What to do with all the leftover turkey? Try this hearty turkey, white bean, and sausage soup, it’s loaded with veggies, meats, and gobs of flavor.
Comfort food
When it comes to comfort food, nothing quite hits the spot like a steaming bowl of hearty turkey, white bean, and sausage soup. This soul-warming concoction is a celebration of flavors and textures that come together in perfect harmony.
Picture this: tender pieces of succulent turkey mingling with creamy white beans, creating a luscious base that’s both satisfying and nourishing. Add to that the savory depth of sausage, infused with aromatic herbs and spices, and you’ve got a soup that’s bursting with richness and complexity.
Creation of this soup
The first time I made this recipe was many years ago, for a dinner get together. I ended up sending some home with a friend, his wife wasn’t able to attend. She called me a couple of days later for the recipe. I wrote it down and emailed it to her. A few years later I asked her if she still had the recipe as I couldn’t find it and was having guests over. She said yes of course I still have it, it’s my requested Christmas Eve dinner every year. Mind blowing, I had no idea.
I’ve made this soup many times and it is always a hit, so give it a try and let me know how your soup turns out. If you don’t have the left over turkey or you’re making it at a different time, try using chicken, it’s just as tasty and actually that’s how I originally made it. Whether you’re craving a cozy night in or looking to feed a crowd, this hearty turkey, white beans, and sausage soup is sure to become a staple in your recipe repertoire. So go ahead, ladle yourself a bowlful of comfort and savor every spoonful of goodness.
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Hearty Turkey, White Bean, and Sausage Soup
Description
This recipe includes making your own bone broth, or if you don’t have access to the bones or don’t want to take the time you can used boxed broth, which I include in the ingredients. Making bone broth works really well with a turkey or chicken that has been smoked or roasted, I don’t recommend making this broth from bones of a turkey or chicken that has been fried. My brother-in-law smokes the turkey at Thanksgiving and wow does it make great broth for this soup.
Ingredients
Turkey bone broth ingredients:
Large pot
Turkey bones
Enough water to cover bones in the pot
2 tsp salt
1 small bunch of each, fresh thyme and sage
1 small onion, quartered
2 small cloves of garlic, quartered
Soup ingredients:
2 Tbs olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic (if you aren’t making your own broth)
3/4 head of white cabbage, shredded
8–10 new potatoes, chopped chunky
4 large carrots or 1 lb baby carrots, sliced
3 cups of a cooked turkey or chicken
1 lb of smoked sausage link, sliced and cut in half
Turkey stock you created
Or
2 32 oz box of chicken broth, + 6 cups water, and 2-3 Tbsp chicken bullion (Better Than Bullion works best)
1 can white beans (great norther, navy, or cannellini), drained and rinsed
1–2 cap fulls of white vinegar or juice of one fresh squeezed lemon
1 Tbsp fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried thyme (if you’ve made your own broth, skip this ingredient).
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
Course ground black pepper (plenty to taste)
Salt to taste
Instructions
To create the turkey bone broth:
- Add turkey bones to a large pot and cover with water.
- Bring to a boil
- Add salt, a small onion, 2 cloves of garlic, fresh sage, and thyme.
- Turn temperature down to a simmer and cook for 2 hours.
- Once it’s done cooking pull out all skin and bones from pot, and discard. If there’s any meat remaining on the bones, cut away, and add back to your pot.
- Let broth cool in the fridge overnight.
- The next day, skim the grease off the top that has solidified.
- Pour the broth into a large bowl or measuring bowl, and set aside.
Instructions to make soup:
- In the same large pot you created the stock in, heat olive oil.
- Add onions, sauté until translucent and golden but not mushy, approximately 3-5 mins
- Add garlic, and carrots, sauté another 5 minutes.
- Add broth, potatoes, cabbage, and herbs.
- Bring to a boil, turn heat down, and simmer about 30 minutes.
- Add beans, turkey or chicken, and sausage
- Simmer about 10-15 minutes.
Notes
I cook the bones in a large pot of water with onions, garlic, and fresh herbs. If you don’t have the turkey bones, you can certainly make this with store bought chicken or turkey broth.
