Looking for a healthy use for those holiday leftovers?! Try this spicy turkey enchilada soup with black beans! This spicy turkey soup is full of good-for-you ingredients, high protein and full of fibre, this soup is packed with black beans, tomatoes and spices. Make this recipe on the stove top or in a slow cooker.
Happy Holidays friends. I know it's been a rather quiet year around here. I'm not going to apologize. Priorities are what they are. And I'm perfectly happy with where they are right now.
I know most of you don't come here because of specific dietary recommendations, or because you are looking for culinary advice and savvy kitchen hacks. Mostly I don't have those things. Most of you come here because we know each other, and you've visited over the years just to see what I have going on in my kitchen. And that is the best reason. As uncommitted as I might be. As much as I lack technical expertise and dedication to specific eating styles or habits, I love just hanging out in my kitchen and putting something new together. Sometimes I forget where I was going with a dish and end up somewhere else completely. Often I forget to measure. Mostly I don't follow recipes.
Food just happens.
Gav said to me the other day as he was helping make fresh salad wraps - of all things, it was Christmas Eve and we were covered in sticky mango juice..."I like how you always make different things."ย ???? Oh man, I love this kid. I am so incredibly blessed to have a kid who will geek out with me over spicy tofu or anything wrapped in rice paper.. A kid who doesn't get fussy when I change up the spices or switch up eggplant for mushrooms. Or decide to make a spicy soup with the leftover turkey instead of that one l made last year...
So here is something a little new, but not really. It's just soup, but soup I like sharing more than anything. Comfort, warmth, real life. It's not glamorous; not complicated. No crazy substitutions or adjustments are needed. This is just soup. Made with leftovers, because soup is better like that.
A tomato-based leftover turkey soup
This Spicy Turkey Enchilada soup is a little different from most boxing day turkey soups. First - it is very spicy (but you can adjust if you need). Smokey from chipotle chilli powder and jalapeno. Secondly, it is a tomato-based soup, which keeps this soup light and healthy. This is the kind of soup you might be craving if you when you need a break from all the rich food of the holidays.
There is enough turkey in this soup to get you a good serving of protein, along with some black beans, but not too much to leave you with that too-heavy feeling afterwards. Use the amount you feel or have available. This turkey soup is designed to use up leftovers because we all have leftovers right now. And of course you can totally leave the turkey out if you want a vegan soup - and just have a smokey vegan enchilada soup! If you go that way, you might want to add in a half cup of uncooked white rice while the soup simmers to add some volume.
Serve this soup with toppings: tortilla chips, lime, chopped green onions or radish. I like soup with toppings. After all the big holiday meals, I like to keep my dishes dairy-free so I skip the cheese and the sour cream, but those are good options too. Especially if you've gone all in with the spicy.
what makes this turkey soup spicy
I've layered the spices to give you both warm, smokiness and heat. Cumin and chipotle chili powder add those warm spicy notes you are looking for in an enchilada soup.
I'm in love with chipotle chilli powder. Not to be confused with "chilli powder." Chipotle chilli powder adds both smokiness and heat. It's hot. Use regular chilli powder if you prefer or if that is what you have on hand. It will still be delish.
To add more heat to this soup I add jalapenos. Today I used pickled jalapenos. We always have a jar open in the fridge. Fresh jalapenos also work just fine if you have them. Feel free to leave them out if you need to tame the heat a bit.
Roasted red peppers add sweetness and because they are fire-roasted
What is Chipotle Powder
Chipotle chilli powder is made from smoked jalapeno peppers, a single-ingredient spice. A good quality chipotle powder will be smokey, intense and a rich dark red colour. Chilli powder on the other hand, the one you will easily find in the spice section, is a spice blend which includes a variety of dried and sweet chilis, garlic, salt and other seasonings including oregano. I like this brand. I also buy it often from my local bulk food store, in small quantities so it keeps freshness and flavour.
How to make spicy turkey enchilada soup
This is a toss-in-a-pot-and-forget soup, which is why I love the slow-cooker here so much.
Ingredients
- white onion
- fire-roasted canned diced tomatoes, 2 398ml cans
- canned blacked beans
- pickled or fresh jalapenos, depending on how spicy you want your soup
- cooked shredded turkey meat, about 2 cups
- jarred roasted red peppers
- red wine, adds depth of flavour and richness
- veg broth, about 2 cups
- spices - cumin, chili powder, chipotle powder
- limes, adds a little bit of brightness at the end to make the flavours really pop
A few notes:
To make a less spicy soup, use regular chilli powder and fewer jalapenos.
Roasted red peppers add some sweetness and richness that balances the spice nicely
Red wine -- adds richness and depth of flavour and I think pairs nicely with roasted red peppers and tomatoes. You can leave it out if you want.
You can make this soup on the stove top and have dinner or lunch ready in less than 30 minutes. Heat thoroughly and it is ready to serve. Or throw everything in the slow-cooker or crock pot, walk away for a couple of hours and it will be ready when you are.
How to serve
Perfect after a day of holiday shopping, playing in the snow, or just clearing the driveway.
I like to leave this enchilada soup simmering in the crockpot all day and just let the family help themselves when they feel ready. I lay out all the toppings and then go curl up in my favourite chair with a new a book.
Serve with toppings
- tortilla chips
- diced fresh tomatoes
- cilantro
- more lime wedges
- green onions
- sour cream, or a dairy-free sour cream
- more jalapenos
- shredded cheese
๐ Recipe
Spicy Turkey Enchilada Soup
Ingredients
- 1 small white onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 Tablespoons chipotle chili powder or regular chli powder if you prefer
- 1 Tablespoon cumin
- 1 teaspoons sea salt or to taste
- 2 cans diced fire-roasted tomatoes 398ml each
- 1 can black beans drained and rinsed, about 1-ยฝ cups
- 2 cups shredded cooked turkey boneless, skinless, white or dark meat
- 2 cups vegetable broth chicken broth, or water
- โ cup finely chopped pickeled jalapeno peppers for a less spicy soup, omit or reduce quantity by half
- โ cup chopped fire roasted red peppers
- ยผ cup red wine
- the zest and juice from 1 lime stirred in at the end of cooking time
Instructions
Slow-cooker method:
- In the base of your crock pot or slow cooker, throw in onion, tomatoes, beans, turkey, broth, wine, jalapeno, roasted red peppers, garlic and spices. Cook on low 4-5 hours or high 2-3 hours. Serve. (As an option you can saute the onion, spices and garlic in a bit of olive oil in a small skillet before adding to the slow cooker, but this is not necessary if you are short on time). Just before serving squeeze in the lime juice, taste for salt and adjust as nessary, and serve.
Stove-top method:
- In the base of a dutch oven or large, deep pot, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and saute 5-7 minutes until fragrant and slightly softened. Stir in garlic and spices and heat for one minute until fragrant, then add remaining ingredients other than lime juice: fire-roasted tomatoes, beans, turkey, broth, wine, jalapeno, and roasted red peppers. Bring to a simmer, reduce to low heat and cook until heated through. Simmer on low for about 20 minutes to heat through and meld flavours. Add lime zest and juice at end of cooking time. Taste for salt and adjust as necessary. Serve.
Chyann says
Has the perfect amount of kick