Hurst Beans Cajun 15 Bean and Turkey Soup – A Great Leftover Turkey Recipe!

Want a new leftover turkey recipe ?

I thought you might! If you are like me you can only eat so much turkey, mashed potatoes and stuffing. I can really only eat it once, maybe twice, before I get sick of it. But what should you do with all of your leftover turkey? Do you need a leftover turkey recipe ?

This post is sponsored by Hurst’s Beans, but all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Of course there are the usual uses like the almighty turkey sandwich piled high with a bit of all of the leftovers (remember that episode of Friends?), then there is the palate pleasing turkey and noodles- but maybe you need to think leaner. Lighter. Less caloric.

Try this leftover turkey recipe from Hurst’s beans, for Cajun 15 Bean Soup.

This selection of 15 different beans and the select seasonings and spices, that are included in a small packet in the bag, are a great way to use up that leftover turkey. Not to mention the flavor. Just a hint of heat might be just what you need after eating a few consecutive meals of ‘comfort style’ food- that’s what I call the traditional Thanksgiving feast.

I cook with dried beans often and try to find unique and out of the box ways to incorporate them into my diet. Here is a post with several ways my family and I enjoy beans.

Each and every bag of Hurst’s Beans has preparation instructions and a recipe on the back. Sometimes I follow the recipe (why not? They are tested and great!) and others I modify a bit, according to what I have. All of their beans are suitable for the slow cooker. When you want to come home to a meal that is prepared, the slow cooker is the way to do it. Want to know how to adapt a stove-top beans recipe? Simply be sure to add 8 cups of liquid to your slow cooker ingredients. That is all. I allow mine to cook on low for 7-8 hours or high for 5-6. Of course models vary and each recipe is different.

This leftover turkey recipe is very simple, and in the last 3 weeks I have made it three times.

It is a great recipe for tailgating or giving to a friend that might need a favor- which is what I did. My husband thinks this is great the next day served over tortilla chips and with a dollop of sour cream. One of the benefits of being a food writer is that during certain times of the year, I make some foods several times in one week to get the recipe just right. And I think we can all agree that sometimes chili and soup tastes better the next day!

I encourage you to visit the Hurst’s Beans website for other recipe ideas, tips and where your nearest retailer is.

Items of note:

*I always, always use the seasoning packet that is included with the beans. I see this as a courtesy, for who better to know the exact combination of complimentary herbs and spices than the creators of the bean soup themselves? Instead of buying 7+ extra ingredients just use what they give you. It is still a low sodium, low calorie, low cholesterol and low fat food- even with the seasoning packet.

*Be sure to always rinse and sort your beans. They use only the best beans their growers provide but it is a natural products. Every once in a while you might see a tiny bit of split pea in the navy beans. This is normal.

*Talk about an unprocessed food! Hurst’s Dried beans are literally just that- dried beans.

*Do not add acidic ingredients like tomatoes (diced, chopped, canned or sauce) until the last 30 minutes to an hour of cooking in a slow cooker, and on the stove top, add them right at the end. The acid in tomatoes and other citrus inhibits the cooking of dried beans.

*Beans are good for you! Not only are they good for your heart, they are also proven to be a cancer fighting food! Also, being a low glycemic food, they are an excellent way to get your daily amount of fiber and protein without raising your blood pressure.

Here are 6 ways to get more beans in YOUR diet:

*Use beans instead of, or in addition to, meat in your main dish, or in soups, salads, stuffings, and rice and pasta dishes.

*Top salads with beans.

*Mix beans with rice.

*Stir cooked beans into your favorite pasta sauce.

*Fill a tortilla or a flatbread with beans and other ingredients — rice, meat, cheese, vegetables.

*Use chopped or mashed beans in brownie and cookie recipes, replacing part of the fat ingredient with beans to add protein, fiber, texture and flavor while lowering fat, cholesterol and calories.

Now you know about the health and wellness benefits of beans, and that this would make a GREAT post-Thanksgiving meal.

So, lets get down to the leftover turkey recipe!

Ingredients

1 20 oz bag of Hurst’s Cajun 15 Bean Soup
3 C of chopped leftover turkey that has been cooked, cooled and shredded (or chicken)
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
4 C water
4 C chicken stock or broth
1 14.5 oz can of Red Gold diced tomatoes with green chili’s, undrained
hot sauce and sour cream, for garnish

Instructions

Rinse and sort the bag of beans.
Place beans and the next 5 ingredients into a 5-6 quart slow cooker.
Cook on low for 7-8 hours or high for 4-5 hours.
In the last hour, lift the lid to test for bean doneness and add the can of undrained tomatoes.
Add in the seasoning packet that came with the beans.
Stir and replace lid for the last hour of cooking.
Taste to see if you need to add salt.
Turn off heat and serve.
Allow leftovers to cool before storing in the refrigerator.