turkey minestrone

I made this easy soup to use up some leftover roasted turkey breast I had in the fridge, so know it would be a tasty use of frozen Thanksgiving turkey as well. If you have a container in the freezer wondering what’s to become of it, here’s your recipe! Chicken could be substituted, of course. While I had God’s own number of vegetables lying around, you could easily make this soup with just a few. You’ll for sure need onions, celery, carrots, garlic, canned tomatoes, cooked white beans, and some sort of fresh greens—though frozen spinach would do in a pinch. A food processor is a great help for the vegetables if you have one. Like a thicker soup? Purée briefly with an immersion blender or purée just a few cups in a food processor and return to the pot. Do read through before beginning.

16 servings

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/3- pound diced pancetta or bacon
Large yellow onion, diced
4 leeks, white and light green parts only, sliced
3 stalks celery, diced
3 large carrots, trimmed and diced
1 fennel bulb, trimmed and diced
Kosher salt, fresh ground pepper, and crushed red pepper
4 large, plump cloves of garlic, minced
½ cup white wine
3 tablespoons tomato paste
28- ounce can diced tomatoes
2 quarts chicken stock, homemade or purchased low-sodium
3 quarts water, or more as needed to keep the soup very brothy (if you cooked dry beans, you can use some or all of the bean broth)
Parmesan rind
2 cups chopped cabbage
1 large turnip or potato, peeled and diced (could sub 2 parsnips)
2 teaspoons each dried thyme, oregano, basil, and rosemary – or to taste
Bay leaf
2 cups cooked, diced turkey (about 2/3-pound)
3 cups cooked cannellini beans, or two 15-ounce cans, drained
1 medium zucchini, diced
1 cup shredded fresh kale leaves (dice stems and sauté with onions, etc. if you like)
Hot sauce--optional
½ pound ditalini or tubetti pasta, cooked (season the cooked pasta with salt, pepper, and a good drizzle of olive oil)
Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano for serving

Instructions

Heat a 12-quart soup pot over medium flame; drizzle oil in evenly. Add pancetta, onions, leeks, celery, and carrots. Stir and season with a teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper, and 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper. Cook, stirring, for 10 minutes or until vegetables are softening. Add garlic and cook another minute or two.
Pour in white wine; cook several minutes, stirring, or until wine is reduced by half or so. Stir in the tomato paste. Add the tomatoes with the juice, chicken stock, and water along with the parmesan rind, the cabbage, and the turnip or potato. Sprinkle and stir in all of the dried herbs, including the bay leaf; add another teaspoon of salt. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer and cook covered 30 minutes, adding water if needed to keep the vegetables floating freely in the broth. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding more pepper as needed.
Add cooked turkey, cooked cannellini beans, zucchini, and kale. Gently simmer covered another 30-45 minutes or until all vegetables are tender, adding more water if soup becomes too thick. Taste and adjust seasonings one last time, adding a dash or more of hot sauce if you like. Remove parmesan rind. For a thicker soup, purée very briefly with immersion blender or by pulsing two or three cups of the soup in the food processor and returning to pot. Serve hot topped with a few spoons full of cooked pasta and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Whoever gets the bay leaf does the dishes.
STORAGE: 3-4 days in the fridge. 4-6 months in the freezer if made from just cooked turkey. I would not re-freeze if you've made this from previously frozen turkey or other meat.