Leftover Turkey Soup

This winter has been the first 'real' winter we've had in several years. We've been spoiled with higher than normal temps in the past so I think Mother Nature came back with a vengeance! We have more snow this year than I can ever remember. Lucky for us though, it has led me to try my hand at making homemade soups, which I have been doing a lot of lately. I'm a true believer that one of the best things about the cold weather is having a nice hot bowl of something (chili, soup, etc.). Don't you agree?

So, since we hosted Christmas dinner this year I had a boat load of turkey left and decided to come up with my own leftover turkey soup recipe. I'm happy to say that it turned out delicious so I thought I'd share.

Prep time: 20 mins I Cook Time: 1.5 hours I Servings: 10 - 12 

2          tbsp. of butter
1          onion, diced
1          cup of chopped carrots
1          cup of chopped celery
1          tsp. of garlic powder
2          cans (398 mL) of diced tomatoes
2          cartons (900 mL) of chicken broth
4          tbsp. of dried parsley
2          tsp. of salt
4 – 5   cups of chopped leftover turkey
1          cup of elbow macaroni

Directions:

1. Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, celery, carrots, and garlic powder; saute for a few minutes.

2. Add diced tomatoes, chicken broth, parsley, salt, and turkey to the pot. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat. Simmer for approximately 1 hour until vegetables are barely tender.

3. Add the elbow macaroni and simmer for 30 minutes more. Serve or freeze for later consumption.

This soup pairs nicely with warm bread and butter. Enjoy!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I'm combining this post with the Inspire Me Blog Challenge 2014 hosted by Showered With Design and Happiness is a Mood Not a Destination. Today's prompt is: When is your birthday?

My birthday is July 1st. I celebrate my birthday with Canada, and as a proud Canadian, I think that is really awesome. Not to mention that it's also a long weekend :)