There is something about a big pot of beans, smoked turkey and greens that just feels like soul food. This 15 Bean Smoked Turkey Soup with Collard Greens has all of that slow-simmered, Sunday-dinner flavor, but the Instant Pot gets it on the table without soaking the beans overnight or letting a pot cook for hours.
I used a bag of 15 bean soup mix, a smoked turkey wing, frozen collard greens and a simple mirepoix of onion, carrots and celery. Everything goes straight into the Instant Pot and pressure cooks for 45 minutes until the beans are tender and the smoked turkey is practically falling off the bone.
The best part might be the broth. Between the smoked turkey, beans, vegetables, butter and beef bone broth, it becomes incredibly rich and flavorful. Serve this with warm honey cornbread muffins and you have the kind of meal that tastes like you spent all day making it.
Why the Instant Pot works so well for 15 bean soup
Dried beans are delicious, but they usually require some planning. The Instant Pot eliminates the need to soak the beans overnight and gives them plenty of time under pressure to become tender while the smoked turkey flavors the broth.
I pressure cooked mine for 45 minutes on high pressure and did a quick release, and my beans were perfectly cooked. You can also allow the pressure to release naturally if you have the extra time.
One thing I would not skip is rinsing the beans really well before cooking. Pour them into a colander, remove the seasoning packet from the bag, pick through the beans for any debris and rinse them thoroughly under cool running water.
Frozen collard greens make this even easier
You absolutely can use fresh collard greens here, but I used one bag of frozen collard greens and loved how easy it made the recipe.
There’s no stemming, chopping or washing a huge bunch of greens. They can go right into the Instant Pot with everything else and become tender while the soup cooks. If you’re using fresh collards, wash them very thoroughly, remove the tough center stems and roughly chop the leaves before adding them.
Be careful with the salt
This is one recipe where I recommend seasoning conservatively in the beginning.
Smoked turkey can already be pretty salty, and you’re also getting sodium from the Better Than Bouillon, Cajun seasoning, bone broth and potentially the seasoning packet that comes with the beans.
You can use that seasoning packet if you’d like, but I would add it cautiously. It’s much easier to add more seasoning after pressure cooking than to fix an overly salty pot of soup.
Can I make this in a slow cooker?
Absolutely. If you prefer to let this cook low and slow, add the rinsed beans, smoked turkey, vegetables, collard greens, seasonings, butter, Better Than Bouillon and broth to your slow cooker. Add enough water to generously cover the beans, without overfilling the slow cooker.
Cover and cook on LOW for 8–10 hours, or until the beans are completely tender and the smoked turkey easily pulls away from the bone. Remove the turkey, discard the skin and bones, shred the meat and stir it back into the soup. Add additional broth or water as needed to get the soup consistency you like, then taste and adjust the seasonings before serving.
Note: Unlike the Instant Pot method, I recommend checking the slow cooker toward the end of cooking and adding a little more hot liquid if the beans have absorbed too much.
Instant Pot 15 Bean Smoked Turkey Soup with Collard Greens
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes, plus time for the Instant Pot to come to pressure
Servings: About 8
Ingredients
- 1 package (about 20 ounces) 15 bean soup mix, seasoning packet removed and reserved
- 1 pound smoked turkey wings
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 package frozen collard greens, about 12 to 16 ounces
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning, plus more to taste
- 1 tablespoon Better Than Bouillon Roasted Chicken Base
- 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter
- 4 cups beef bone broth
- 1 cap full apple cider vinegar
- Water, as needed
- Reserved 15 bean soup seasoning packet, optional and to taste
- Black pepper, to taste
Instructions
1. Rinse the beans.
Pour the beans into a colander and remove the seasoning packet. Pick through the beans and discard any debris or damaged beans. Rinse thoroughly under cool running water and drain. There is no need to soak them.
2. Load the Instant Pot.
Add the rinsed beans to the Instant Pot along with the smoked turkey, onion, carrots, celery, green bell pepper, garlic and frozen collard greens and 1 cap full apple cider vinegar.
Sprinkle in the onion powder, garlic powder and Cajun seasoning. Add the Better Than Bouillon and butter.
3. Add the liquid.
Pour in the beef bone broth, then add enough water for everything to be well covered while staying safely below your Instant Pot’s maximum fill line. Do not exceed the max-fill marking, especially when cooking foods like dried beans that expand during cooking.
If using the seasoning packet from the beans, add only a portion at this point. You can always add more after cooking.
4. Pressure cook.
Secure the lid and set the valve to sealing. Cook on High Pressure for 45 minutes.
When the cooking cycle is complete, carefully perform a quick release according to your Instant Pot’s instructions. A natural release also works if you aren’t in a rush.
5. Shred the smoked turkey.
Carefully remove the smoked turkey pieces from the soup. Once they’re cool enough to handle, pull the meat from the skin and bones. Discard the bones, skin and any tough pieces.
Return the shredded turkey meat to the Instant Pot.
6. Finish the soup.
Stir everything together. At this point, decide how brothy you want your soup. Add a little additional hot water or broth until it reaches your preferred consistency.
Taste before adding any additional salt. Adjust with Cajun seasoning, black pepper or some of the reserved bean seasoning packet as needed.
Serve hot with sweet honey cornbread muffins on the side.
The leftover soup will thicken—a lot
Don’t be surprised when you open the refrigerator the next day and your soup looks more like a gel than a soup. That’s actually one of my favorite parts.
The smoked turkey bones contain collagen, which converts to gelatin during cooking. Once refrigerated, that gelatin firms up and gives the broth that jiggly consistency. As soon as you heat it, it will loosen again.
For leftovers, add a splash of water or broth while reheating until the soup gets back to the consistency you like. You may need to do this every time you reheat it because the beans will continue absorbing some of the liquid as they sit.
And honestly, this is one of those recipes that might taste even better the next day. The smoky turkey, creamy beans and collard greens have even more time to come together.
Pro tip
If you’re making this specifically for meal prep, leave the soup slightly brothier than you think you want it on the first day. The beans will continue to soak up that flavorful broth in the refrigerator.
What to serve with 15 bean soup
For me, it’s cornbread. I made sweet honey cornbread muffins to go alongside the soup, and that little bit of sweetness against the smoky, savory broth was exactly what it needed.
This is a full meal on its own—the beans make it hearty, the smoked turkey brings plenty of flavor and the collard greens get some vegetables into every bowl. It’s warm, filling and exactly the kind of recipe I want in rotation once soup season hits.
15 Bean Smoked Turkey Soup with Collard Greens
Ingredients
- 1 package, about 20 ounces 15 bean soup mix, seasoning packet removed and reserved
- 1 pound smoked turkey wings
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 package frozen collard greens, about 12 to 16 ounces
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning, plus more to taste
- 1 tablespoon Better Than Bouillon Roasted Chicken Base
- 1 stick, 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 cups beef bone broth
- Water, as needed
- Reserved 15 bean soup seasoning packet, optional and to taste
- Black pepper, to taste
- 1 cap full apple cider vinegar
Instructions
Rinse the beans.
- Pour the beans into a colander and remove the seasoning packet. Pick through the beans and discard any debris or damaged beans. Rinse thoroughly under cool running water and drain. There is no need to soak them.
Load the Instant Pot.
- Add the rinsed beans to the Instant Pot along with the smoked turkey, onion, carrots, celery, green bell pepper, garlic and frozen collard greens and 1 cap full apple cider vinegar.
- Sprinkle in the onion powder, garlic powder and Cajun seasoning. Add the Better Than Bouillon and butter.
Add the liquid.
- Pour in the beef bone broth, then add enough water for everything to be well covered while staying safely below your Instant Pot’s maximum fill line. Do not exceed the max-fill marking, especially when cooking foods like dried beans that expand during cooking.
- If using the seasoning packet from the beans, add only a portion at this point. You can always add more after cooking.
Pressure cook.
- Secure the lid and set the valve to sealing. Cook on High Pressure for 45 minutes.
- When the cooking cycle is complete, carefully perform a quick release according to your Instant Pot’s instructions. A natural release also works if you aren’t in a rush.
Shred the smoked turkey.
- Carefully remove the smoked turkey pieces from the soup. Once they’re cool enough to handle, pull the meat from the skin and bones. Discard the bones, skin and any tough pieces.
- Return the shredded turkey meat to the Instant Pot.
Finish the soup.
- Stir everything together. At this point, decide how brothy you want your soup. Add a little additional hot water or broth until it reaches your preferred consistency.
- Taste before adding any additional salt. Adjust with Cajun seasoning, black pepper or some of the reserved bean seasoning packet as needed.
Serve hot with sweet honey cornbread muffins on the side.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
