Leftover Turkey Vegetable Soup

Leftover Turkey Vegetable Soup

Growing up, my mom was always very thrifty with leftovers…. okay… most of the the time she was thrifty.  We had a giant turkey at Thanksgiving and an even bigger one at Christmas… which meant we had tons of leftover turkey that went into the freezer to have turkey 100 different ways throughout the year.  Usually by Spring I was sick of it.

This year I didn’t cook a turkey but instead went to someone else’s house bringing many side side dishes, biscuits and made the gravy (I make gravy good!).  I still managed to come home with a lot of leftovers but had to work late the next couple days and didn’t get to them.  Concerned about the turkey going bad before I had a chance to eat it, I decided I could use it all at once and make a hearty soup (and it would be the healthiest option after indulging on Thanksgiving).

The following is a soup I threw together… then measurements are as close as possible.  When making soup, you can add just about any herbs and veggies you have and adjust to your taste as needed.

LEFTOVER TURKEY VEGETABLE SOUP

1 lb left over cooked turkey (approx), cut into bite-size pieces

1 medium onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 large carrots, diced into small pieces

1 large parsnip, diced into small pieces

1 medium turnip, diced small

3 celery stalks, diced small

1 teaspoon all purpose seasoning

2 bay leaves

2 sprigs thyme, marjoram, oregano

1 teaspoon kosher salt (more as needed)

Fresh ground pepper

6 – 8 cups chicken broth, vegetable broth or water (additional broth/water)

2 tablespoons olive oil

Sauté onion in olive oil over medium high heat in a large pot.  As onion begins to sweat, add kosher salt, fresh ground pepper and garlic and sauté an additional 2 – 3 minutes.

Add vegetables, herbs and broth (may need to add water to cover vegetables).  Bring to a low boil then reduce heat to simmer, approximately 20 minutes (until veggies are tender).  As the vegetables soak up the liquid, you may need to add even more broth/liquid.  Add turkey and simmer another 10 minutes.  Adjust seasoning to taste.

Remove herb twigs before serving.

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