Turkey isn't just for Thanksgiving anymore, and why should it be? It's the unsung hero of dinnertime that your family waits all year to have. Well, they won't have to wait much longer! Because right here we have a delicious and healthy turkey soup recipe that even your pickiest eaters can't resist. And to top it off, many of the ingredients (besides the turkey breast, most likely) you may even have on hand. So, grab your little helpers, and let's make delicious and nutritious turkey soup.
Ingredients:
6 lb. turkey breast with bones (with at least 2 cups meat)
2 medium onions
3 stalks celery
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon
1/2 teaspoon salt
to taste black pepper
1/2 lb. Italian pastina or pasta
Directions:
1. Place turkey breast in a large 6-quart pot. Cover with water until at least 3/4 full.
2. Peel onions, cut into large pieces, and add to pot. Wash celery stalks, slice, and add to pot.
3. Simmer covered for about 2 1/2 hours.
4. Remove the carcass from the pot. Divide soup into smaller, shallower containers for quick cooling in the refrigerator.
5. After cooling, skim off the fat.
6. While the soup cools, remove the remaining meat from the turkey carcass. Cut into pieces.
7. Add turkey meat to skimmed soup, along with herbs and spices.
8. Bring to a boil and add the pastina. Continue cooking on a low boil for about 20 minutes, until the pastina is done. Serve at once or refrigerate for later reheating.
Nutrition
Yield: 16 servings (about 4 quarts of soup)
Serving size: 1 cup
Each serving provides:
- Calories: 201
- Total fat: 2 g
- Saturated fat: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 101 mg
- Sodium: 141 mg
- Total fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 33 g
- Carbohydrates: 11 g
- Potassium: 344 mg
Tips on Making Delicious Healthy Turkey Soup
We know we said that turkey isn't just for Thanksgiving, but what if you have leftover turkey after Thanksgiving dinner? Maybe you were ambitious and bought a larger turkey than your family can handle (it happens to the best of us). Rather than letting it go to waste or trying to send it off in baggies with family and friends, make other meals out of it, particularly healthy turkey soup. This is another great way to use up the remainder of the turkey while creating an entirely new recipe.
Because you'll likely have quite a few leftovers from this recipe, you may not want to store the entire batch in the refrigerator. Otherwise, you'll either be having turkey soup for days or the leftovers won't get eaten in time and it will go to waste. Instead, try storing some of the turkey soup in the refrigerator and the remainder in the freezer. If you want to take it a step further, consider freezing the soup in a plastic ice tray. Once frozen, you can easily pop out the portions and quickly heat them up.
There are so many other creative ways to jazz up this recipe. Consider making it your own by adding different vegetables, additional seasonings, or even another type of protein. Whatever revisions you decide to make, your family is sure to go in for seconds. Enjoy!