What to do with holiday party leftovers??? Always a conundrum. I don’t feel like I’m very good at repurposing leftovers. Honestly, my favorite way to eat them is in sandwich form. Very simple, but oh, so good! Just pan toast a roll, slather it in butter and layer in the leftover turkey, ham, sliced cheese from the cheese tray, maybe add some salami, might throw on a few veggies, but mostly meat. We had our annual friends Christmas dinner party this past weekend, and there was a lot of leftover turkey. Kris is traveling for work so I needed to do something with the turkey other than eat turkey roll sandwiches all week. Thus, I made this delicious, simple southwest leftover turkey soup.
Unfortunately, leftover turkey can be pretty dry, especially if you don’t have any leftover gravy…We didn’t even make gravy from the get-go, so definitely needed to get creative with the leftovers. Kris and I always cook a turkey and a ham for the Christmas dinner, and there was way more leftover turkey than ham this year. And then with Kris being gone, I thought soup would be an excellent way to put the turkey to good use.
This soup is very easy to make, so you can easily modify it to suit your tastes. I started out by sautéing two onions in olive oil, then added in minced garlic, and a large can of diced green chiles. If you don’t have canned green chiles, a jar of salsa would work too. Then I added in chicken broth and the leftover turkey. Since not everyone has leftover turkey on hand, you could use rotisserie chicken in place of turkey. Finally I threw in a few handfuls of arugula to get in some extra veggies. Spinach would be a good option too. Top with shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, and tortilla chips. And there you have it, a simple, healthy soup and a perfect way to use up leftovers. Hope you enjoy this southwest leftover turkey soup!
- 2 medium onions sliced into thin strips
- 2-4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 27 ounce can of green chiles mild, medium, or hot OR a jar of salsa - at least 16 oz
- 8 cups 64 oz of chicken broth
- 3-4 cups of leftover turkey or chicken meat chopped or shredded into 1 inch pieces
- 3-4 handfuls of arugula or spinach
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Sour cream
- Tortilla chips
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In a large stockpot or sauce pan, heat olive oil over medium heat.
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Add in sliced onions and sauté until soft, about 5-8 minutes.
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Then add in the garlic. Stir occasionally and let garlic cook for 2-3 minutes.
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Next add in the canned green chiles or salsa.
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Pour in the chicken broth and stir.
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Add in the leftover turkey or chicken.
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Season with cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.
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Finally add in the arugula or spinach. Cook for an additional 5 minutes.
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Top with shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, and tortilla chips.
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