Leftover Turkey Breast Soup with Spinach, White Beans, and Tomatoes

Leftover Turkey Breast Soup with Spinach, White Beans and Tomatoes

I’m so excited! I’ve just come back from the most amazing digital photography class. I now officially know how to mess with most of the dials, menus, and gadgets on my digital camera. That doesn’t mean I can use them well yet, but with a little practice (OK a LOT of practice) I should be able to start taking my food photographs the way I want to quickly instead of having to eat my dinner cold every night because after 20 minutes of trial and error I just give up and photoshop the crap out of them. On to the recipe now, with one of my digitally “enhanced” food shots from earlier in the week.

We had quite the soup week at our house. If you still have any leftover turkey in the freezer you are still trying to use up, this soup is an excellent candidate. And it’s quick, too! Perfect for a weeknight meal. And you can easily substitute many of the ingredients, or leave them out all together. The original recipe came from Taste of Home, but I lacked some of the fresh ingredients it called for and was able to substitute with frozen or canned. And because I felt like it, I also added a couple of new things, like lemon and onion. Whenever I see spinach in a recipe now, I always think of adding crushed red pepper flakes and lemon juice. I sure wish I had fresh spinach for this, but using frozen worked out fine.

Leftover Turkey Breast Soup with Spinach, White Beans, and Tomatoes
Adapted from Taste of Home

1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup chopped baby carrots
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
4 cups homemade or low-sodium turkey or chicken broth
2 cans low-sodium petite diced tomatoes
1 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed, or 1 6-0unce package fresh baby spinach
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
2 cans white beans, any kind, drained and rinsed
2 cups turkey breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
Shredded parmesan cheese

In a dutch oven or soup pot, heat the oil and saute the carrots and onions for about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and crushed red pepper flakes and cook about a minute more. Add the broth, then bring up to a simmer for 15 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients except the cheese, bring back up to a simmer, and cook for another 10 to 15 minutes. Serve with shredded parmesan cheese and crusty bread, or in our case, crackers. No fresh, crusty bread in the houses that night either. This soup is filling and full of flavor, and a snap to make.

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