Southwest Turkey Soup

4.87 from 53 votes

Leftover turkey is the star in this easy, creamy Southwest Leftover Turkey Soup. It is creamy, hearty, and full of flavor.

Prep Time5 mins

Cook Time4 hrs

Total Time4 hrs 5 mins

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 430kcal

Author: Kristen Chidsey

Ingredients

½ tablespoon oil
1 green pepper diced
1 onion diced
4 cups low-sodium chicken stock or turkey stock
2 cups cooked turkey chopped into bite-size pieces
1 cup frozen corn kernels
2 (16 oz cans) black beans
2 (10.5 oz cans) diced tomatoes with green chiles
2 tablespoons taco seasoning
4 ounces cream cheese softened

Instructions

Slow Cooker Instructions

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Once heated, add in the diced onion and green pepper and saute for 5 minutes, or until the onion is softened.
Transfer the sauteed onion and peppers to a slow cooker. Stir in the stock, beans, corn, seasonings, turkey, and tomatoes.
Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6 hours.
Add in cream cheese and cook on low for 30 minutes. Stir well after 30 minutes. Serve with desired toppings.

Stove Top Directions

Heat the oil in a large stock pan over medium heat. Add the diced onions and green peppers to the heated oil and saute for about 5 minutes, or until the onion has begun to soften.
Stir in the chicken stock, beans, corn, turkey, spices, and tomatoes. Bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Keep in mind you may need to add an additional cup of stock if you notice too much liquid evaporating as the soup cooks.
Stir in cream cheese and heat through until creamy and well combined. Serve with desired toppings.

Instant Pot Directions

Turn the Instant Pot to saute and add oil to heat. Once heated, add the onions and peppers and allow veggies to soften for about 3-5 minutes. Once softened, turn the Instant Pot OFF.
Add in the stock and scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the inner pot. Stir in the tomatoes, beans, corn, seasonings, and turkey.
Seal the Instant Pot lid and set it to cook on high pressure for 5 minutes. Once the cooking time has elapsed, allow the pressure to release naturally.
Once pressure is released, remove the lid and add in cream cheese. Place the lid back on the pressure cooker for 5 minutes (just to heat through). Stir the cubed cream cheese into the soup and serve. See notes for tips for adding cream cheese for smooth results.

Video

Notes

Turkey: Use leftover dark or white turkey meat, or feel free to use leftover chicken.

Beans: I choose to use black beans in this Spicy Turkey Soup, but you can certainly use pinto beans or kidney beans.

Cream Cheese Addition: If you have ever had issues with your cream cheese incorporated into the soup, first be sure it is at room temperature. Secondly, you can opt to blend with ½ cup of chicken stock and stir into soup to heat through. This works especially well.

Dairy-Free Modifications: Simply omit the cream cheese from the soup.

Serving Suggestions: Serve this soup with corn chips, cilantro, and/or shredded cheese.

Storage: Store this soup in an airtight container for 2 days in the fridge (using cooked turkey that is no more than 2 days old.) I don't recommend freezing the soup, due to the cream cheese addition. It may separate when thawed. However, if you have omitted the addition of cream cheese, feel free to freeze this chili in a freezer-safe container for up to 1 month. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight and reheat as desired.

Nutrition