Whenever I make a Thanksgiving turkey, I save the carcass and some meat to make this fabulous turkey soup. Add a simple side dish, such as honey cornbread or garlic knots, then watch the rave reviews come in!
Turkey Soup Recipe
To make this delicious turkey soup recipe make sure you have the following ingredients for the broth: a turkey carcass, an onion, carrots, celery, peppercorns, parsley, thyme, garlic, a bay leaf and salt. For the soup you will need butter, an onion, carrots, celery, garlic, turkey, Italian seasoning, turkey broth, egg noodles, parsley, salt and black pepper. This soup is one of my favorite leftover turkey recipes along with turkey casserole, turkey pasta carbonara and turkey tetrazzini.
How Do You Make Turkey Broth?
You can’t have turkey soup without turkey broth! To make the base of this soup, start with a turkey carcass. You’ll want to remove the majority of the meat first. Place the carcass in a large pot along with onions, carrots, celery, herbs and spices. Cover the ingredients with water, then bring them to a simmer. Cook for 3-4 hours, occasionally skimming the foam off the surface of the broth. Pour the finished broth through a strainer, and you’ll be ready to make your soup.
How Do You Make Turkey Soup?
To make this turkey soup melt butter in a pot, then add carrots, onion and celery. Cook until the veggies are tender, then stir in garlic. Add the diced turkey, herbs, spices and turkey broth to the pot, then bring everything a simmer. Let the soup simmer, then stir in egg noodles. Cook until the egg noodles are done, then add a sprinkle of fresh parsley and serve.
Tips For The Perfect Soup
This soup tastes best with homemade turkey broth. If you don’t have the time to make your own broth, feel free to use prepared turkey or chicken broth from the grocery store. When straining broth, I like to pour the broth through a colander with a paper towel inside. Straining the broth through a paper towel and colander helps catch small bits. If you use a paper towel, pour slowly so the broth has a chance to filter through the paper towel. You can make the turkey broth up to 3 days before you plan to use it. You can store broth in a pitcher so that it fits in a refrigerator and is easy to pour when you are ready to make the soup. This soup can be prepared in the slow cooker. Simply place the vegetables, broth, turkey and seasonings in a slow cooker, and cook on low for 4 hours. Stir in the noodles, then cook for an additional 30 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley, then serve.
Flavor Variations
This soup is fabulous as-is, but you can add other ingredients to customize it to your tastes.
Protein: This recipe works just as well with a chicken as it does a turkey. Veggies: Add more vegetables such as tomatoes, corn, green beans, zucchini, potatoes or spinach. Grains: Instead of the pasta, stir in some cooked white rice, quinoa, barley or wild rice.
This turkey soup is worth making all year round – it’s perfect for those cold weather nights!
Turkey Soup Video
