Easy Turkey Vegetable Soup

Don’t throw away those turkey bones after Thanksgiving dinner!

Use them to make bone broth…and then create this easy soup using leftover mashed potatoes, leftover turkey, and a few kitchen staples.

Don’t worry if you don’t have exactly what’s in the recipe! I encourage you to improvise. Fennel, leeks, cabbage, parsnips, and sweet potatoes would work just as well. The goal is not to go to the store!

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 yellow onion, diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

4 large carrots, unpeeled and diced

4 large stalks of celery, diced

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon dried thyme

Salt and pepper to taste

6 cups bone broth, store-bought broth (or water in a pinch)

1 dried bay leaf

1/2 cup whole grain of choice (like millet, quinoa, farro or barley)

1 cup of shredded turkey

1/2 cup leftover mashed potatoes, optional

Directions

1. Heat a large pot over medium heat. Sauté onions until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, carrots and celery and sauté a few minutes more. Add a little stock if pot becomes dry.

2. Add garlic powder, thyme and salt and pepper. Continue to sauté until vegetables are just slightly softened.

3. Add broth or stock and bayleaf and bring soup to a boil. Add whole grain and allow soup to cook for about 20 minutes until your whole grain is done and vegetables are tender.

4. Add turkey and mashed potatoes to soup and stir to combine. Allow to simmer a few minutes more to combine the flavors. (Alternatively, you can serve a dollop of warmed mashed potatoes on top of your soup if you don’t want to stir it in!)

Enjoy!