Thanksgiving Soup

Here is another great use for Thanksgiving leftover turkey and ham.  I have been making different versions of the same North Woods Bean Soup just because it's so good!  

Thanksgiving Soup

Yield: 5 servings (serving size: about 1 1/2 cups)

Ingredients

Cooking spray
1 cup baby carrots, halved
1 cup chopped onion
3 cups chopped turkey and ham
2 garlic cloves, minced
5 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
Dash thyme
Dash oregano
Dash paprika
Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Handful of lentils
1 (15.8-ounce) cans Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
1 (6-ounce) bag fresh baby spinach leaves
Handful of green onions, chopped

Directions

1. Spray a Dutch Oven with EVOO spray over medium high heat. Add the onion and carrots and stir to mix initially but then let them sit for about five minutes until the mixture can get a bit of caramelization on the bottom. Lower the heat to medium, add the garlic and sauté continuously for about another two minutes.

2. Add the meat and sauté another 5 minutes, then pour in the chicken broth and scrape to deglaze the bottom.

3. Add the seasonings, bay leaf and lentils.  Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

4. Add the beans and simmer an additional 20 minutes.

5. Remove the soup from heat and add the spinach and green onion. Continue to stir until the spinach wilts down.

6. Serve with crusty bread or whole grain crackers.