Intro to Cooking: Thanksgiving Leftover Turkey Soup

By Sara C

So it’s the Sunday after Thanksgiving, and somehow you’re still noshing on leftovers (straight out of the fridge…late at night). The only question more prevalent right now than “what do you want for Christmas?” is “what am I gonna do with all this damn turkey?” Fortunately, CollegeCandy has your answer (don’t we always?) And that answer is: turkey soup!

The ingredient: Chicken Stock

There are two benefits to this soup, the first being that (more than likely), soup wasn’t one of the four billion side dishes you consumed last week, so it’ll be a change of pace for your taste buds. The second benefit is that the chicken stock used for the recipe is an immune booster that aids digestion and improves mineral absorption, all of which will be key to staying healthy for the end of the semester and that dreaded finals crunch.

The Recipe: modified from the Whatchagot Soup courtesy of Better Homes & Gardens (now college-student approved!)

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
8 ounces turkey leftovers
3 cups cut-up vegetables (such as chopped zucchini, small broccoli or cauliflower florets, chopped celery, chopped onion, chopped carrots, chopped potatoes, corn, peas, and/or chopped, seeded tomatoes. Basically, what you got lying around/like)
1 32-ounce carton chicken broth
1/2 of a 6-ounce can (1/3 cup) tomato paste
1 1-ounce envelope dry onion soup mix
1/2 teaspoon dried herbs (such as Italian seasoning, basil, oregano, or rosemary), crushed; or 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper or dried thyme, crushed
1 cup cooked rice
Salt
Ground black pepper

Instructions:

1. In a 4- or 5-quart pot heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium-high heat. Add meat; cook and stir until meat is browned and cooked through. If necessary, drain off and discard fat. Remove meat from saucepan; set aside.

2. In the same pot, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Add vegetables; cook and stir for 3 to 5 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Return meat to pot.

3. Stir broth, tomato paste, onion soup mix, and herb into mixture in pot. Bring to boiling over high heat; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in cooked rice. Season with salt and pepper. Makes 4 (1-1/2 cup) servings.