Thanksgiving leftovers are the stars in this soup; pair it with a salad for a Panera night .

I ‘m looking at Thanksgiving in my rear view mirror. But I have to tell you, all the  cooking and prep work before the big day has paid off!  We enjoyed the day at a slow pace and ate our big meal in the late afternoon. The turkey and fixins’ came together beautifully; my daughter added in some homemade corn pudding and deviled eggs (thank you Sydney).

So in addition to having a delicious  Thanksgiving meal with my family, an abundance of leftovers made meal prep for Friday, Saturday and even Sunday easy peasy! As a matter of fact, it allowed me time to almost complete my Christmas shopping! Yep, I’m serious and stay tuned because I do have some fun gift ideas for the health enthusiast on your list!

So how do you do Thanksgiving leftovers?  Do you just reheat and serve em’  as you did on the holiday?  No shame in that,  I did it too! But if your leftovers are plentiful, and you’re not into having Thanksgiving for the next week, I’ve got a tip for you!   Repurpose Thanksgiving food so it’s doesn’t resemble leftovers.  Here’s what I mean, leftover turkey and leftover wild rice stuffing from my feast are the stars in this turkey and wild rice soup. Serve this warm  soup with a salad for a Panera night, not a leftovers night!

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Turkey Wild Rice Soup

Thanksgiving leftovers are the stars in this warm soup that pairs well with a tossed salad.

• Author: Diane Boyd
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 8
• Category: soup
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons olive oil

• 1 cup vidalia onion, chopped

• 3 stalks celery, chopped

• 3 large carrots, chopped

• 1 clove garlic, minced

• 8 ounces baby bella mushrooms, sliced

• salt and pepper to taste

• 12 ounces leftover cooked turkey, shredded

• 2 bay leaves

• 1 teaspoon dried sage

• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary

• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

• 8 cups reduced sodium chicken broth

• 2 cups leftover wild rice stuffing

Instructions

1. In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add in onion, celery, carrots and garlic. Cook until softened , about 8 minutes.
2. Add in mushrooms, salt and pepper and cook until mushrooms have released some of their liquid, about 3 minutes.
3. Add in turkey, bay leaves, sage, rosemary, oregano and broth.
4. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes. Stir in wild rice stuffing . Heat another 5 minutes, or until heated through. Remove bay leaves before serving.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 3/4 cup
• Calories: 260
• Sugar: 9 grams
• Sodium: 960 mg
• Fat: 10 grams
• Saturated Fat: 2 grams
• Unsaturated Fat: 2 grams
• Trans Fat: 0
• Carbohydrates: 24 grams
• Fiber: 5 grams
• Protein: 18 grams
• Cholesterol: 45 grams