Turkey, Rice & Sweet Potato Soup

1 hour/one pot easy/6-8 servings
nutrition per serving:
318 calories, 10g protein, 18g carbs, 10g fat, 9g sugar

ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion diced
• 3 carrots diced
• 3 celery stalks diced
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 medium sweet potato, peeled
• ½ cup long grain rice, uncooked
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary or 2 teaspoons dried*
• salt and pepper to taste
• 8 cups chicken stock
• 2 fresh turkey thighs* or 2 cups leftover cubed turkey
• 1- 5 ounce bag of baby spinach
• fresh lemon/juice

directions

1. If you are using fresh turkey: season the turkey thighs with salt and pepper and roast them in the oven for 40 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.
2. (While turkey thighs are roasting:) In a large dutch oven or deep pot, add olive oil and heat over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, celery, garlic, and sweet potato and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the vegetables begin to soften.
3. Add rice, rosemary, salt, pepper, chicken stock, bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes, or until the rice is cooked and sweet potatoes are tender
5. (If using fresh turkey: While you are waiting for the goodness to cook, remove the turkey meat from the bones (and take the delicious skin off to either eat as a snack!) Chop up the turkey meat into small bite size portions.)
6. Stir in turkey (fresh or left over) and cook for 5 more minutes.
7. Add spinach and cook just until spinach has wilted, 3 minutes.
8. Squeeze juice from half a lemon to taste. Add more juice to your individual bowl if you need more.
9. Serve warm.

notes

*I use an electric grinder to grind the rosemary leaves up. You can use fresh rosemary or dried. (I usually have dried rosemary on hand.) I don’t like rosemary to be too big in my food – making rosemary small (or making dried rosemary more like a powder) removes the rosemary pieces but adds that oh-so-important flavor to this soup!

*Note about fresh herbs vs. dried herbs: Dried herbs have a more intense flavor than fresh, so you don’t need as much of the dried. Just remember the ratio 3:1. Use a third of the herbs called for if you see fresh herbs listed and want to use dried. The more you work with measurements, the easier and less daunting working with them will become!  1 tablespoon = 3 teaspoons!

*I have made this recipe with the leftover turkey and the fresh turkey thighs. There is something FABULOUS about roasting fresh turkey! It smells up your chicken so well, but the flavor the roasting brings to this dish brings it up a notch in my book. Using turkey thighs is like using chicken thighs – the meat is juicier and more flavorful. I understand that turkey thighs are harder to find in grocery stores, but I PROMISE you that if you can find them, this soup will become a favorite with you and your friends and family. I make this one often because it’s SO GOOD!