Do you have a Black Friday Instant Pot on the way? And a leftover turkey drumstick from Thanksgiving? Pick up some pinto beans at the grocery store, and I've got a recipe for you. (Or, use the extra broth from last week's Day-After-Thanksgiving Turkey Carcass Soup.)
Now, I've had enough of Turkey leftovers - hard to believe, I know, but it was a LOT of turkey - so I sealed a drumstick in a zip-top bag and stashed it in the freezer. In a week or two, once Thanksgiving turkey overload has passed, I'm going to pull it out and make this soup again. (A frozen drumstick doesn't change the recipe. The pressure cooker thaws the drumstick as it cooks the beans, so everything still works.)
Want to make this recipe, but don't have a leftover leg? Check your grocery store's meat department. Mine has smoked turkey drumsticks next to the smoked ham hocks. Or, have a leftover thigh or a few wings instead of a drumstick? Throw them in the pot - they are a perfect substitute for the drumstick.
Equipment
- 6 quart or larger pressure cooker…I go with my bigger, 8 quart Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker
- Stick blender (or regular blender - but don't overfill it)
Pressure Cooker Pinto Bean and Turkey Drumstick Soup
- Total Time: 9 hours
Description
Pressure Cooker Pinto Bean and Turkey Drumstick Soup. Looking to use up a leftover drumstick? Bean soup from the pressure cooker in about an hour.
Ingredients
Brined beans
- 1 pound beans
- 2 teaspoons fine sea salt (or 1 tablespoon kosher salt)
- 2 quarts water
Soup ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 large onion, minced
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 cooked turkey drumstick (left over from thanksgiving, or smoked from your grocery store)
- 5 cups turkey broth (or water, or a mix)
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt (or 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt)
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- Salt and lots of fresh ground black pepper to taste
- Green onions (scallions), chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Soak and brine the beans: Soak the beans overnight: Sort the pinto beans, removing broken beans, stones, and dirt clods. Rinse the beans and put them in a large container with the salt. Cover with 2 quarts water. Let the beans soak for at least 8 hours, or overnight.
- Saute the aromatics: Heat the oil in the pressure cooker pot over medium heat (saute mode in my electric pressure cooker) until shimmering. Add the onion and garlic, and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper. Saute until the onions are softened around the edges, about 5 minutes.
- Pressure cook the beans for 18 minutes with a natural pressure release: Drain and rinse the beans. Pour the beans into the pressure cooker, then nestle the drumstick in the beans. Stir in the broth or water, 1 teaspoon of salt, and ½ teaspoon baking soda. Lock the lid on the pressure cooker, and cook at high pressure for 18 minutes in an electric PC, or 15 minutes in a stovetop PC. Turn off the heat and let the pressure release naturally, about 20 minutes. Remove the lid carefully, opening away from you - even when it’s not under pressure, the steam in the cooker is very hot.
- Thicken, season, and serve: Put the cooker back over medium heat (saute mode in an electric PC) to simmer while finishing the soup. Gently lift out the drumstick, then shred the meat, discarding the skin, tendons and bones. Puree 2 cups of beans and liquid - I use a 4 cup measure and my stick blender - and stir back into the pot. Add the shredded turkey. Taste the soup and add salt (if needed) and lots of fresh ground black pepper. Sprinkle each bowl with chopped green onions and serve.
Equipment
Buy Now → Notes
The drumstick can be frozen when it goes into the pot. The recipe will still work as written.
Forgot to soak the beans? Sort and rinse them, then add them to the pot with an extra cup of broth - 6 cups total. Then pressure cook for 35 minutes at high pressure, with a 20 minute natural pressure release.
- Prep Time: 8 hours
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: American
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What do you think?
Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.
Related Posts
What should you use that extra 2 quarts of turkey broth with? Here are a few suggestions:
Pressure Cooker Bean Mix Soup
Pressure Cooker Tuscan Bean Soup
Pressure Cooker Lentil and Bacon Soup
My other Pressure Cooker Recipes
My other Pressure Cooker Time Lapse Videos
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Megan says
Normally when I cook something that's going to be rich and hearty I would add a splash of acid. What does the baking soda do in this recipe?
Mike Vrobel says
Baking soda helps soften the beans while cooking - it is especially useful if you have hard water. Acid toughens the beans, making them harder to cook, so I'd stir in the splash of acid after cooking.
David S. says
I made this a second time, finally blending some of the beans and got a soup. last time it felt more like turkey and beans, my fault. Still I should add mor liquid. Thanks for the recipe!
Mike Vrobel says
Thank you for the kind words, Dave!