My recipe for Chipotle Turkey and Black Bean Soup is a take on a Southwest Turkey Soup I had at a restaurant years ago. This is the perfect way to use up leftover turkey, mixed in with black beans, vegetables, and a flavorful and spicy broth!
If you find yourself with an abundance of leftover turkey like me, my Chipotle Turkey and Black Bean Soup recipe will help you use up the leftovers and create a totally new flavor profile. Best of all soups in general can feed a crowd or provide you with a few lunches to get you through the week.This recipe was created after I tasted a Southwest Turkey Soup I had at a local restaurant a few months prior.
This spicy turkey soup is loaded with vegetables. I pretty much used vegetables that I had on hand. So don’t freak out if you’re missing one of the veggies I listed for the recipe. Feel free to substitute if needed. That is the wonderful thing about cooking. You can always change up a recipe to meet your needs.
This turkey black bean soup is also gluten free since I didn’t stuff my bird full of gluten stuffing. All the seasonings I used are gluten free, too. So, your gluten free family member, can eat this too! The longer the soup simmers the better it tastes.
Table of contents
Ingredients
- Turkey Carcass + Turkey
- Water
- Celery
- Sweet potato
- Onion
- Cilantro
- Butternut
- Yellow bell pepper chopped
- Canned black beans
- Chipotle in Adobo
- Queso Fresco
Directions
- In a large stock pot place turkey breast carcass (or turkey carcass) in the pot and fill with 10 cups of water. Bring to a boil on high and then reduce down to medium heat.
- Cook for 45 minutes. At this point the meat should fall off the bones. Carefully scoop the carcass out of the pot and disguard any bones. Pull remaining turkey meat off carcass and put to the side.
- Once you’ve skimmed the pot completely to ensure no bones are present add celery, sweet potato, onion, cilantro, butternut squash, bell pepper, turkey, black beans, and chipotle in adobo sauce. Cook on medium heat for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally.
- During the last 5 minutes of cooking add in the diced turkey. Ladle soup into bowls and top with queso fresco and additional chopped cilantro.
FAQs
You should be able to get about 8-10 adult servings out of this recipe.
Yes, you can definitely freeze leftover turkey soup. Especially this Southwest version. Simply bring the soup to room temperature. Place in a Freezer Ziploc bag or freezer container (label it) and freeze. You can freeze for up to 3 months.
Leftover turkey soup is good for 3-4 days. If you don’t plan to eat it all, plan to freeze the leftovers in 1 cup single portions or larger portions that can easily be thawed for future consumption.
Tips & Tricks
Here are all my tips and tricks I have found useful whenever I make my black bean turkey soup.
- Chipotle in Adobo – If you don’t like a lot of heat it’s important to remove the seeds from the chipotle in adobo sauce!
- Turkey – Remove any excess turkey from the carcass, and set to the side. Don’t put the cooked turkey in the soup too early or else you will have very dried out turkey!
- Gluten Free – To ensure this recipe is gluten free, make sure the turkey carcass you are using is in fact gluten free meaning no stuffing was placed inside the cavity of the bird.
Leftover Turkey Recipes
Here are a few of my favorite leftover turkey recipes.
If you make this Southwest Turkey Soup recipe, I would be honored and love for you to take the time to leave a star rating and comment! I spend hours developing and testing these recipes, and always love to hear feedback and user experience!
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Chipotle Turkey and Black Bean Soup
Equipment
- Stove Top
Ingredients
- 10 cups water
- Turkey breast Carcass
- 2 Celery stalks chopped
- 1.5 lb Sweet potato peeled and diced
- 1 Small onion chopped
- ¼ cup Cilantro chopped
- ½ cup Butternut squash diced
- 1 Yellow bell pepper chopped
- 30 oz. Canned black beans not drained
- 1 Chipotle in adobo seeded and chopped + 1 tablespoon sauce
- 2 cups Cooked Turkey diced
Option toppings:
- Queso Fresco
- Cilantro
Instructions
- In a large stock pot place turkey breast carcass (or turkey carcass) in the pot and fill with 10 cups of water. Bring to a boil on high and then reduce down to medium heat.
- Cook for 45 minutes. At this point the meat should fall off the bones. Carefully scoop the carcass out of the pot and disguard any bones. Pull remaining turkey meat off carcass and put to the side.
- Once you've skimmed the pot completely to ensure no bones are present add celery, sweet potato, onion, cilantro, butternut squash, bell pepper, turkey, black beans, and chipotle in adobo sauce. Cook on medium heat for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally.
- During the last 5 minutes of cooking add in the diced turkey. Ladle soup into bowls and top with queso fresco and additional chopped cilantro.
Notes
- Chipotle in Adobo – If you don’t like a lot of heat it’s important to remove the seeds from the chipotle in adobo sauce!
- Turkey – Remove any excess turkey from the carcass, and set to the side. Don’t put the cooked turkey in the soup too early or else you will have very dried out turkey!
- Gluten Free – To ensure this recipe is gluten free, make sure the turkey carcass you are using is in fact gluten free meaning no stuffing was placed inside the cavity of the bird.
Nutrition
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Sounds divine! Happy New Year!
Katie
Thanks Sommer! Happy New Year, to you too!
addie | culicurious
This almost looks like a stew, love it! 🙂
Ashley Bee (Quarter Life Crisis Cuisine)
Ohh it seems so delicious and comfort-food-like 🙂 I’d add more broth since I like my soup to make its veggies SWIM but other than that this looks perfecto!
Katie
This soup has lots of broth but for picture purposes… I wanted people to see the ingredients! I think you’ll love this recipe!
Liz @ The Lemon Bowl
I love everything about this soup!! We don’t eat turkey at Christmas but I bet this would be great with chicken too!
Katie
Most years we are all over the turkey (since I’m not a fan of ham)! Save this recipe for the next time you make turkey!