11/16/15

15 Bean Turkey Soup

A hearty 15 bean soup recipe perfect for leftover Thanksgiving turkey and also easy to make with smoked turkey wings or legs.


The development of this recipe was sponsored by Hurst's Beans. As always, all opinions are my own.

I’ve been cooking dried beans since I was old enough to reach the stove. I’ve had just about every variety under the sun and I’ve loved them all.

So when I tell you this bean soup is one of the best I’ve ever had, that’s saying something!

15 Bean Turkey Soup! Perfect for leftover Thanksgiving turkey and also easy to make with smoked turkey wings or legs.

I wanted to craft a recipe folks could use with leftover Thanksgiving turkey. But I didn’t want to have to cook a whole turkey this close to Thanksgiving to do it so I used what’s likely some of the most underrated items in your grocer’s meat department or butcher shop: smoked turkey wings and legs!

I don’t know if it’s just my neck of the woods, but I haven’t been able to get good ham hocks around here for quite a while. I officially gave up on them a year or so ago after ruining a pot of crowder peas with punky ham hocks.

And that’s when I joined the smoked turkey wing camp.

15 Bean Turkey Soup! Perfect for leftover Thanksgiving turkey and also easy to make with smoked turkey wings or legs.

So, a few things to know about this soup! You can make it with plain ol’ leftover Thanksgiving turkey or you can make it any time using the smoked wings or legs. Or you could totally make this with chicken!

If you can’t find the 15 Bean Soup in your local grocery stores, ask for it! My grocery store now carries all sorts of products they didn’t have before simply because I asked for them.

Just ask the cashier who to talk to to request a product and s/he will point you in the right direction. My store has a list at the Customer Service desk where they notate products their customers' request.

15 Bean Turkey Soup! Perfect for leftover Thanksgiving turkey and also easy to make with smoked turkey wings or legs.

If you love hearty bean recipes like this, check out a few of these dishes too!

  • Slow Cooker Pinto Beans - Dried pintos beans cook up creamy and tender with a smoky, silky sauce that's perfect with cornbread.
  • Three Meat Crock Pot Cowboy Beans- This slow Cooker BBQ bean recipe with smoked sausage, bacon and ground beef is the perfect side dish for feeding a crowd!
  • Cajun Ham & Beans - A recipe for smokey, creamy beans cooked low and slow with a ham bone and Cajun seasonings. DELICIOUS over rice!
  • BIG BATCH Beef & Bean Chili - This incredibly delicious, easy beef and bean chili recipe serves 18-20 people and is perfect for feeding a crowd!
  • Shrimp & Sausage 15 Bean Gumbo - A rich gumbo recipe with Cajun beans chocked full of spicy shrimp and smoky sausage.
  • Pineapple & Bacon Baked Beans - A baked beans recipe with a Hawaiian twist made with sweet pineapple and smoky bacon or ham!

This recipe was shared at the Weekend Potluck!

recipe, best, easy, ideas, leftover, turkey, chicken, soup, stew, legs, wings, smoked, beans, 15 bean, hursts
Yield: 15-18 Servings

15-BEAN TURKEY SOUP

prep time: 15 minscook time: 6 hourtotal time: 6 hours and 15 mins

ingredients

  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 8 cups chicken broth
  • 1 20-oz. bag Hurst’s 15 Bean Soup
  • 2 turkey wings or legs (see notes)

instructions

Sauté onion in butter in a large pot or Dutch oven for 4-5 minutes. Add garlic, chicken broth, beans (with included seasoning packet) then stir well. Add turkey pieces to pot then heat over medium-high heat until simmering. Once simmering, cover pot then reduce heat to low and simmer for 4 hours.

Remove turkey pieces from pot, cover tightly and set aside. Continue cooking beans for 1-2 more hours or until beans are tender. Taste for seasoning and add salt if desired. Depending on which sort of turkey you’re using, there’s a good bit of variance in salt needed. You may not need any at all.

Remove meat from turkey pieces, discarding skin and bones. Shred turkey into bite-sizes pieces using two forks then add turkey to beans. Stir well.

Remove from heat, cover, and let soup rest for 30 minutes before serving.

Notes:
  • You can use roasted, fried or smoked turkey wings or legs. I used 4.5 lbs of wing sections.
  • When I say 2 wings, I mean 2 full wings; each including the drummette and the wingette (or ‘flat’). Or you could think of it as 4 wing sections. I actually prefer the 2-bone section as it has whiter, more tender meat. 
  • You can also use 4 cups chopped leftover turkey meat instead of the wings or legs. Just stir it in 1-2 hours before the soup is done (don’t let it cook the whole time or it will get dry).
  • Yes, you can cook this in a crock pot! Cook the same way replacing the 4 hours on the stove with 6 hours on high in the crock pot.
  • If you can’t find Hurst's 15 Bean Soup in your market, please ask your grocer for them. Until then, you can order them online :)


Keep up with my latest shenanigans by following South Your Mouth!
15 Bean Turkey Soup! Perfect for leftover Thanksgiving turkey and also easy to make with smoked turkey wings or legs.

22 comments:

  1. Can you Freeze this soup?

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  2. I have made this soup for years. I am allergic to pork so this give me close to the same flavor.

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  3. I've made 15 bean soup for forever! I've never even thought of adding turkey. Brilliant idea!

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  4. Thanks for sharing this recipe, Mandy. I'm thinking about using their 15 bean Cajun soup mix. YUM!

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  5. no bean soaking, right? looks so good. do you sort and rinse?

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    1. No soaking. To be honest, I've never ever found a single bit of debris in all the years I've used Hurst's beans so I've quit bothering to rinse and pick for it! Feel free to rinse and give them a once-over but I've just never had to.

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    2. How would you recommend adjusting the recipe cuz I already soaked the beans and then went looking for a recipe.
      I’m thinking a little less water/broth will do it probably.

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  6. thanks, Mandy. Happy Thanksgiving!

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  7. Hi Mandy: This looks delicious. I can't wait to make it. I am in Santa Rosa Ca. Which market (s) would more likely carry the beans? Safeway, Trader Joe's, Olivers, Whole foods? Thank you and Happy Thanksgiving to you.

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    Replies
    1. I know Wal-Mart carries them. Or you can email Hurst's. Their website reads: Please email us at info@nkhurst.com with what you are trying to find and your zip code. We will do our best for you!

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  8. love it. thanks a lot!

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  9. and this is ok for low-carb? i love beans :)

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  10. I have always made all my bean soups including this one with turkey legs in place of ham , my family loves them!

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  11. How would you make this soup with an Instant Pot (pressure cooker)?

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  12. If the Turkey legs are already smoked do u still boil them?

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  13. I started my turkey boneless and 15 beans this morning and not even closer to being done any comments or suggestions I have a party of 5 indeviduals patiently waiting on thier dinner sigh ...

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    1. If the beans have been simmering for that long (12 hours or so?) and not done something is very wrong. They would be mush by now otherwise.

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  14. I made the dish with smoked turkey wings
    And the 15 bean soup with a bed of rice to have underneath

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  15. I’m guessing you do add the flavoring packet that comes with the beans. Is that correct?

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Hi there! While I’m not able to respond to every comment, I try hard to answer any questions that haven’t been addressed in the post, recipe or in other comments.

I can tell you now 1) I have no idea if you can substitute Minute Rice or brown rice in my recipes because I’ve never used them and 2) If I know how to convert a recipe to a Crock Pot version, I will make a note about it (otherwise, I don’t know).

And though I may not respond to them all, I do read each and every comment and I LOVE to hear from you guys! Thanks, y’all! - Mandy