Like most of you, I’ve been busy between cooking Thanksgiving for 14, having extra house guests, and–I admit–just relaxing a bit! But I love making soup from the bits and pieces in the refrigerator and freezer. Post-Thanksgiving soup is even more fun because of the variety of dishes available. Here’s what I did tonight:

1/2 an onion, diced

2 Tbs olive oil

leftover green bean casserole (about 1 cup)

leftover roasted root vegetables (about 1 1/2 cups)

leftover creamed onions (about 1/2 cup)

1 quart turkey broth

1 15 oz can diced tomatoes

2 Tbs chopped fresh parsley

Simmered the onion in the olive oil until softened, then I added the leftover vegetables. The roasted vegetables were a mix of carrots, butternut squash, and onion. I also added a quart of broth, a can of tomatoes, and parsley. Simmered 20 minutes or so. Everything was already cooked so this just let it heat up and meld.

I made this as a lighter soup. Had I wanted a heavier soup, I would have added some starchy component, maybe diced potatoes, rice, barley, or beans. And perhaps some leftover diced turkey–but I’d used it all up in the enchiladas I made the other night and froze the rest earlier today.

This soup was really good. I debated adding a can of V8 juice, as I seem to have some extra since my girls first loved it and now have decided it’s not all that great–right after I bought a case at Costco. I think that would have added a nice touch. I would, perhaps, next time leave out the creamed onions, or saute them early on with the other onion. They were a bit crunchy and distracting.

I might add some rice or beans when I serve this again, probably tomorrow night. I like changing soup just a bit each time it’s served. Some corn and/or red peppers would be a nice touch as well.