Divas: Let’s be thankful for leftovers!

Besides being thankful for our blessings and time spent with loved ones, leftovers are probably the best part of Thanksgiving. Here’s a recipe for a hearty soup that uses every last bit of your leftovers, even the stuffing. In our home, we call this “Thanksgiving Soup” and look forward to it each year.

Thanksgiving Soup is a creamy, satisfying soup with a potato base that can be served as soup or thickened for a filling for Thanksgiving Pot Pie. As a twist, we’re making light, fluffy dumplings with leftover stuffing. Crispy crumbled bacon is used to garnish the soup and adds just the right amount of savory crunch. It reminds me of matzo ball soup which is the ultimate comfort food (except for the bacon!).

Thanksgiving Pot Pie Soup with Stuffing Dumplings

What You’ll Need:

For the Dumplings:

2 cups leftover stuffing

2 cups soft breadcrumbs – See note below

3 eggs, lightly beaten

½ cup Parmesan – grated

For the Soup:

4 ounces bacon – about 4 strips

6 cups OR 3 (14 oz.) cans turkey or chicken stock

4 cups leftover mashed potatoes

3 to 4 cups leftover turkey - chopped

1 to 2 cups leftover veggies - whatever you’ve got!

½ cup heavy cream – optional

Salt and pepper – to taste

Here’s How:

Let’s get the bacon cooking first – Either pan fry until crisp or bake in the oven while you prepare the rest of the recipe. To bake - preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed sheet pan with foil. Place your bacon in the pan and bake for 20 minutes or until crisp. Let cool and crumble. Set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the stuffing, bread crumbs, eggs and parmesan. Roll into dumplings about the size of a walnut. It should make about 25 dumplings. Set aside.

In a medium pot, bring the stock and 3 cups water to a boil. Add the dumplings; simmer covered, occasionally turning 15 minutes or until cooked through.

Using a slotted spoon, carefully transfer the dumplings to a shallow bowl; reserve the cooking liquid in the pot. In a large bowl, whisk the mashed potatoes and 2 cups of the cooking liquid until relatively smooth and pour it back into the pot. Bring the soup to a boil, often stirring and reduce heat.

Add the turkey and your choice of veggies to the soup and simmer until just heated through, two to three minutes. Divide the dumplings among bowls, ladle the soup over the dumplings and sprinkle with the crumbled bacon.

To thicken the soup for pot pie filling; you’ll use beurre manie, which is a simple French cooking technique for thickening sauces with a mixture of flour and butter. Knead equal parts by volume of butter and flour to make a smooth paste. Add small amounts to your boiling liquid until the desired thickness is achieved. This stuff keeps in the fridge indefinitely and works like magic. Place filling between two pie crusts and bake until golden brown.

Here’s hoping all the clothes we buy on Black Friday take into account the weight we gained on Thanksgiving. Cheers!

Fabulous Food by Patti Diamond from Divas On A Dime – Where Frugal, Meets Fabulous! Website and blog - www.divasonadime.com Join us on Facebook at DivasOnADimeDotCom.