Slow Cooker Turkey Soup with Sausage

Welcome to the November 27, 2016 edition of Sunday Scratchups: Your weekly recipe from scratch around grocery sales and affordable ingredients — Thanksgiving edition!

Up today, we have another great use for leftover turkey. Slow Cooker Turkey Soup with Sausage is a favorite older Crock-Pot recipe that I’ve been tweaking slightly over the years, and a good choice for your leftover turkey + the stock you all hopefully made with the bones from your Thanksgiving turkey. (No turkey broth in the house? Substitute boxed chicken broth, instead.)

I’ll readily admit that this is not the prettiest soup in the world, but it’s darn delicious nonetheless — so don’t judge a soup by its cover. 🙂

Make your own broth

If you’re making your own turkey broth (highly recommended, because it’s both frugal and delicious): As you carve your turkey, place the bones in the slow cooker. Add enough water to cover plus a little sea salt, parsley, and thyme. Roughly chop and throw in a carrot & celery stalk, plus some onion if you like. Cook on low 10 hours or overnight. In the morning just pour through a colander into a large bowl to strain out the resulting broth, then pour broth back into the slow cooker. Discard bones and veggies. (I also like to refrigerate mine for a bit and then skim off some of the fat before using in recipes, since turkey broth tends to get a little greasy.)

If you didn’t make your own broth: You can use store-bought, and it will still be plenty tasty.

Slow Cooker Turkey Soup with Sausage

Ingredients

About 10 cups turkey broth or stock (can substitute chicken if necessary)
14.5 oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes — I highly recommend Muir Glen; it does make a difference
One cup uncooked wild or black rice
One medium onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
8 oz baby bella mushrooms, sliced
14 oz Polska Kielbasa, chopped
2 cups diced cooked turkey
1 Tbsp minced garlic
sea salt, to taste
black pepper, to taste
1 tsp sage
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 bay leaf
10 oz fresh baby spinach

Directions

Add turkey broth to the slow cooker, then stir in all other ingredients except spinach. Cook on low for 8-10 hours. Remove bay leaf, stir in spinach until wilted, and serve.

Top with shredded Parmesan, if desired.

See? Yummy, if not pretty. This is a hearty and filling soup due to the turkey, sausage, and rice combo, and you’ll also get a nice dose of veggies. Slow Cooker Turkey Soup with Sausage also keeps and reheats well, although the spinach will get wiltier as time goes on. (Is that a word? More wilted…?) Regardless, soup is good food, and this is good soup.

Give this easy Crock-Pot turkey soup recipe a try the next time you have some leftover turkey!

Slow Cooker Turkey Soup with Sausage, printable recipe

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Slow Cooker Turkey Soup with Sausage

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Course dinner, Soup

Total Time 8 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

Servings 10

Author Rachel Singer

Ingredients

• About 10 cups turkey broth or stock (can substitute chicken if necessary)
• 14.5 oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes -- I highly recommend Muir Glen; it does make a difference
• One cup uncooked wild or black rice
• One medium onion, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 3 carrots, chopped
• 8 oz baby bella mushrooms, sliced
• 14 oz Polska Kielbasa or smoked sausage, chopped
• 2 cups diced cooked turkey
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic
• sea salt, to taste
• black pepper, to taste
• 1 tsp sage
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 bay leaf
• 10 oz fresh baby spinach

Instructions

• Add turkey broth to the slow cooker, then stir in all other ingredients except spinach.
• Cook on low for 8-10 hours.
• Remove bay leaf, stir in spinach until wilted, and serve.
• Top with shredded Parmesan, if desired.

Notes

If you didn't make your own broth: You can use store-bought turkey or chicken broth, and it will still be plenty tasty.

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