You might not believe me now, but there is going to be a time in your not-so-distant future when you are sick of Thanksgiving leftovers. You won’t be able to imagine eating another turkey sandwich, but you’ll still have a giant plate of the stuff kicking around your fridge. What’s a non-food-wasting, frugal person to do?
Make this turkey gnocchi soup. That’s what you’re going to do. And you’re going to promise me right now. Because this is one of the best soups (if not the best) that I have ever posted on this little chunk of internet real estate. I thought I wasn’t going to be able to top the Slow Cooker Cheeseburger Potato Soup, but holy guacamole, this one is right up there, too.
I can’t claim credit for this deliciousness though. This recipe is a big shout out to my Mama. She first served our family Chicken Gnocchi Soup about a year ago—and it was amazing. Like eat three bowls and then have to waddle home kind of amazing. And I’ve continued to make the chicken version of this soup throughout the cold months ever since. But I had an inkling that the recipe would be killer as a way to use up leftover turkey, and boy, was I ever right!
Of course, you could easily take the recipe as written below and sub in chicken (a rotisserie chicken would be great!) and be along your merry way, but there is something about the slow-roasted, rich flavor of a Thanksgiving turkey (combined with good quality turkey stock made from the leftover bones) that really take this soup to the next level. It’s even better if you happen to have meat and stock from a smoked turkey, but just a run-of-the-mill roasted turkey will be darn good, too.
My Mama originally got the recipe from the now-defunct website Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice. Mama did some tweaking on it and sent it over to me. And then I did some more tweaking on it and am now giving it to you. Reeni’s original version is really wonderful, but you know me, I can’t leave well enough alone when it comes to a recipe.
My version is touch less rich and a little bit more simple. I really am super lazy in the kitchen, so whenever I can skip steps, I am all over that! One step I don’t skip—making my own turkey stock. I’m not against the canned or boxed stuff, but if you have a perfectly wonderful turkey carcass just lounging around after Thanksgiving dinner, please make that beauty into some stock.
Since my turkey roasting recipe (more about that here) calls for all kinds of aromatic veggies and herbs, all I do after I’ve taken the meat off my turkey is to toss the drippings, veggies, herbs, and carcass into a big stock pot, cover it with water, and let it boil down until it tastes rich. It’s almost no work at all. And the flavor? Oh, the flavor! And you can use it in place of chicken stock in all of your favorite recipes. Like this soup. Trust me. I know this is going to become a favorite.
I hope you all have just the most wonderful of Thanksgivings! I’m going to take a few days off to really bask in this season of gratitude, but I’ll be back on Sunday with the kick-off of a super fun week of holiday-themed posts. I can’t wait to share with you what I’ve been working on!
I really am so thankful for each and every one of you. Thank you for building me up, supporting me, and building a wonderful community of like-minded friends that I can constantly count on. Seriously, you all rock. Happy Thanksgiving!
Turkey Gnocchi Soup
Creamy, cozy, and comforting, this Turkey Gnocchi Soup is a perfect way to use up Thanksgiving leftovers. Sub in chicken if you finished off the turkey! Adapted from Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice.
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 large carrots, peeled and diced
- 3 large ribs celery, diced
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 5 cups turkey or chicken broth
- 1 pound packaged potato gnocchi
- 1 cup half and half cream
- 3 cups chopped cooked turkey meat (mix of white and dark)
- 1/8 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 3 cup fresh spinach, chopped
- Parmesan cheese, for serving
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Add in the red pepper flakes and garlic, and cook until just fragrant, about two minutes.
- Add in the onion, carrots, and celery. Cook until all veggies are tender, about 5 minutes.
- Sprinkle the flour over the veggies, and stir to coat. Add in the broth, bring to a boil, then add the gnocchi.
- Reduce heat and simmer, stirring frequently, until the sauce is thickened and the gnocchi are cooked, about 10 minutes.
- Stir in the cream, turkey meat, nutmeg, salt and pepper, and spinach. Return to a simmer, and continue to cook until the spinach is wilted and the soup is warmed through. Test for seasoning.
- Serve topped with fresh grated Parmesan.
Notes
Don't have turkey? No problem. Use chicken broth and cooked chicken meat (from a rotisserie chicken is great) in place of the turkey.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1 servingAmount Per Serving: Calories: 657Total Fat: 23gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 252mgSodium: 486mgCarbohydrates: 43gFiber: 3gSugar: 4gProtein: 65g
At Wholefully, we believe that good nutrition is about much more than just the numbers on the nutrition facts panel. Please use the above information as only a small part of what helps you decide what foods are nourishing for you.
