Turkey Florentine Soup |Cooking With Amanda

If you have leftovers, this turkey Florentine soup will be the perfect meal to make following the days of your Thanksgiving dinner. This soup is hearty but healthy. It's easy to make and a great meal to eat in between your holiday shopping. It's one of those things that tastes even better after being heated in a microwave.

Thinking back to when I was a child, I remember Thanksgiving dinner being an all- day event. I come from an Italian family and we started eating dinner at about 1 pm. First we had an antipasto. Then it was time for a pasta course. Next was the turkey, sausage stuffing and other sides. Dessert came a little later and included cookies and five different pies with coffee.

I remember the big feast well, but the thing I remember most is that no one ate much of the turkey at dinner. The turkey was revisited again later that night and the next day in the form of sandwiches and soup.

I carried on the tradition by always purchasing the biggest turkey I can find. Usually it weighs over 20 pounds. Everyone, including me, eats very little turkey on the actual Thanksgiving day. We start dinner with plenty of appetizers such as smoked salmon dip, shrimp cocktail, and cheese and crackers. There is always a big antipasto and fresh bread.

We never forget the sides. The sausage stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes with gravy and creamed corn are some of my favorite parts of the meal. The huge turkey is almost intact after everyone is finished eating.

But we all look forward to the leftovers. Turkey tastes great in a soup, sandwich or salad the next day. So I make sure to always cook a huge turkey because there is something traditional about eating turkey for the next few days.

Turkey soup is not the only thing I make with the leftovers. Spicy turkey wraps are perfect for lunch and I like to use my leftover antipasto along with the turkey in a chopped salad. Leftover turkey can be used in any recipe that calls for cooked chicken.

The nice thing about turkey soup is that you can make it and freeze it for another time. If you are going to freeze it, it's best to leave out the orzo and cook that when heating up the frozen soup.

For more leftover turkey inspiration, see what the Pioneer Woman does with her Thanksgiving leftovers. What's your favorite way to use your leftover turkey?

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Turkey Florentine Soup Recipe

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Ingredients

8 cups chicken stock, or turkey stock, plus extra if needed
1 1/2 cups baby carrot, thinly sliced
2 cups chopped frozen spinach
1 cup orzo pasta, uncooked
2 cups shredded cooked turkey
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

Bring the stock, and carrots to a simmer in a large saucepan.
Add the spinach and orzo. Cook for about 12 to 15 minutes or until orzo is tender.
Mix the turkey into the soup and stir until well heated. Add extra broth to thin out the soup if necessary.
Add salt and pepper to taste.