By Thanksgiving week and I have been cooking since Tuesday. TUESDAY, mi amor. Because Thanksgiving is not one meal, it is a campaign, it is a military operation, it requires logistics and planning and a woman who is not afraid to stand in a kitchen for fourteen hours, and that woman is me and has always been me and will always be me.
Now, Thanksgiving is an American holiday. It is not Puerto Rican. We did not celebrate it in Bayamon. But I have been in Hartford for twenty-eight years and I have made Thanksgiving my own the way I make everything my own — by adding sofrito. My Thanksgiving menu: turkey, yes, because that is the law, but my turkey is marinated in adobo and stuffed with mofongo stuffing. MOFONGO STUFFING, mi amor. Garlic plantain stuffing inside the turkey. I invented this twenty years ago and I will go to my grave knowing it is the greatest culinary innovation of the twenty-first century. I also make arroz con gandules, because rice and pigeon peas are non-negotiable. Macaroni salad because Eduardo insists. Cranberry sauce from a can because I am Puerto Rican and cranberries are not my jurisdiction and I accept this limitation with grace. And flan for dessert because pumpkin pie is a lie.
Miguel Jr. and Jenny came. Rosa came from New Haven. Sofia helped in the kitchen, peeling plantains for the mofongo stuffing, and I watched her hands work and I thought: she is learning. Slowly, reluctantly, with eye rolls and sighs, but she is learning. David called from Brooklyn — he had to work, the restaurant does a Thanksgiving service, but he said he made his own turkey with adobo because some traditions follow you even when you are twenty-one and far from home.
The table was beautiful. Seventeen people — family, friends, neighbors. Patricia came with apple pie. Jenny brought a green bean casserole that I did not understand but placed on the table with respect because this is America and we make room for green bean casserole even when we do not comprehend it. Eduardo carved the turkey. He does this one thing on Thanksgiving and he does it well and I give him credit because the carving was clean.
I called Mami after dinner. She and Ana had their own Thanksgiving in Bayamon, which is ironic because they are on the island, which is a colony, celebrating a colonial holiday, but Mami said, We ate turkey. Carmen, be quiet. She is right. Sometimes you eat the turkey and you do not overthink it. Sometimes the food is bigger than the politics. Sometimes the table is enough. Happy Thanksgiving, mi amor. The mofongo stuffing was perfect. As always.
After seventeen people, a carved turkey, a green bean casserole I still do not fully understand, and a phone call to Bayamón, what I wanted the next day was something quiet — something warm and unhurried that used what was left on the bones. Leftover turkey soup is not a Puerto Rican tradition, but it is a practical one, and Mami raised me to waste nothing. This is the soup I made the Friday after, standing at the stove in yesterday’s clothes, and it was exactly enough.
30-Minute Leftover Turkey Noodle Soup
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 30 minutes | Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into coins
- 3 stalks celery, sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 8 cups turkey or chicken broth (homemade from the carcass if you have it)
- 3 cups cooked turkey, shredded or chopped
- 2 cups wide egg noodles, uncooked
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- Salt to taste
- Fresh parsley, chopped, for serving
Instructions
- Sauté the aromatics. Heat olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and cook for 5–6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more until fragrant.
- Add the broth. Pour in the turkey or chicken broth and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
- Season and simmer. Stir in the thyme, dried parsley, and black pepper. Reduce heat to a steady simmer and cook for 5 minutes to let the vegetables continue to soften.
- Add turkey and noodles. Stir in the shredded turkey and the egg noodles. Cook uncovered for 8–10 minutes, or until the noodles are tender and cooked through.
- Taste and finish. Taste the broth and adjust salt as needed. Ladle into bowls and top with fresh chopped parsley. Serve immediately.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 275 | Protein: 23g | Fat: 7g | Carbs: 28g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 610mg