or whatever you are using for the SPICY flavor)
- Then, cook for another 2-3 minutes, or until the herbs become fragrant.
- *****(if in an Instant Pot, do all of the above steps 1-7 on SAUTE*)
- ****(if using an Instant Pot, follow steps 11-13 and jump to 15-16)
- Next, add chicken stock.
- Now, add the water, and cannellini beans to the pot.
- Finally, add in the parmesan rind (this is the portion that really bolsters the flavor!)
- Increase heat to high and bring the soup to a rolling boil
- Please NOTE: if you are using an Instant Pot, cover it and cook 20 minutes on the SOUP setting.
- Once the time is met for cooking, then, release the steam (CAREFULLY) and press saute, following the directions below to complete cooking and ingredient additions)
- Once it boils, reduces heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes.
- Add shredded turkey and spinach to the pot and cook for another 3-5 minutes, or until the spinach (Kale or Broccoli Rabe) wilts and the turkey is heated through.
- Remove from heat and discard bay leaves.
- Taste and adjust seasonings, as desired.
- Serve immediately with some shaved Parmesan cheese.
- Enjoy!