Creamy Leftover Turkey Noodle Soup

I’m not sure where you live, but our Utah weather just dropped from 68 degrees to 30 degrees within a couple of days.  Baby, it’s cold outside!  I guess it shouldn’t surprise me since Thanksgiving is just around the corner.  Are you ready?  Well, even if you don’t have a recipe for your fabulous Thanksgiving Turkey quite yet, I have a plan for how you can use up all that leftover turkey.

Am I the only one who obsesses over soup recipes during cold weather? Trust me… this creamy leftover turkey noodle soup will quickly become a family favorite. You may want to cook two turkeys just so you can have more leftovers for this soup!

I’m a big believer in tweaking recipes to make them healthier.  If you can’t taste a difference, why not make it healthier?  Creamy soups 90% of the time call for heavy whipping cream.  There are two types of fats: ones that cause health issues and ones that fight health issues.  Heavy whipping cream is a low nutrition, artery-clogging fat which nominates it as a bad fat.  Coconut milk’s fatty acids, on the other hand, aid in weight loss, lower cholesterol, reduce heart disease, improve skin and hair… blah, blah, blah.  You get the picture.  You won’t be able to taste a difference, but your body will thank you for substituting heavy whipping cream with coconut milk.

If you want to try out coconut milk in a couple more recipes, check out my Healthy Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana or my Yellow Coconut Chicken Curry. You won’t regret it.

I don’t purchase everything organic because it can start getting pretty pricey.  However, there are some things that must be an organic purchase.  Carrots are one of them.  I was enjoying a raw carrot once and realized my tongue started to tingle afterwards along with a horrible aftertaste.  Chemicals? Pesticides?  Who knows, but I was instantly converted to organic carrots. Organic carrots are actually pretty cheap and make a huge difference in quality and taste.  Do the taste test yourself and let me know which carrot tastes better.

Creamy Leftover Turkey Noodle Soup

• 16 oz pasta (I used organic Garofalo bowtie pasta), prepared according to package directions
• 2 Tbs olive oil
• 1 medium sweet onion, diced
• 1 Tbs minced garlic
• 32 oz organic chicken broth/stock
• 4 large carrots, peeled and sliced
• 4 cups shredded or diced leftover turkey
• 1 Tbs dried oregano
• 1 Tbs dried basil
• 1 Tbs dried parsley
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 3 cups coconut milk (I used Silk original coconut milk)

1. Prepare pasta according to package directions.

2. Meanwhile in a large pot , heat olive oil over medium heat for about 1 minute.  Add onion and garlic.  Cook for about 2 minutes until onions are slightly translucent.  Add chicken broth and bring to boil.

3. Add carrots and simmer for about 8 to 10 minutes until slightly tender.  Add turkey, oregano, basil, parsley, salt, pepper, and coconut milk.  Cook only until heated through, add pasta, and remove from heat.

4. Serve warm and enjoy!  I always enjoy cornbread and a spinach salad with my soup.