Photo- Luke Austin Daugherty

As we all tend to do a day or two after Thanksgiving, I found myself trying to figure out how to use some of our leftovers. I have always loved making soups of all kinds, so, I decided to create a unique Turkey Vegetable soup today. Total time from prep to serving was under an hour.

In a 6 qt. pot, I added:

-2 1/2 quarts water

-1 1/2 pounds leftover turkey (light and dark meat)

– about 15 sliced baby carrots

– 1 large yellow bell pepper

-1/2 a stalk of celery

-6 leaves of napa cabbage

-one medium onion

– one can of green beans (I actually had about a can’s worth of leftover green beans to use)

– about 10 sliced mushrooms

-3 chopped cloves garlic

-1/2 a handful of chopped cilantro

– a few shakes of thyme, marjoram, salt, and pepper.

-3 chicken bullion cubes and the two turkey leg bones cooked in for broth flavor. Having some dark meat in the mix also helps with the flavor.

-Topped with a dollop of sour cream, cilantro, carrot shaving, and paprika. Celery stalk end floral garnish.

Combine and bring all ingredients to boil. Allow to boil for about 15 minutes and then reduce heat to simmer for about 30 minutes, or until fresh vegetables are tender. Serve with or without garnish. Salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy! Also, adapt to your own recipe or based on what ingredients you have available. -Luke