This year, D and I were lucky enough to have two thanksgivings (however unlucky our waistlines were). Of course, this means that we had enough leftovers to feed an army battalion. In my family, we have egg noodles for the holidays (just once we went without and my parents have still not heard the end of it). My grandmother used to make them from scratch, but somewhere along the line frozen Reames Egg Noodles (which are exactly the same and much less hassle) replaced the homemade version – not that you will hear any Haughtons complaining. This year my sister was unable to make it back from North Carolina to gorge on Thanksgiving dinner with us, causing me much sorrow but allowing me to be the sole recipient of the mound of leftover noodles. Normally, I would be in Noodle Heaven, however, I have been training for the past several weeks and my trainer requires a food log – which clearly cannot contain endless bowls of my favorite carb-o-licious treat. So I thought of ways to use up my leftovers in a healthy and satisfying way. The end result was Turkey Noodle Soup with added veggies. I have been on a pretty darn serious soup/stew kick lately (who knew Texas would be cold in December?), ergo soup was the only logical (in oh so illogical Andiland) choice for leftover use. Ideally, I would have liked to use the [two] turkey carcasses that I now have waiting for me in freezers (neither of which is located in Austin) to make a rich broth for the soup – but our car was packed to the gills and there was no room. If you were able to make some turkey broth with your carcass, I highly recommend taking it out of the freezer to make this recipe. Otherwise, a good homemade chicken broth will work perfectly.

Note: You can buy Reames Egg Noodles (or wide-flat dumplings) at various places, though both my mom and I have been having trouble finding them over the years. I found them at Central Market and I think that she found them at Walmart (believe me it is the first time in my life I did not pitch a fit about contributing to Walmart’s cash flow).

Leftover Turkey-Noodle Soup

Serves Three to Four

Two cups leftover Turkey
Three cups leftover Reames Egg Noodles
Two Cups leftover Roasted Butternut squash
One cup leftover Peas (optional)
Two quarts good quality Chicken or Turkey Stock
One Cup Zucchini
Two Cups Carrots, diced
Four to Five cups Spinach (or Chard, Kale, or mixture)
Two white onions, diced
One head garlic, minced
One bouquet garni (with fresh sage, oregano, thyme and a one sprig of rosemary)
Two tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
Salt to taste
Red pepper to taste

In a large dutch oven heat a bit of oil over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and saute (with a pinch of salt) until glassy.  Add carrots and bouquet garni, followed by stock. Add additional seasoning (pepper, salt, red pepper) and simmer for up to two hours. Add squash, zucchini, turkey, and noodles and simmer until heated through (maybe 15 minutes). Add spinach (or mixture) and peas and simmer until wilted.  Taste and season as desired before serving!