Homemade Turkey Soup

To make this popular soup lower in saturated fat, prepare it ahead of time to cool and skim off the fat that rises to the top. 

Ingredients:

• 6 lb turkey breast with at least 2 cups of meat
• 2 medium onions
• 3 stalks of celery
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• ½ tsp dried rosemary
• ½ tsp dried sage
• 1 tsp dried basil
• ½ tsp dried marjoram
• ½ tsp dried tarragon
• ½ tsp salt
• black pepper to taste
• ½ lb Italian pastina or pasta

Directions:

1. Place turkey breast in a large 6-quart pot. Cover with water, at least 3/4 full.
2. Peel onions, cut in large pieces, and add to pot. Wash celery stalks, slice, and add to pot also.
3. Simmer covered for about 2½ hours.
4. Remove carcass from pot. Divide soup into smaller, shallower containers for quick cooling in the refrigerator.
5. After cooling, skim off fat.
6. While soup is cooling, remove remaining meat from turkey carcass. Cut into pieces.
7. Add turkey meat to skimmed soup along with herbs and spices.
8. Bring to a boil and add pastina. Continue cooking on low boil for about 20 minutes until pastina is done. Serve at once or refrigerate for later reheating.

Yield:

About 4 quarts of soup (16 servings)

Serving Size: 1 cup

Each serving provides:

Calories: 226
Total fat: 5 g
Saturated fat: 1 g
Cholesterol: 93 mg
Sodium: 217 mg

From the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute