Spicy Slow Cooker Turkey Pinto Bean Soup

By sherryl61

Ingredients

• 1 lb. lean ground turkey )
• 2 tsp. + 1 tsp. olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 tsp. ground Ancho chile (or use any ground chile powder if you don't have Ancho)
• 1 T ground cumin
• 1 tsp. dried Mexican oregano (or regular oregano will work, although Mexican oregano is great with these flavors)
• 1 can (15 oz.) pinto beans, rinsed with cold water and drained
• 1 large red bell pepper, seeds removed and diced
• 1 can (15 oz.) green chile enchilada sauce
• 1 can (3.5 oz.) diced green chiles with juice (Anaheim chiles, not Jalapenos, unless you really want it to be hot)
• 2 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade chicken stock (or 2 cans chicken broth and enough water to make 2 cups)(Also you can use the Knorr stock cups and add 2 cups water to it.)
• grated low-fat mozzarella or 4 Cheese Mexican Blend, for serving
• Green Tabasco Sauce or other hot sauce of your choice, for serving

Details

Preparation time 20mins
Cooking time 480mins
Adapted from kalynsprintablerecipes.blogspot.com

Preparation

Step 1

Heat 2 tsp. oil in a large non-stick frying pan and cook the ground turkey until it is well-browned, breaking apart with the turner as it cooks. (Browning adds a lot of flavor, so don't rush this step.)

Add browned turkey to the slow cooker, then add another teaspoon of oil to pan and saute' the diced onions until they are well softened, about 5 minutes. Add the ground Ancho chile powder, ground cumin, and Mexican oregano and cook about 1 minute more. Add the onion-spice mixture to the slow cooker.

While the turkey is browning, drain the pinto beans into a colander and rinse well with cold water until no more foam appears; then let beans drain.

When browned turkey and onion mixture is in the slow cooker, add the pinto beans, chopped red bell pepper, green chile enchilada sauce, and diced green chiles with juice.

Add the chicken stock to the pan you cooked the turkey and onions in, and scrape off any browned bits, then add that to the slow cooker.

Cook on high about 3 hours, or until the soup is fragrant and bell peppers are softened. (You can probably cook for 6-7 hours on low, but I have not tried it that way.) Serve hot, with grated cheese and Green Tabasco Sauce if desired.