Turkey Soup (From Leftover Turkey)

Turkey soup from leftover turkey couldn’t be easier. My mom would say just throw that carcass in a pot, cover it with water, add some vegetables and boil it for a few hours. It really is that simple but if you’ve never done it before there's nothing like a reliable recipe to follow.

this gluten free recipe

If you like slow food then your friends need to know that. My husband is always the one to raise his hand and accept a cooked turkey carcass. We've even received a carcass from a turkey dinner we didn't attend! We've also been known to take our stockpot when we're invited for turkey dinner.

There's something to be said about simple ingredients cooked to perfection. When we make soup I make biscuits to go with it and eat them while they're still warm.

Ingredients

It's soup! You don't need exact measurements and you can vary the recipe to your liking. Use it as a guide and make your perfect soup.

• cooked turkey carcass (from a 12-20 lb turkey)
• onion, carrot & celery - this is a mirepoix, the classic combination to start many homemade soups
• turkey stock
• cooked turkey meat
• frozen peas - we love the look of peas in this soup

See recipe card for exact amounts.

Instructions for Making Turkey Stock

You don't want overcooked vegetables with no taste but you do want a tasty bone broth with all the nutrients and minerals the bones have to offer. Boil the carcass for at least six hours so the broth will gel when it’s cold. That's how you know you did it right.

Soup From Leftover Turkey

The goodness from the first round of vegetables, the mirepoix, went into the stock so they’re done. Either add them to your compost or puree them to thicken your soup.

The best turkey soup needs fresh vegetables cooked just until done. That's the secret for homemade turkey soup from leftover turkey.

Variations

For us turkey season is from Canadian Thanksgiving in October right until the first week of the new year. But you can scale down this recipe and make soup with a chicken carcass.

At Thanksgiving or Christmas I make this recipe using the carcass from my Achiote Butter Basted Turkey. It imparts an earthy flavour from the achiote paste (even though I can't really tell, but it must right).

When my husband wants to make this soup in the spring or early fall I roast a chicken following the recipe for my Spatchcock Chicken. I wouldn't bother to spatchcock it, that's more of a fun think to do for company.

Get The Tools

You don’t need a big stockpot for soup but it comes in handy a few times a year. We have one leftover from our restaurant and catering days. A 12-quart stockpot is larger than the large pot (sometimes called a Dutch oven) that comes with a typical set of pots. It will hold a whole turkey carcass and is perfect for kitchen projects and food parties like a Lobster Boil or making jam, salsa or antipasto.

Turkey Soup (From Leftover Turkey)

Soup from leftover turkey couldn't be easier. We don't often have turkey so you might as well use the carcass and make the turkey stock too.

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Course: Soup

Cuisine: Canadian

Keyword: turkey soup from leftover turkey

Author: Cinde Little

Ingredients

TURKEY STOCK

• ▢ 1 cooked turkey carcass, broken to fit in pot (from a 12-20 lb turkey)
• ▢ 1 large onion, chopped
• ▢ 4 carrots, chopped
• ▢ 4 celery stalks, chopped
• ▢ 16 cups filtered water or more to cover the bones

TURKEY SOUP

• ▢ 8 cups turkey stock
• ▢ 2 cups cooked turkey meat, chopped
• ▢ 2 carrots, chopped
• ▢ 2 celery stalks, chopped
• ▢ 1 cup frozen peas
• ▢ salt and pepper to taste
• ▢ OPTIONAL GARNISH – fresh chopped parsley

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Instructions

TURKEY STOCK

• Put turkey carcass, onion, carrot and celery in stockpot. Add water and bring to a boil.
• Cover and simmer 6-8 hours. DO NOT add salt or pepper.
• Strain broth and use for soup.

TURKEY SOUP

• Put turkey stock, turkey meat, carrot and celery in soup pot and bring to a boil. Decrease heat and simmer 20 minutes until vegetables are almost cooked through.
• Add peas and simmer for 5 minutes.
• Taste and add salt and pepper to taste.
• Garnish with fresh parsley if desired.

Notes

Using the leftover turkey carcass makes a bone broth with all the nutrients and minerals the bones have to offer. Boil the carcass for at least six hours so the broth will gel when it’s cold. That's how you know you did it right!