I know there are plenty of you out there whose favorite part of Thanksgiving are the leftovers. Personally, I am much more a fan of the feast itself, but that doesn’t mean I don’t love leftovers too! I actually make an entirely extra bird just for the sole purpose of having leftovers! Like the rest of the world, my family loves those extras, and I always find it very much appreciated if I can send some good food home with guests. Therefore, a second bird is totally needed!
While we do make plenty of turkey sandwiches (another favorite way to use up extra turkey), sometimes when creating a recipe for leftovers, I’ll keep things simple and do something inspired by chicken noodle soup. Other years I like to have a little fun, and create something somewhat different. Enter this turkey enchilada quinoa soup, hearty, slightly spicy, full of healthy quinoa, studded with shredded turkey, and topped with avocado…oh, and fried tortilla chips! It is everything!
Beyond the amazing flavors, the second best part of this soup is that it comes together in NO time! As long as you have your turkey and some Old El Paso Enchilada Sauce on hand, you’ll have the basic ingredients needed to make a delicious soup! OK well, I did add a few other ingredients, but the most important ones are the turkey and the enchilada sauce!
If you don’t have any quinoa on hand, just use leftover wild rice – that would be equally delicious! Finish the soup off with a hefty topping of cheddar cheese, avocado and tortilla chips. Then sit back and enjoy Thanksgiving leftovers in a whole new way!
PS. are you guys preparing for the big feast today? I was so unprepared this year and only bought my turkey yesterday, but the planning is now in motion! How about you guys…menus set? Make sure to leave a space for an easy appetizer and roll, because that’s what’s coming up this week. YESS!
THE RECIPE
TURKEY ENCHILADA QUINOA SOUP
Course: main course, soup
Cuisine: american, mexican
Keyword: enchilada, quinoa, turkey
Perfect for leftovers
prep time 10 minutes
cook time 20 minutes
total time 30 minutes
servings 6 servings
calories 312 kcal
INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small sweet onion
1 sweet potato chopped (peel if you’d like)
3 cups low sodium chicken broth plus more if needed
3 ounce cans Old El Paso Enchilada Sauce 10
1 ounce can Old El Paso Chopped Green Chiles 4
½ cup dry quinoa
1-2 cups shredded turkey may also use shredded chicken
1 ounce can black beans drained and rinsed, 14
1-2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
diced avocado cilantro, and tortilla crisp/chips, for serving
INSTRUCTIONS
Heat the oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. When the oil shimmers, add the onion and sweet potatoes. Season with salt and pepper and cook for 5-8 minutes or until softened and the onion fragrant. Slowly pour in the chicken broth, enchilada sauce, green chiles, and 1 cup water. Bring the mix to a boil over high heat. Add the quinoa, cover and reduce the heat to low. Cook for 15 minutes or until the quinoa is soft. Stir in the turkey, black beans, and 1 cup cheddar cheese. Cook until the cheese is melted and the turkey warm, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.
Ladle the soup into bowls, garnish with avocado, cheddar cheese, cilantro and chips. Eat!
