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Turkey Soup with Couscous and Spinach
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5 from 2 votes

Turkey Soup with Couscous and Spinach

This delicious, hearty soup is the perfect way to use up your Thanksgiving leftovers.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Course: Soup
Cuisine: American
Servings: 6
Calories: 297kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
  • 2 carrots, chopped
  • 2 stalks celery, chopped
  • Kosher salt and black pepper
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3-4 sprigs thyme
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 quarts (8 cups) homemade turkey stock* (can substitute low sodium chicken stock)
  • ¾ cup pearl (Israeli) couscous (can substitute pastina or orzo)
  • 3 cups shredded leftover turkey meat
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice plus 2 teaspoons zest
  • 2 ounces baby spinach (about 2 packed cups)
  • ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

  • Heat the oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add the onion, carrot and celery. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper and cook 5-6 minutes until partially softened. Stir in the garlic, thyme and bay leaf and cook another minute until fragrant. Add the stock along with 1 ½ teaspoons salt and ½ teaspoon pepper.
  • Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and partially cover the pot. Simmer about 10 minutes and then add the couscous. Simmer another 10-12 minutes until cooked. Stir in the turkey, lemon juice, zest and spinach. Cook another 5 minutes until turkey is heated through and spinach is wilted. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as needed.
  • Remove thyme stems and bay leaf before serving. Pour the soup into bowls and top each with 2 teaspoons Parmesan cheese. Serve hot.

Notes

* To make homemade turkey stock, remove all the meat from the turkey and place the carcass in a large pot along with 1 onion (halved), 1 carrot (halved), 1 stalk celery (halved), 1 bay leaf and 2 quarts reduced sodium chicken stock. Bring mixture to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 1 to 1 ½ hours then strain the solids and reserve the stock.

Nutrition

Serving: 0g | Calories: 297kcal | Carbohydrates: 37.3g | Protein: 21.9g | Fat: 7.9g | Saturated Fat: 2.9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0g | Trans Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 0mg | Potassium: 0mg | Fiber: 8.4g | Sugar: 0g | Vitamin A: 0IU | Vitamin C: 0mg | Calcium: 0mg | Iron: 0mg