Thanksgiving this year is going to be a little bit weird for us. Usually, we go out of town to visit my grandmother, and it’s always an amazing time. But to be honest, things with Ketchup have been a little iffy around here– with new therapies starting and old ones ending, he’s in such a great period of transition that we don’t really want to rock the boat. It’s going to be our first Thanksgiving in years being home for the holiday instead of visiting family, and honestly? We’re going out to eat. But that doesn’t mean we didn’t buy one of those delicious turkeys on sale… a good Thanksgiving-in-January preparation, if you will. But one thing I really love about Thanksgiving, regardless of where I spend it, is the leftovers. Then again, after a day or two, you really get tired of Turkey Sandwiches… that’s where this yummy soup comes in. It’s easy to make, it’s delicious, and it uses stuff you probably have on hand after Thanksgiving dinner– you can swap out any vegetables or meat you’d like, meaning this turkey vegetable soup could just as easily become a ham and potato soup, or a vegetarian hearty vegetable soup… the possibilities are endless, so let’s get cooking.
To start the soup, you’re going to want to pull out any vegetables you have on hand. I personally had some carrots, bell pepper, onion, zucchini, mushrooms, and potatoes on hand. I also had a leftover bag of frozen corn that we hadn’t used. Really, though, if you just have potatoes leftover from your favorite potato dish, or carrots leftover from a vegetable tray, that’s fine– use what you’ve got. The more vegetables you have, the heartier and chunkier your soup will be, but rock what you’ve got.
Start out by dicing everything up nice and fine. You’ll want them to be small, even chunks. I like mine pretty tiny because I love to be able to pack a lot of vegetables on a small soup spoon. Just chop up all of the veggies you want to add, and you’re good to go.
It helps if your vegetables are cooked before you put them in the soup (though it’s not essential– a low simmer in the soup can help cook them), because you’ll want them nice and tender. I just put my vegetables into a saucepan on the stove with butter and stirred them every few minutes while I prepared the broth.
To get a good broth started, you’ll want to start with a stick of butter in a nice big stock pot. Melt it down, seasoning with pepper, salt, garlic powder, and other seasonings you love. Then, add some flour to thicken it. Essentially, you’ll want to make a really nice roux that will act as a base for thickening your soup– it doesn’t take a ton of time, but making sure you’ve got your butter and flour well combined before adding other liquids is essential to the process.
Once your roux is nice and thick, add in a carton of chicken broth (you can definitely substitute vegetable broth for this, too!) and start tossing in your vegetables to let the mixture cook together for awhile. I leave it in this state for about half an hour just to get a great flavor blend.
It’s at this time that you can also add some turkey, or any other meat you desire. I just chopped up some sliced turkey and tossed it in, but ham works well, as does leaving it vegetarian. Small dices are the best for making sure your turkey blends into the turkey vegetable soup seamlessly.
After you let your broth simmer awhile, it’s time to add in some half and half. This is what will help give you a nice, creamy flavor for your soup, which is just delicious. Bring your turkey vegetable soup back to a simmer, stirring it occasionally. After about 15 minutes, it’ll be ready to serve!
- 1 stick butter
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/3 cup flour
- 1 carton chicken broth
- 3 cups water
- 2 cups chopped cooked vegetables
- 1 cup chopped cooked turkey
- 1 quart half and half
- In the bottom of a stock pot, melt butter and add seasonings. Bring butter to simmer.
- Add flour, stirring until thick.
- Add broth, stirring to ensure roux is dissolved.
- Next, put vegetables and turkey in, then bring soup to a boil.
- Let the soup boil for 20-30 minutes, then add half and half. Add more seasonings as needed or desired.
- Simmer for 20-30 minutes longer, then serve.
- Try substituting another meat, like ham, or remove meat and replace it with more vegetables for a vegetarian option. Use any broth you have on hand, and any vegetables you have leftover from the holidays.
What’s your favorite way to use up Thanksgiving or Christmas leftovers? Let me know in the comments below! Happy Holidays, y’all!
Okay I will be honest I really did not think I would like this. I dont like vegetable soups very much. But this was the best. i loved this so much. In fact my family was all wanting us to make more turkey so we could have this soup again. LOVE IT!
In a pinch, a package of your favorite deli section carving board style turkey will work well, or you can swap in chicken instead! So glad you enjoyed it!