I didn't make a turkey on Thanksgiving. Now, I enjoyed turkey, along with bacon-wrapped roasted pork, maple-cayenne sweet potatoes, and a half a dozen bites of different kinds of pie, among other culinary delights. But, I did not make a turkey. We enjoyed a glorious potluck style gathering at the home of a dear friend and waited until after the big day to head home with a fine turkey. After being thawed for nearly a week in the refrigerator, the yummy bird got the hot treatment over the weekend and was enjoyed by all.
And now I have the best part of all: leftovers.
I've got oodles of great ideas for using leftover turkey, but my all-time favorites include turkey salad sandwiches and turkey white chili. Today, I'm sharing the later recipe with you. I'm particularly fond of this recipe because it's very unlike the way in which the bird was served the first time around. It's not really leftovers as much as an ingredient makeover that gives you a spicy dish to enjoy in an entirely different way. What's more, this particular recipe takes advantage of your crockpot, which means you put in about ten minutes of work and the crockpot greets you with a delicious dinner after your day is done. Sounds good to me.
In a season in which work continues, holiday gifts need locating and purchasing, and decorating and entertaining take up way more time than they did just a month ago, having dishes like this to turn to save time and sanity at a time when we all could use a lot more of both!
Crockpot Turkey White Chili
- 1 large white or yellow onion, chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped coarsely
- 1 c. dried white beans, picked through and rinsed
- 1 quart turkey stock (or chicken stock)
- 1 c. hot green salsa (use your favorite variety -- I like Mrs. Renfro's green salsa)
- 1 c. frozen corn
- 3 c. coarsely chopped turkey (I favor using dark meat for this)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Prepare and add all of the ingredients (except the salt and pepper) to a 4-6 quart crockpot. If the ingredients are not all completely submerged, add enough water to just cover it all. Cook for 6 hours on LOW. Before serving, add salt and pepper, to taste. Serve with more green salsa, sour cream, shredded cheese, chopped avocado, and/or chopped onion, if desired. Cornbread or corn chips are also very nice alongside.
- Yields: 4-6 servings
- Preparation Time: 10 minutes, plus 6 hours hands-off cooking time