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small cooked turkey crumbles, whole pinto beans and yellow corn in thick muted green-tan soup with a little melted white cheese and several broken tortilla-chip pieces on top in a plain bowl, with no red tomato chunks or garnish
Melissa Hart

Turkey Taco Soup

Salsa verde and refried pinto beans give this taco soup a different base from a red tomato-and-black-bean pot, with the mashed beans thickening the broth before any cheese reaches the bowl. Brown the turkey until its larger clumps break into small crumbles, whisk the refried beans into the hot liquid, then leave the whole pintos intact so the finished soup has both a creamy body and something substantial between the corn kernels and strips of crushed tortilla chip.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings: 6
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 1 tbsp neutral oil
  • 1 lb ground turkey
  • 1 small yellow onion finely diced
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp mild chili powder
  • 1/4 tsp fine salt
  • 1 jar 16 oz salsa verde
  • 1 can 16 oz plain refried pinto beans
  • 1 can 15 oz pinto beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup frozen corn
  • 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
  • 2 oz tortilla chips lightly crushed
  • 3 oz Monterey Jack grated

Method
 

  1. Heat oil in a 6-quart pot over medium-high heat. Cook turkey and onion for 8 minutes, breaking up the meat, until the turkey reaches 165°F.
  2. Stir in cumin, chili powder and salt for 30 seconds. Add salsa verde and broth and bring to a simmer.
  3. Whisk refried beans into the liquid until evenly dispersed, then fold in whole pinto beans and corn.
  4. Simmer uncovered for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring from the bottom, until corn is hot and the soup is lightly thickened.
  5. Stir in lime juice. Divide among 6 bowls and top evenly with Monterey Jack and crushed tortilla chips just before eating.