You’ve Been Warned

On those days when I don’t have it together enough to make homemade chicken noodle soup, Bon Appetit – Fast, Easy, Fresh has me covered.  Assuming that I put chicken broth, turkey breast, and rice noodles on my shopping list, I can have soup in under 30 minutes.  Don’t believe me?  Try it yourself and see.  But don’t say I didn’t warn you.  Once you realize how easy this is to make, you just might find yourself regularly putting the ingredients on your grocery list.  Because who doesn’t love a super quick meal that tastes like it took all day to make?  Better yet, make a double batch and freeze half for later.  In cramped freezers like mine, portion it out into quart sized freezer bags for easy freezing and thawing.  They store much better than plastic containers.

Asian Turkey Noodle Soup

Adapted from Bon Appetit – Fast, Easy, Fresh

BAH Note:  I take the easy way out with the turkey breast and get it at the deli counter.  The person helping me usually gets a puzzled look when I ask to have a slice of turkey breast that’s about an inch to an inch and a half thick.  But it works perfectly.  You could roast a turkey breast at home or maybe even find one prepared in the rotisserie section of the grocery store.  But don’t be afraid to ask for it at the deli counter.

• 3 1/2 ounces medium wide rice noodles, broken in half
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots
• 1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and sliced thinly into about 8 rounds
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 2 cups diced turkey breast (about 8 to 10 ounces)
• 1 tablespoon dried chives
• 1 tablespoon crystallized ginger (not sugar coated), minced

Cook the rice noodles according to the package directions.  Rinse, run under cold water to cool, and set aside.

Combine broth, shallots, fresh ginger, and fish sauce in a large sauce pan or dutch oven.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, partially cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

Remove ginger slices from the broth, add diced turkey, noodles, dried chives, and crystallized ginger and simmer for another 5 to 10 minutes. Taste for seasoning and add a pinch of kosher salt, or additional fish sauce,  if desired.

Enjoy plain or top with bean sprouts, a squirt of lime, or thinly sliced chiles for more heat.

{printable recipe}