Every year for Thanksgiving, we stock up on carrots, celery, onions, garlic, and fresh herbs to make all of our favorite dishes. And every year, without fail, we’re left with at least a few stalks of celery, wayward carrots, handfuls of fresh herbs, and cloves of garlic leftover. Too often, these end up wilting in the fridge because we used up all of our cooking energy on the big day. But there’s any easy way to use up your leftover Thanksgiving veggies. It’s Nancy Fuller‘s “end of season” vegetable soup, and while she makes this soup at the end of the summer with the last of what’s in the garden, it’s the perfect way to use up the leftover Thanksgiving ingredients in your crisper drawer, too.
Fuller shared her simple recipe on Instagram, but this is one of those dishes so simple, you don’t really need a recipe. You’ll want to chop your veggies so they’ll cook at around the same time, so hard vegetables like carrot should be chopped smaller than the onions. Then, sauté your veggies in a stick of butter. This important step helps bring out the best flavors of each vegetable, and also kick-starts the cooking process. Once the veggies are softening up and becoming slightly translucent, you’ll need to add in some liquid. If you have a pressure cooker or a slow cooker, we recommend making a turkey stock with your leftover turkey bones, but store-bought chicken or veggie broth works, too.
Once the vegetables have simmered to tenderness, add your fresh herbs to the pot. You can use a lot of herbs like parsley, green onions, chives, and basil, but go sparingly with thyme, oregano, and sage, as they have a stronger flavor. After the herbs turn bright green, use an immersion blender to turn your veggies into a creamy, flavorful, fresh-tasting soup. Taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper to taste. We’d also add a squeeze of lemon juice to brighten things up.
Other ways you can make this soup your own? Add a parmesan rind to the soup when you add in the broth, which will add a depth of savory flavor. You can add additional veggies, like leftover kale, green beans, peas, sweet potatoes, or squash, and you can leave things chunky if you prefer that to smooth soups. You can also add in your favorite spices to add a bit more oomph. Nancy Fuller’s “End of Season” veggie soup is the perfect base recipe for using up a bunch of leftover Thanksgiving produce at once, and after eating a heavy holiday meal, a fresh vegetable-based soup will hit the spot like nothing else.
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