Leftover Turkey Lemon Soup

30Nov09

Today, in Boston, it is grey and rainy and generally dreary. Which is, if you ask me, a perfect example of how I feel about going back to work after the Thanksgiving holiday. All of the planning, the cooking, the eating, seeing family and friends, traveling, and relaxing is over, and we’re back to work… with no less than 25 shopping days until Christmas. How did that happen? Where did November go? I do believe it flew right by. On a rainy yucky day like this there is no better way to mourn the end of the Turkey Day break than with lemony, smooth, leftover turkey soup. If you’re like my family, there aren’t many leftovers by the Sunday after Thanksgiving (that’s 2 dinners and 3 lunches later…) but if you do have some Turkey, and you are looking for a quick meal that will give you a break from the uber Thanksgiving flavors of potatoes and cranberries, then you’ve found it here. Most of the ingredients you probably already have, and you can probably whip this up in half an hour or so. It’s relatively light, but full of protein and quite satisfying.

Leftover Turkey Lemon Soup (serves 4, inspired by this recipe in Food Network magazine)
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Onion, diced
S & P
2 Lemons (juice from both and zest from half of one)
2 cups Chicken Broth/Stock
4 cups Water
3/4 cup Pastina (“Little Pasta” often a star shape)
4 Eggs
1 1/2 – 2 cups leftover Turkey, shredded, as in photo
2-3 cups Baby Spinach
Parmesan Cheese for topping

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. When hot, add the onions and salt and pepper and saute until onions are soft, about 5 minutes. Add the juice from one lemon, the lemon zest, the stock, and the water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add the pastina and reduce to medium. Let simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. (Side note: how freakin’ cute are these little Pastina pastas? adorable.)

Next, remove the soup from the heat while you whisk together the juice from the other lemon, two whole eggs, and two egg yolks. I used a hand mixer to get it extra frothy and smooth. Plus, it’s fun! Scoop out about 1/2 – 2/3 cup of the hot/warm broth and slowly add it to the egg mixture while whisking (or beating). This brings the eggs up to temperature without cooking them into one lump of eggs. You can add more if you feel like the egg mixture doesn’t warm up enough.

When the egg mixture is warm, slowly stir it into the soup pot and return the soup to low heat. Microwave the turkey so it’s not cold when it goes into the soup, and then add it to the pot. When the soup is back up to serving temperature, stir in the spinach greens and serve before they lose their nice bright green color! Top with parmesan for a little added salty/savory kick.

Filed under: few ingredients, quick, supper   |  5 Comments