Easy Turkey Soup

Here is a recipe I came up with that is so versatile and full of nutrition. You can make this in a large batch and save the leftovers to make turkey pot pie or turkey and noodles. You can drain the broth and freeze it and use it for many other recipes that call for chicken broth.

Easy Turkey Soup

1 pound turkey pieces (cutlets are good)
3 quarts water
Cut up vegetables; sliced carrots, mushrooms, and celery are good
Piece of kale (optional, but good)
chopped onion
minced garlic, to taste (you can put the onion and garlic in a food processor and blend together)
1 bay leaf
Small handful of rice (brown rice is fine)
Small handful of pasta (noodles, orzo, bow ties, and macaroni are good choices)
Herbs of choice ( I use some of the French blends)
Dried Lima Beans (optional)
Salt, pepper

   This is a pretty general recipe that can be made in a slow cooker if you start it in the morning (necessary if you are using lima beans or brown rice). You can adjust the amounts of vegetables, rice, and pasta to your own preferences, but keep in mind that rice and pasta expand and will require a lot of liquid to cook in. I have even put in broccoli in this recipe. Turn the slow cooker on low and cook for at least 6-8 hours. Put all ingredients into slow cooker (except pasta, salt, and pepper) and cook all day! Or, you can make it on the stove top with a big pot or Dutch oven. I would cook it for at least an hour, maybe two. Pasta will only take a couple of minutes to cook on the stove, so put the pasta in the last 15 minutes of cooking. If using a slow cooker or crock pot, put the pasta in during the last hour. If pasta is cooked too long, it might disintegrate into the soup.
Add salt and pepper after it is finished cooking. Drain the leftover broth and use the broth in future recipes. You can freeze it in jars that are made for freezing. You can use the leftover vegetables and turkey to make a pot pie with or just thicken the broth and make noodles and turkey (with a whole bunch of vegetables!)

   You could put dumplings on the top, just for fun. This recipe is very starchy though, and you might want to consider serving a salad on the side.