My leftovers looked a little different this year, being the designated “sides” cook for this Thanksgiving. 

I was left with an abundance of ingredients I over purchased like potatoes, carrots, celery, mushrooms and onions. I never have the heart to let things spoil, so I knew I had to find a way to repurpose the veggies.
Coincidentally, other family members and I came down with the flu over the holiday; soup was the answer to fix both problems. I’m not sure there’s true science behind it, but I swear soup heals.

It apparently also uses many of the same ingredients I had left over. The version I made was vegetarian, but you can even add leftover turkey to this soup if you have it.

The sad thing about celery is that it doesn’t keep as long in the refrigerator as other vegetables. But, did you know you can put celery in ice water and it will crisp right back up? 

I’ve never made this recipe before. I took the knowledge I had from making chicken noodle soup and improvised from there, using what I had.

I don’t even know what to call it — I guess we can go with “happy accident soup.”

How to make happy accident soup, on purpose:

1. Wash, peel and cut your veggies. I used potatoes, carrots, celery and mushrooms because that’s what I had on hand. Feel free to substitute, add or leave out as desired. Add to your Crockpot on high heat.

2. Chop onion and garlic. Add to Crockpot.

3. Add chicken broth. I feel like I get a better bang for my buck along with a more robust flavor from Better than Bouillon, which you can find in any grocery store.

Gallery • 2 Photos

Dominique Williams

4. Add spices. I kept it somewhat simple and used salt, pepper, Old Bay and Italian seasoning. 

5. Stir everything together and let it sit on high for three hours. The last two steps include making your rice and a béchamel to thicken the soup — both of which are added at the end of the cooking time.

6. About 30 minutes before the soup is done cooking, get started on your rice. In my opinion, wild rice is the best for soup. I like to keep it simple by using Rice-A-Roni. I don’t have to look for a recipe because the directions are right on the box! Add the rice to the Crockpot as soon as it is done.

7. “Béchamel” is a really fancy word for a simple butter, flour and milk mixture. Melt your butter in a pot; do not brown it. Add flour; whisk until thickened. Add milk and stir until well combined. Add béchamel to the Crockpot; stir.

8. Serve! The base won’t necessarily be thick, but the bechamel adds another depth of flavor to the dish. 

The best part about this recipe is that if you don’t already have these ingredients in your fridge or pantry, they’re all inexpensive to buy.

Same time, same place next week?