Cara’s Cuisine: Turkey Leftovers

If your family is anything like mine, you either ordered a few too many pounds of turkey or your local butcher decided to “oh-so-generously” raise your turkey order by six pounds .. for the third year in a row. Either way, your family just sent you back to Fairfield with one giant container of turkey – at a minimum — which was delicious day one, but is now just growing colder, dryer and more and more repetitive.

This is a common post-Thanksgiving problem. No one wants to throw out food, but there are only so many turkey sandwiches, casseroles and salads you can eat before you either explode or turn into a turkey to join the ranks of the gobblers who chase little first-years to class. Please, we do not need any more turkeys on campus.

As an alternative to your 10th turkey sandwich of the week, stock up your kitchen and make some Tex-Mex soup. Not only does it use that leftover turkey, while completely transforming the taste by mixing it with delectable cheese and spicy salsa — it also easily feeds a crowd and is perfect for this chilly weather.

Tex-Mex Turkey Leftover Soup

Ingredients:

1 tbs. Olive Oil                                               1 small minced

3 cloves minced garlic                             2 tsps chili powder

½ tsp. cumin                                                    ½ tsp oregano

1 cup water                                                     3 cups chicken broth

1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed tomato soup  1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes

1 cup salsa                                                       4 cups shredded cooked turkey

1 tbsp. dried parsley                                        1 can black rinsed and drained black beans

2 cups corn kernels                                          ½ cup sour cream

¼ cup chopped, fresh cilantro                         1 cup cheddar cheese

1.      Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large saucepan before adding the onions. Cook until softened, about four minutes.
2.      Mix in the garlic, chili powder, cumin and oregano. Cook for one minute, stirring slowly.
3.      Stir in water, chicken broth, tomato soup, diced tomatoes, salsa, shredded turkey and parsley. Bring the saucepan to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer.
4.      After five minutes, add black beans, corn, sour cream and cilantro. Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes.
5.      Serve with shredded cheese, which will melt into a cheesy mass of gooeyness immediately after being placed on the hot soup.

Make enough for new leftovers, invite your friends, get rid of that turkey and enjoy!