Turkey Rice Lemon Soup

If you are wondering what to do with your leftover turkey meat or rotisierrie chicken, here is a really good comforting recipe for them.  The lemon juice gives the soup its spunk and you would just want more of it just like my husband who was nursing a bad cold did.  I made this for him because of the garlic and other vegetables in it that are sources of anti oxidants that he would need to combat his cold.  Plus he needs some comforting in the form of this deliciously lemon flavored soup.

I used leftover turkey from thanksgiving but you can use leftover chicken and you can also use raw chicken that could cook in the broth.  As far as the rice is concerned I used leftover brown rice but again you can use raw rice which can cook also in the boiling broth. This is a flexible recipe and you can modify the vegetables also depending on what you have.  No other spice or herb was used but a citrus, lemon, and boy was it a good one to add. Simple soup but so good.

Turkey Rice Lemon Soup

• 1 tbsp oil
• 3 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 2 stalks celery, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 onion, chopped
• 6 cups vegetable or chicken broth
• 2 cups cooked turkey or chicken
• 1 cup cooked brown or white rice
• juice of 1 lemon
• 2 cups spinach
• salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oil at medium heat in a pot and add the carrots, celery, garlic and onion to the heated oil and cook the vegetables till soft but still crunchy.  Add the broth, turkey or chicken and rice and heat to boiling till the mixture is heated through.  Add the lemon and spinach and continue to heat through to wilt the spinach. Season with salt and pepper.