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Slightly-spicy Slow Cooker Ground Turkey Soup has pinto beans, peppers, chiles, and Green Chile Enchilada sauce for extra flavor! See tips in the post for making a version with even fewer carbs.

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Slow Cooker Ground Turkey Soup in serving bowl with grated cheese

Ever since I made Layered Mexican Casserole with Chicken and Pinto Beans I find myself grabbing a few cans of Hatch Green Chile Enchilada Sauce whenever I’m at the grocery store. There are other good brands of green chile enchilada sauce, but Hatch brand seems perfect to my tastebuds, and when I wanted to spice up this Slow Cooker Ground Turkey Soup the Hatch Enchilada Sauce plus a can of diced green chiles gave me just the right amount of heat. (And just in case anyone is wondering, Hatch company hasn’t paid me to mention their Green Chile Enchilada Sauce, I just love it!)

I loved the soup with a little grated cheese sprinkled on top, and for those who’d like even more heat, Green Tabasco Sauce is the perfect thing to add to your soup at the table. And I know some people want those slow cooker recipes that can cook all day on low, but when you haven’t planned ahead, this is something you can throw together in the afternoon and after a few hours on high, you have a delicious dinner. I cooked my soup for 3 hours on high (and another hour or so wouldn’t hurt), but if you need more time than that, 6-8 hours on low would also work just fine.

What ingredients do you need for this recipe?

How can you make this soup lower in carbs?

You can use more turkey and skip the beans to make this a low-carb soup. Or check out Green Chile Turkey Enchilada Soup which is a similar soup made in the Instant Pot that has the option of replacing the beans with cauliflower rice.

Slow Cooker Soup with Turkey, Pinto Beans, Peppers, and Chiles process shots collage

How to make Slow Cooker Ground Turkey Soup :

(Scroll down for complete recipe with nutritional information.)

  1. Heat a little oil in frying pan, brown the ground turkey very well; then add turkey to the slow cooker. (Browning adds flavor for slow cooker dishes, so don’t rush this step.)
  2. Add more oil and cook the onions for about 5 minutes, or until they’re pretty well softened; then add the Ancho chile powder, ground cumin, and dried Mexican oregano and cook about a minute more. Add the onion mixture to the slow cooker.
  3. Rinse the pinto beans until no more foam appears, and add to the slow cooker. (This removes the salt and makes the beans a little easier to digest.)
  4. Add the finely chopped red bell pepper, Hatch Green Chile Enchilada Sauce (affiliate link), diced green chiles (affiliate link), and chicken broth or homemade chicken stock. If you need gluten-free, be sure to use a brand of green chile enchilada sauce that’s gluten free.
  5. Cook the soup for 3-4 hours on high (or 6-8 hours on low).
  6. Serve hot, with grated cheese and Green Tabasco Sauce (affiliate link) to add at the table.  

Spicy Slow Cooker soup with Turkey, Pinto Beans, Red Pepper, and Green Chiles [found on KalynsKitchen.com]

More Tasty Slow Cooker Dinners:

Slow Cooker Greek Lentil Soup
Shredded Beef Tacos with Spicy Slaw and Avocado 
Balsamic and Onion Pot Roast
Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice Soup 

Weekend Food Prep:

This recipe has been added to a category called Weekend Food Prep  to help you find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!

Slow Cooker Ground Turkey Soup
Yield: 6 servings

Slow Cooker Ground Turkey Soup

Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 25 minutes

Slow Cooker Ground Turkey Soup has pinto beans, peppers, and chiles, plus some Green Chile Enchilada Sauce for a bit more flavor and heat! This green chile turkey soup will warm you up on a cold night!

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 lbs. lean ground turkey
  • 2 tsp. + 1 tsp. olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped small
  • 2 tsp. ground Ancho chile (see notes)
  • 1 T ground cumin
  • 1 tsp. dried Mexican oregano (see notes)
  • one 15 oz. can pinto beans, rinsed with cold water and drained
  • 1 large red bell pepper, seeds removed and chopped small
  • one 15 oz. can Hatch Green Chile Enchilada Sauce (see notes)
  • one 4 oz. can diced green chiles
  • 2 cups chicken broth (see notes)
  • grated mozzarella or 4 Cheese Mexican Blend, for serving
  • Green Tabasco Sauce or other hot sauce of your choice, for serving

Instructions

  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.)
  2. Add browned turkey to the slow cooker.
  3. Then add another teaspoon of oil to pan and cook the chopped onions until they are well softened, about 5 minutes.
  4. Add the ground Ancho chiles, ground cumin, and Mexican oregano and cook about 1 minute more.
  5. Add the onion-spices mixture to the slow cooker.
  6. 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.
  7. Dice the red bell pepper into smallish pieces.
  8. 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.
  9. 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.
  10. Cook on high about 3-4 hours, or until the soup is fragrant and bell peppers are softened.  (You can also cook for 6-8 hours on low if you prefer.)
  11. Serve hot, with grated cheese and Green Tabasco Sauce (affiliate link) if desired.

Notes

I used a 3.5 Quart Slow Cooker (affiliate link) for this recipe.

I love ground Ancho chile (affiliate link) but use any ground chile powder if you don’t have Ancho. Regular oregano will work, although Mexican oregano is great with these flavors.

I make my own homemade chicken stock but canned chicken broth is fine for this.

I love Hatch Green Chile Enchilada Sauce (affiliate link) and it's gluten-free, but use any brand you prefer.

Recipe inspired by Beef and Bean Chile Verde from One Perfect Bite.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 419Total Fat: 22gSaturated Fat: 5.4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 13.4gCholesterol: 122mgSodium: 691mgCarbohydrates: 24gFiber: 5.4gSugar: 8.1gProtein: 35g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

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© Kalyn Denny
Category: Slow Cooker

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Since this Slow Cooker Ground Turkey Soup has pinto beans, it’s probably too high in carbs for strict low-carb diets, but you could double the turkey and skip the beans for a low-carb version. With lean ground turkey and low-fat cheese, the soup is good for any phase of the original South Beach Diet.  (Green chile enchilada sauce does contain a small amount of cornstarch and sugar, but the amount per serving is very small.)

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Slow Cooker Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You can also Follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there. Click here for Slow Cooker and Pressure Cooker Recipes on my other site!

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This recipe was posted in 2012. It was last updated with more information in 2021.

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