This Turkey and Fava bean soup is a great way to use your leftover turkey meat after Thanksgiving.
We’re all familiar with lentils in soups. Lentils are great because they cook up fast and soft in under an hour. Fava beans also cook up relatively fast, but they have a much smoother and creamier consistency, which feels like butter on your tongue.
In fact, this soup is kind of like eating turkey with mashed potatoes, it’s that creamy. Fava beans are generally starchier than other beans, but are mild and just a bit earthy flavored. They break down quickly, and the longer they are cooked the thicker the soup will become.
If you are wondering why I have fava beans in my pantry, it is because I when I was in Santorini, I fell in love with the local dish there called fava. The Santorini fava is a special version of the bean only grown there. And the salad they make with the local fava is a creamy humus-like dish but with a brighter yellow color, and a smoother, nuttier, milder flavor.
Tips for making this soup
This soup is so easy. To keep it fast, use the split, shelled version of favas. Otherwise you’ll need to soak the beans overnight. The favas I use are yellow, which naturally have a more mild flavor than the greenish-brown versions of the same bean.
For a meatier soup, add some Turkey meat along with the carcass. A thigh or a drum stick will provide a good bit of additional meat and flavor.
Although I’m making this in a slow cooker, you could also cook this up on the stove top for a faster finish.
Ingredients
- Half of the carcass from your Thanksgiving turkey. You can also add a thigh or drumstick for extra meat.
- 2 stalks of celery, chopped
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 cups cubed potatoes
- 2 1/2 cups of shelled and split dry fava beans
Instructions for Turkey and Fava bean soup
- Place your turkey carcass and leftover meat in a large pot. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Transfer the turkey and the water to a slow cooker. Cook on high for about one hour.
- When the meat is almost falling off the bone, pull the carcass out of the slow cooker and place it on a large cutting board. Leave the broth in the slow cooker. Using a pair of tongs and a fork, remove the skin from the turkey and dispose or feed it to your chickens. Use two forks to remove the meat from the bone and put the good turkey meat back in the slow cooker with the broth.
- Add the fava beans, onions and the celery to the slow cooker and allow to cook another 3 hours.
- About one hour before serving, add the cubed potatoes.
- This soup doesn’t need a garnish, but a bit of chives or fresh sliced serrano peppers looks great.
