Bean Medley Stew – an Idea for Thanksgiving Leftovers

November 25, 2011  •  One Dish Meals, Soup

The day after Thanksgiving. Some people will wake up today and make a bee line for the Christmas decorations, moving swiftly from one season to the next. That’s me – I never put up any decorations for any season too early, but since there is only a short time between Thanksgiving and Christmas, I want to be able to enjoy the beauty for as long as possible. Others will wake up today and wonder just how they managed to eat so much food yesterday and will be struggling with ideas for the leftover turkey. If you’re in this category (they aren’t mutually exclusive – I’m pretty sure I’m in both), then this post is for you.
One of the things I love about the big box stores like Costco is finding things like this – it’s a wonderful bean mixture, it comes in a huge container, and it’s really beautiful.You simmer the beans for about 2 hours until tender (no soaking the night before needed!) and then do what you want with them. They’re packed full of nutrition, and I added some veggies – carrots, celery, onion, kale – to the mix along with some pieces of cooked pork that I had left over. But you could just as easily toss in chopped cooked leftover turkey and some leftover veggies from your holiday. Peas, carrots, broccoli, squash could all be added nicely to the mix. To add flavor, simmer the soup with Parmigiano Reggiano rinds and season well with salt and pepper. Enjoy the holiday season!

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  1. Boulder Locavore says:

    Happy Holidays Michele! Love the idea of this stew. I must admit I’m still ‘hungover’ (no booze, just food) from yesterday and my mind has not wandered to what to do with all the leftovers. I love beans and legumes and this would be a wonderful way to use them (and freeze more for later). Hope you had a lovely day yesterday!

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