leftovers

September 2, 2021 Family Friendly

Chicken Florentine Soup

This chicken florentine soup is creamy, comforting, and surprisingly healthy! It’s packed with fresh veggies, chicken, and a few simple seasonings.

What Makes This Chicken Florentine Soup So Good

It requires simple ingredients you probably already have on-hand! Butter, garlic, onion, and chicken broth are a few of the easy items you’ll need. This is also the perfect recipe to use up any leftover pre-cooked chicken you might have lying around!
It all comes together in just one pot! With just one large pot you’ll have a complete meal and be left with very little cleanup.
It takes less than 30 minutes to make! Throw this quick and easy meal together on a busy weeknight when you’re craving something light but super satisfying.

Key Ingredients for Chicken Florentine Soup

Half and Half – Made up of half whole milk and half heavy cream, half and half makes this soup irresistibly creamy. I love the richness it contributes, without being too thick. However, you can use whole milk in place of the half and half in this recipe if you’d like.

Baby Spinach – Either fresh or frozen spinach will work in this chicken florentine soup! Two cups might sound like a lot, but once cooked, the spinach will wilt and shrink. Sometimes, when I’m feeling extra healthy, I throw in a couple extra handfuls of spinach. Spinach is super nutritious and loaded with vitamins and minerals!

Chef’s Tips

Wait until the very end of this recipe to taste and adjust any seasonings. The soup needs time to simmer and allow its flavors to develop. Therefore, wait until the last step to add anything you’d like!
Serve this chicken florentine soup however you’d like. I love enjoying a big bowl of this cozy soup with a thick slice crusty bread – yum! I’ve even served this over a bowl of cooked white rice, which was hearty and delicious.
Sprinkle some fresh parsley, cracked black pepper, and/or parmesan cheese over your finished dish. I love adding a fresh element to this hearty soup, it really helps brighten this recipe up!

two bowls of chicken florentine soup with crackers and fresh parsley on the side

More Easy Soup Recipes

We hope you loved this recipe as much as we did! We’d love for you to give us a star ★ rating below, and follow us on Instagram! For more delicious, healthy recipes, be sure to check out 40 Aprons.

Print Recipe

Chicken Florentine Soup

This chicken florentine soup is creamy, comforting, and surprisingly healthy! It's packed with fresh veggies, chicken, and a few simple seasonings.

Prep Time5 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Total Time25 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: comfort food, one pot meal, soup

Servings: servings

Calories: 315kcal

Author: Cheryl Malik

Equipment

Large pot

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter
4 garlic cloves minced
1 onion diced
1 cup carrots diced
1 cup celery diced
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 quart chicken broth
1 cup half and half
2 cups cooked chicken diced or shredded
2 cups baby spinach

Instructions

Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat, then add in the garlic, onion, carrots and celery. Cook 3-5 minutes or until veggies are soft.
Add flour, Italian seasoning, salt, and black pepper then stir for 1 minute.
Pour in the chicken broth and half and half, bring soup to a boil then reduce to a simmer for about 15 minutes or until it begins to thicken.
Stir in the chicken and spinach, simmer for 5 minutes then taste and adjust seasoning as desired.

Notes

Make it Gluten-Free: Use cassava flour or rice flour in place of the all purpose flour in this recipe.

Recipe yields approximately 4 servings. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.

Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.

To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by 4. Result will be the weight of one serving.

Nutrition

December 22, 2020 Healthy

Smoked Turkey and White Bean Soup

This recipe for smoked turkey soup with white beans and veggies is a hearty, nutritious, and delicious way to use leftover smoked turkey.

White soup bowl with smoked turkey soup, carrots, celery, and Great Northern beans

What Makes This Recipe So Good

It’s so easy to make! Most of the cooking time is actually just the soup simmering to really bring out the flavors.
This is a great recipe for leftover smoked turkey from Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. It’s warm and hearty, and way better than another boring turkey sandwich.
It’s a perfect freezer meal. Prepare the soup as instructed, and let it cool completely. Store it in an airtight container (or in a zippered freezer bag laid flat on a shelf) and freeze for up to six months.

Smoked Turkey Soup Ingredients

Smoked Turkey Meat – Specifically the meat from smoked turkey legs. It’s tender, juicy, and tastes a little like ham. Smoked turkey has a deeper, richer flavor than roasted turkey thanks to the use of smoke and the long cooking time. Turkey legs are generally available at most grocery stores, or you can check with a local butcher.

Great Northern Beans – A white bean similar to cannellini, Great Northern beans are high fiber, low fat, and have no cholesterol. They taste a little nutty and they’re super versatile. If you can’t find Great Northern beans, you can use Navy beans or cannellini beans for this recipe, though the flavor will be slightly different.

How to Make Smoked Turkey Soup

The full recipe & ingredients list are below, but here you’ll find a quick overview for making this recipe perfectly, along with useful tips and info!

Whipping up this incredible smoked turkey soup could not be easier! Basically you just sauté all the ingredients in a large pot over medium heat, then bring it all to a boil with the chicken broth. Let everything simmer for at least 45 minutes and serve hot over a cup of cooked rice!

Chef’s Tips

Before cooking, separate the turkey meat from the bones and skin, and cut or shred the meat into bite sized pieces. Sometimes meat that was exposed during the smoking process will be tough and leathery – cut that away, too.
This recipe uses canned beans to keep things easy, but you can absolutely use fresh beans instead. You’ll need to soak dry beans in water for at least 8 hours to ensure they cook properly.
Smoked turkey meat adds a beautiful flavor to this soup, but whatever turkey meat you have on hand will work!
For more fiber and protein, use wild rice in your smoked turkey soup. It’s also a great source of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
45 minutes is the minimum amount of time needed for this recipe to simmer on the stove. The longer it simmers, the more flavorful it will be!

What Do We Mean By “Healthy?”

Our recipes focus on real ingredients and homemade elements. We try to avoid processed flour and sugar, like white flour or white sugar. Our recipes often swap less healthy options (like a commercial, deep-fried tostada) for an easy homemade version.

Our recipes are not necessarily low fat or low calorie, and we aren’t afraid of fat or carbs! Some of our recipes will be “skinny,” low carb, keto, paleo, dairy free, grain free, gluten free, Whole30, or vegan, and they will be labeled when they qualify for any of these diets. All our recipes are easy and family friendly!

Bowl of smoked turkey soup with carrots, celery, and beans on a white table

More Amazing Soup Recipes

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Smoked Turkey Soup

Our recipe for smoked turkey soup with white beans, veggies, and plenty of seasoning is a hearty and nutritious way to use leftover smoked turkey.

Prep Time5 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Simmer Time45 mins

Total Time1 hr 10 mins

Course: Main Course, Soup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: freezer meal, leftovers, winter meals

Servings: servings

Calories: 564kcal

Author: Cheryl Malik

Ingredients

1 tablespoon oil
2 cloves garlic minced
1 onion roughly chopped
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
salt to taste
¼ teaspoon pepper
2 celery stalks
1 cup carrots thinly sliced
2 smoked turkey legs
1 can Great Northern beans drained
4 ½ cups chicken broth
1 cup cooked rice see Note

Instructions

Sauté garlic and onion in oil over medium heat until translucent.
Add thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, carrots, and celery. Cook 2 minutes or until fragrant.
Add meat from smoked turkey legs and cook 3-5 minutes.
Mix in beans. Add chicken broth and bring to boil.
Boil 10 minutes. Cover with lid and simmer 45 minutes or longer. Serve with one cup of cooked rice.

Notes

If you don’t eat rice, you can use sweet potato rice or cauliflower rice, or just omit this entirely. Skipping the rice makes this recipe very low carb!
Nutritional information shown below does not include rice.

Nutrition

December 3, 2020 Air Fryer

How to Reheat Pizza in an Air Fryer

Reheating pizza in the air fryer is a total leftover game-changer that’s so quick and easy, you’ll never want to reheat pizza any other way again!

Air fryer reheated pizza with garlic butter

Why Reheating Pizza in the Air Fryer is So Great

It’s so much faster than reheating pizza in the oven. Air fryers take less time to preheat than ovens, so you’ll go from cold to cooking sooner, and have your hot pizza even faster!
There’s less clean up than using the oven! You don’t have to worry about a baking sheet or tin foil or anything like that.
Microwaving pizza is an option, sure, but the crust either gets soggy or tough and rubbery. That doesn’t happen in the air fryer! The air fryer keeps the crust crispy, so it’s just as good as it was on day one.
It works with any kind of pizza. Thick crust, thin crust, store bought, homemade – the possibilities are endless!

New to air fryers and trying to decide which one to get? Visit our sister site, 40 Aprons, to read about the Five Air Fryers We Love.

How to Reheat Pizza in the Air Fryer

The full recipe & ingredients list are below, but here you’ll find a quick overview for making this recipe perfectly, along with useful tips and info!

Pizza is one of those magical foods that’s great when it’s fresh and even better as a leftover. Don’t ask me how; we just have to accept that it’s one of those things we’ll never understand.

For the BEST reheated pizza ever, you’ll want to use an air fryer. Preheat the air fryer to 325° if you’ve got thin crust pizza, and 350° for thick crust pizza. If you’re heating up multiple slices, lay them flat in the basket in one single layer. Pop the basket in the air fryer for 3 to 4 minutes, then remove and enjoy!

One slice of cheese pizza in an air fryer bowl

Chef’s Tips

If you’re reheating multiple slices of pizza, try to reheat similar size slices together. You don’t want to reheat a small thin slice with a huge thick slice, because the smaller one will be dry and possibly burnt by the time the bigger one is ready.
Don’t overlap your pizza slices in the basket. The air won’t be able to circulate properly, and your pizza won’t reheat evenly.
Spread a little garlic butter or cooking oil on the crust before you put your pizza in the air fryer. That’ll make it crispier and give it a little extra flavor!
If the pizza starts to brown or burn before it’s warmed through, lower the temperature of your air fryer by 25°.

Close up of cheese pizza reheated in the air fryer

What Do We Mean By “Healthy?”

More Air Fryer Recipes

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5 from 1 vote

How to Reheat Pizza in an Air Fryer

Reheating pizza in the air fryer is a total leftover game-changer that’s so quick and easy, you’ll never want to reheat pizza any other way again!

Cook Time5 mins

Total Time5 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, Italian

Keyword: air fryer, instructions, leftovers

Servings: serving

Author: Cheryl Malik

Equipment

Air Fryer

Instructions

Preheat to 325° Fahrenheit for thin crust pizza or 350° for thick crust pizza.
Place pizza in basket in a single layer.
Cook 3 to 4 minutes. Remove and enjoy!

Notes

You can use this method to reheat as many slices of pizza as you want! For multiple slices, you may need to work in multiple batches. The key is to make sure none of the pizza touches or overlaps.

August 26, 2019 Dairy-Free

Easy Salmon Patties & Lemon Garlic Sauce

This garlicky and tasty salmon patty recipe is a quick and delicious way to use that leftover (or canned) salmon. The creamy and savory lemon garlic sauce is perfect for salmon or poultry, and this entire recipe can be thrown together in 10 minutes.

Why These Easy Salmon Patties Are So Good

Anything with salmon is delicious to my palate, but how great is it to be able to utilize those leftovers from your fridge? It’s super great and stress free.

Due to the quick prep time of this recipe, you will have dinner for everyone in less than 20 minutes.
Real ingredients only.
The lemon garlic sauce is super creamy and savory.

How To Make These Easy Salmon Patties

Seriously. I am such a fan of how quickly this recipe comes together.

Flake 4 cups of loosely packed (16 ounces) of cooked leftover salmon into a medium bowl. If you are using salmon from a can, this will equate to about 2 cans (14.75 ounces).

Lightly beat 2 eggs.

Combine flaked salmon, beaten egg, 1/2 cup of diced onion, 2/3 cups of almond flour, 1/4 cup of freshly chopped parsley, 2 cloves of garlic (chopped), sea salt, and freshly cracked pepper into the medium bowl you pulled out for the salmon.

Gently, stir ingredients together with mixing utensil until well combined. With a disher (scooper) that measures to be 1/4 of a cup (2 ounces), scoop out the salmon mixture from the bowl.

Once you have a scoop of salmon, gently press and form salmon mixture into an even patty. Let patties rest on parchment paper or baking sheet. Repeat for each scoop.

With a large frying pan and medium heat, evenly coat the bottom of pan with neutral oil of choice (we used olive oil).

Place salmon patties in pan. Cook for 5-6 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Remove from heat.

Garnish with fresh parsley and lemon wedges. Serve with lemon garlic sauce.

How To Make This Creamy lemon Garlic Sauce:

With a small bowl and spoon, combine 1/4 cup of mayonnaise, 1/2 cup of plain yogurt (I used Stonyfield Greek Yogurt), 1 tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice, 1 chopped clove of garlic, and 1 tablespoon of freshly chopped parsley. Done! Now, garnish with fresh parsley, Old Bay Seasoning, and freshly cracked pepper.

Recipe Notes

We have only tried this with almond flour; we do not know the success rate with white wheat flour.
Definitely keep your olive oil on hand as you cook the patties in your frying pan. Don’t want those patties to stick!

Other Recipes You Will Love

What Do We Mean By “Healthy?”

I would love to hear if you have tried this recipe! – do leave me a star rating and comment down below!

Easy salmon patties on white plate with lemon garlic sauce drizzle and salad.

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5 from 8 votes

Easy Salmon Patties & Lemon Garlic Sauce (Gluten Free)

Simple, delicious, and gluten free, these salmon patties and lemon garlic sauce allow you to enjoy diverse flavors of fresh parsley and citrus in under ten minutes!

Prep Time12 mins

Cook Time10 mins

Course: Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Easy salmon patties, Gluten free salmon patties, Lemon garlic sauce

Servings:

Calories: 188kcal

Author: Savannah McGhee

Cost: $15.00

Ingredients

16 ounces flaked cooked salmon (4 cups loosely packed) Or 14.75 ounces (about two cans) of canned salmon
2 eggs
1/2 cup chopped onion
2/3 cups almond flour
1/4 cup freshly chopped parsley
2 cloves of chopped garlic
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly cracked pepper
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup plain Greek Yogurt Stonyfield Organic Plain Greek Yogurt
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 clove chopped garlic
1 tablespoon freshly chopped parsley

Instructions

Flake 4 cups (16 ounces) of loosely packed cooked salmon into a medium bowl. If you are using salmon from a can, this will equate to about 2 cans (14.75 ounces).
Lightly beat eggs. Chop the onion, garlic, and parsley. Juice the lemon.
Combine flaked salmon, beaten egg, 1/2 cup of diced onion, 2/3 cups of almond flour, 1/4 cup of freshly chopped parsley, 2 cloves of garlic (chopped), sea salt, and freshly cracked pepper into the medium bowl you pulled out for the salmon.
Gently, stir ingredients together with mixing utensil until well combined.
With a disher (scooper) that measures to be 1/4 of a cup (2 ounces), scoop out the salmon mixture from the bowl.
Once you have a scoop of salmon, gently press and form salmon mixture into an even patty. Let patties rest on parchment paper or baking sheet. Repeat for each scoop.
With a large frying pan and medium heat, evenly coat the bottom of pan with neutral oil of choice (we used olive oil). Place salmon patties in pan.
Cook for 5-6 minutes on each side or until golden brown.
Remove from heat.
Garnish with fresh parsley and lemon wedges.

Lemon Garlic Sauce

With a small bowl and spoon, combine mayonnaise, plain yogurt, freshly squeezed lemon juice, chopped garlic, and freshly chopped parsley. Garnish with fresh parsley, Old Bay Seasoning, and freshly cracked pepper.
Pour lemon garlic sauce over garnished salmon patties. Serve!

Notes

We only tried this with almond flour; we do not know the success rate with white wheat flour.
Definitely keep your olive oil on hand as you cook the patties in your frying pan. If you are a using a nonstick pan, these patties will stick which means you will need to continue adding your oil.

Nutrition