Thanksgiving Turkey Noodle Soup

My name is Nola Vandersloot.

I was born in small town in Idaho, in an era where “stay at home” moms were common, and meals were made from scratch.

One of my favorite childhood memories is when my cousins would visit, my Mom would make waffles and ice cream for breakfast. Surprisingly, I never learned to cook as a child so when Rob and I got married I really didn’t know much about cooking or life. Over the years I have probably made every mistake that could be made, lots of trial and error, some of those mistakes turned out to be treasured recipes I still use today.

For over 10 years I worked at a private lodge as a cook/chef. Fast forward 30+ years of cooking, I have learned a few things and I would like to share them with you. Food is my passion, I love the prep, I love to eat, and love to share my joy with others, and I loved to eat ice cream for breakfast.

Thanksgiving is upon us!

It’s a wonderful time of the year to reflect on things we are thankful for, showing gratitude for our many blessings. I for one am thankful for the Thanksgiving feast. Turkey, stuffing, pumpkin and pecan pie are a must at our house and don’t forget the mashed potatoes and gravy.

But what I really enjoy is the endless ways that Thanksgiving leftovers can be morphed into easy dinners, (because we all need a little break from cooking). One of our families faves is turkey noodle soup.

I save the turkey drippings to enrich the canned broth and we usually have leftover rolls which pair well with this comfort food.

In a 6 quart pot sauté onions, celery and carrots in the olive oil until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add Italian seasoning.

Add chicken broth and drippings, let simmer until carrots are al dente (still firm when bitten :))

Salt and pepper to taste, about 1 tsp of salt and ½ pepper.

Add egg noodles, let simmer according to package directions.

Lastly add the turkey, allow to heat through and come to temp. The turkey will fall apart if added too early.

Low carb/ Keto option omit the noodles and add more turkey.

Gluten Free option use rice instead of noodles.

Happy Thanksgiving, enjoy! Take a peek at the finished product!