Experience Leftover Heaven with this Second Thanksgiving Soup Recipe

OK, so Thanksgiving is over and you survived. I'm going to assume you've already dealt with the guilts ("I can't believe I ate three portions of Aunt Mary's key lime pie!") and now you're dealing with more practical, mundane issues such as: "What the heck am I going to do with all this food!?!" How about making soup?

Soup is the best-kept secret in the diet world. It's what's called a "high volume" food, meaning it takes up a lot of space in your tummy while "costing" you relatively few calories. It's the best "appetite suppressor" (read "diet aid") that I know of. It fills you up. It almost always has a low glycemic load, and helps even out your blood sugar. And-especially in a case like this-it's so darned nutritious that you'll wonder why you don't have it every day.

This soup uses everything you're likely to have on hand after your Thanksgiving feast: fresh vegetables, corn, leftover turkey, leftover potatoes, plus dried cranberries, (which are loaded with cell-protecting plant chemicals called anthocyanins). Put them all together in this easy recipe-which is very forgiving of substitutions and individual touches-and you've got a delicious, easy, one-pot meal with all the fabulous flavors of Thanksgiving minus the gazillion calories. -Dr. Jonny

Second Thanksgiving Soup

Serves 4

If you'd rather not use leftover potatoes, substitute 1 can of red beans, drained and rinsed, for an extra dose of fiber and protein.

2 Tbs. olive oil
3 large shallots, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
4 cups turkey stock (or low-sodium chicken broth with 1 tsp. organic chicken Better than Bouillon)
1½ cups cooked turkey, shredded or chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 cup chopped leftover roasted or baked potatoes or yams
1 cup frozen corn
1/3 cup dried cranberries
2 Tbs. Marsala wine
1 tsp. dried thyme
½ tsp. each salt and freshly ground pepper, or to taste

1. In large soup pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add shallots, celery, and carrots, and sauté 5 minutes. Add stock, and increase heat to bring to a simmer. Simmer 10-15 minutes until vegetables are tender.
2. Gently stir in turkey, potatoes, corn, cranberries, wine, thyme, salt, and pepper, and simmer 7-10 minutes more, until everything is hot.

per serving: 287 cal; 20g pro; 9g total fat (2g sat fat); 33g carb; 53mg chol; 598mg sod; 4g fiber; 12g sugars

Notes From: Chef Jeannette

I love using the Thanksgiving turkey carcass to make homemade stock. The simplest method is to strip the bones of usable meat after your feast, and then break up the carcass to get it to fit into your slow cooker. Add any extra skin and organs to the bones and cartilage and cover everything with cold water. Add a splash of raw apple cider vinegar (this helps the bones release good-for-you collagen into the stock), a quartered, unpeeled onion, carrot, and celery stalk plus a teaspoon of peppercorns. Cover and cook all night on low. Cool slightly and strain out and discard all the solids the next morning. If you wish, you can chill the stock and skim off the fat that congeals on the surface for fewer calories. Use or freeze the stock for future soups and stews.

Written by Ned Johnson and William Stixrud for Better Nutrition and legally licensed through the Matcha publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@getmatcha.com.