This Turkey Bean Soup will warm your stomach and your soul! The perfect use for leftover turkey, this soup has classic comforting flavors that are perfect for for sick days or cozy nights in.
This post is sponsored by Hurst Beans. All tips, ideas and recipes are created right here at Easy Family Recipes.
Turkey Bean Soup – The EASY Way!
It is almost inevitable that when you make a turkey, you have a mountain of leftovers!
There is no better way to use up leftover turkey than this Turkey Bean Soup!
It is light enough not to weigh you down, but hearty enough to keep you satisfied and full throughout the day. And boy, is it delicious!
- Fresh veggies
- Lots of protein
- Rich, delicious broth
It checks all of the boxes, and it doesn’t get any easier than this recipe. Using leftover turkey makes it super quick, but the real secret comes in using dried beans which maximizes flavor and heartiness, but can be cooked in a fraction of the time in the pressure cooker.
What to Serve with Turkey Soup
Since this dish has the classic soup flavor, it will pair well with many of your favorite soup side dishes. There are both classic options and some healthy options to keep it light.
Side Dish Ideas
- Garlic Bread– This is our favorite recipe and perfect for sopping up every last drop of soup. Our cheesy garlic bread goes well too!
- Crackers– My kids love this soup with crackers!
- Side Salad– A simple side salad is the perfect compliment for this soup. Try our amazing homemade ranch or lemon vinaigrette dressing to make the salad extra delicious!
- Baked Potato – These make a perfect extra filling option!
You can choose one or add a few sides to make a wholesome, well rounded dinner.
Recipe Notes
This Leftover Turkey Bean Soup recipe is as simple as promised! Just 10 ingredients for a hearty and delicious family friendly meal.
In this section I am going to go through a few tips and tricks I use when making this recipe to get the absolute best and most delicious results.
Make sure to scroll to the bottom for the FULL recipe card.
Ingredients + Substitutions
- Celery
- Carrots – you can use baby carrots or whole carrots that have been chopped and peeled.
- Yellow onion diced– yellow is my preference, but white, sweet, or red onion can be substituted.
- Butter– This provides richness and depth to the flavor as it is sautéed with the vegetables. Margarine can be substituted to make this recipe dairy free.
- Poultry seasoning– Use store bought or you can make your own homemade poultry seasoning blend here.
- Salt
- Hurst’s Hambeens Great Northern Beans– This is the key to the recipe! By using Hurst’s dried great northern beans, we are able to really infuse the beans, and thus the whole soup with more flavor!
- When it comes to dried beans, I always recommend Hurst’s. Hurst is a 4th generation family business out of Indianapolis, and they only use U.S. #1 grade beans that have been sorted for color, size, and overall appearance. They provide the highest quality, and best tasting dried beans on the market.
The beans make the soup extra filling, add flavor and texture, and are high in fiber and protein. They are an incredibly wholesome way to add some extra oomph to the soup.
If you are looking for HamBeens locally, try their store finder here!
Note: you can save the seasoning packet for another time, or add it in for a more meaty twist on this recipe. - Cornstarch– The cornstarch is used at the end to create a thicker broth. My family loves this because it makes the soup feel really luxurious and velvety as you eat it. If you prefer a thin broth, you can leave this out.
- Water
- Leftover turkey– Using leftover turkey brings lots of flavor, heartiness to the soup. If you don’t have turkey on hand, you can use leftover chicken, or grab a rotisserie chicken and pull the meat to use. It is a great substitute.
Recipe Tips
- Sauté your veggies – Although this may seem like a step that takes you more time, it actually adds flavor and doesn’t really cost you extra time, since the pot will take less time to pressurize when it is already hot from sautéing the vegetables. This step also helps the butter more fully incorporate into the soup.
- How long to cook the soup– The cooking will infuse the flavor from the soup into the beans. The cooking time can vary based on the size/style of your pressure cooker, as well as the elevation you live at.
45-55 minutes is a good starting place. You will want to cook the soup until the beans are extra tender. If you open the pot and find the beans are not quite done, you can close it and cook again for an additional 5-10 minutes. - Thicken the broth– The beans in this soup will slightly thicken the soup. If you prefer a thicker broth in your soup, the cornstarch slurry will take the soup up to an amazing new level. Just mix the cornstarch and water together and slowly stir it into the soup until it is mixed completely in. You can use less (or omit the cornstarch all together) for a thinner broth or more for an even thicker broth.
- Add the turkey – I prefer to add the turkey at the end after I add the cornstarch to the soup. That allows the soup to thicken and the turkey to heat in one shot.
3 Reasons I love Dried Beans
When I have talked about using dried beans on my Instagram, I often get questions, so I wanted to give you a few reasons why dried beans can be better than canned beans.
- Taste– The most important reason is they just taste amazing. When you cook the beans with your meal they absorb the delicious flavors you are cooking them with like broth, vegetables and seasonings.
- Cost– Dried beans are typically about 2-3x cheaper than the equivalent cooked weight of canned beans.
- Health– Beans in general are considered a very wholesome options but dried beans allow you to also control the amount of sodium the beans containsSince you are cooking from scratch. Also all dried beans are BPA free!
Recipe Variations
If you love this recipe as much as we do and want some quick ways to change it up for variety, these little tips will do the trick!
- Turkey Bone Soup– If you also have the bones from the leftover turkey, you can cook them in with the soup in the pressure cooker as you cook the beans for extra flavor. Once the pressure is released, remove the bones and continue with the recipe.
- Slow Cooker Turkey Bean Soup– To make this recipe in the slow cooker, sauté the vegetables, then add the veggies, with butter poultry seasoning and salt. Add to the crock pot with beans and broth. Cover and cook on high for 6- 8 hours. Once the beans are soft continue with the recipe by thickening and adding the leftover turkey.
- Southwest Turkey Bean Soup– Substitute taco seasoning for poultry seasoning and add 2 cans of diced green chilis in with the vegetables, then cook as directed.
Freezer Meal Instructions
This soup makes a wonderful freezer meal and can be frozen before or after cooking.
To freeze before cooking:
- Combine first 5 ingredients in a freezer friendly bag.
- Chop and place leftover turkey in a separate freezer bag.
- Freeze.
- Once ready to cook, thaw for 24-48 hours, then continue with recipe as directed.
To freeze after cooking:
- Prepare recipe as directed.
- Let cook to room temperature.
- Package in meal sized portions in a freezer bag or freezer friendly container.
- Freeze.
- Once ready to eat, reheat on the stove or in the microwave.
Turkey Bean Soup Leftovers
If you have leftovers after making Turkey Bean Soup, then it is your lucky day! They save and reheat well, and can make the start of another delicious dish.
To save leftovers, separate into meal sized portions and then place in an airtight container and store:
- in the refrigerator for 3-4 days
- in the freezer up to a month
More Easy Soup Recipes
If you enjoyed this recipe, I really hope you will take a moment to grab a few more easy recipes for another busy night!
You can check out all of my Easy Dinner recipes here, or see a few of our readers favorite recipes below.
- Rotisserie Chicken Noodle Soup – Fan favorite!
- LOADED Baked Potato Soup – This is Instant Pot version, or Crock Pot Baked Potato Soup is here
- Chicken and Wild Rice Soup– Constantly asked for this recipe
- Instant Pot Cauliflower Soup – You may convert those who think they don’t like cauliflower with this!
Homestyle Leftover Turkey Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 2 cups diced celery
- 2 cups diced carrots
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1½ tsp poultry seasoning
- 1 tsp salt
- 20 oz Hurst's Hambeens Great Northern Beans, (1 package, dried)
- 8 cups chicken broth, (or vegetable broth)
- 1/3 cup cornstarch
- 1/4 cup water
- 3 cups diced leftover turkey
Garnish (optional)
- fresh chopped parsley
Instructions
- Set the pressure cooker to saute and add the celery, carrots, onion, butter, poultry seasoning, and salt. Saute for about 5-7 minutes or until the onion becomes translucent.
- Add the Hurst's Hambeens Great Northern Beans (see note) and chicken broth to the pot. Close the lid and use the manual setting to set high pressure for 45-55 minutes. Once done, natural release for 15 minutes, then release any remaining pressure.
- Open the pressure cooker and set to saute mode. Mix the cornstarch and water and then slowly stir it into the soup. Add the chopped turkey and simmer for about 5-10 minutes or until it thickens.
- Garnish with fresh parsley and serve warm. Enjoy!
Equipment
- 6 qt Pressure Cooker
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