Southwestern Turkey Bean Soup

Autumn-ready Southwestern Turkey Bean Soup. It seems that Autumn is on its way. This morning’s dog walk included a jacket (on me!) for the first time since last Spring. Time to start thinking about cooler weather meals. My Southwestern Turkey Bean Soup will please a hungry crowd! Chunks of turkey meat, beans, barley, roasted corn, tomatoes, carrots, onions, and celery along with Southwestern spices and chicken stock combine for a hearty main course soup.

One of my favorite bean soup mixes is the Bob’s Red Mill Bountiful Black Bean Soup Mix Purchase a bag of the bean soup mix and you can use it for several different soups.

Both white and dark cooked turkey meat can be used in this dish, with the darker meat adding a rich flavor. Dice the turkey meat and set it aside. It will likely fall apart into savory strands in the soup. You can also use leftover turkey meat from your Thanksgiving dinner.

Heat some olive oil in a stock pot. Saute diced onion, carrot, and celery until the vegetables have softened. Add chopped garlic and stir. Add chopped tomatoes, tomato sauce, chicken stock, roasted corn, chili powder, cumin powder, chopped turkey, and 1 cup of the black bean soup mixture. Simmer for at least an hour, and up to three hours.

Once the beans are soft, you can season the soup with salt and pepper, and serve it! I like to serve this soup with cornbread.

This soup tastes even better when allowed to sit overnight in the fridge to intensify the flavors. It also freezes very well.

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From the kitchen of A Food Lover’s Delight….

Southwestern Turkey Bean Soup

Ingredients:

2 T olive oil or butter
1 medium onion, diced
1 c diced carrot
1 c thinly sliced celery
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 c diced tomato
1 c roasted corn (Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods carry frozen roasted corn)
1 (14 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 T chili powder
2 t cumin
2 t Ancho chile powder (for a kick!)
6 c chicken stock
2 c water
1 c Bountiful Black Bean Soup mix (or your favorite small dried beans)
2 c diced cooked turkey meat
Salt and pepper, to taste

Method:

1. Heat the olive oil or butter in a soup pot or stock pot. I use my Calphalon 8QT stock pot.
2. Saute the onion, carrot, and celery in the olive oil or butter until the vegetables have softened and are slightly caramelized.
3. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes.
4. Add the diced tomato, roasted corn, tomato sauce, chili powder, cumin, Ancho chile powder, chicken stock, water and the 1 cup of bean soup mix.
5. Simmer the soup for at least an hour.
6. Add the diced turkey meat. Cook for another hour and up to a total of three hours until the beans have softened and the soup has reduced somewhat. You may need to add more chicken stock or liquid as the soup reduces and the beans soak up the liquid.
7. Season to taste with salt and pepper before serving.
8. Serve immediately or chill overnight. The soup flavors will intensify if chilled overnight in the refrigerator.

Serves 8 – 10 as a main course. Offer this hearty soup with cornbread or your favorite bread slathered with butter.

Variations: Use cooked chicken instead of turkey. If you don’t like spicy foods, you can omit the Ancho chile powder and/or the regular chili powder. You could substitute a few cans of precooked black beans if you can’t find the soup mix. Just add the precooked beans when you add the turkey meat so they don’t get mushy and fall apart. You’ll just miss out on the barley and bean combination. Garnish this soup with some chopped fresh parsley or cilantro.

Order some of Bob’s Red Mill Bountiful Black Bean Soup Mix from Amazon.com:

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