Beginner
One of my favorite parts of Thanksgiving is making Leftover Turkey Soup.
After the wonderful gathering of friends and family, there is something soothing having turkey soup simmering on the stove. Plus it feeds all of those visitors who are still at home after the big day!
Turkey soup is a classic comfort food, perfect for a cold winter day. It is also a great way to use up leftover turkey, vegetables, and stuffing. Yes, I said stuffing! I even recommend using left over mashed potatoes and gravy if you have them. All of the ingredients bring back the flavors of the meal in a different way.
My recipe is done in two parts. First, you make the stock, and then you make the soup with that stock. The beauty of this method is that you get all the good flavors extracted from the turkey, and then when you combine it with the fresh vegetables and leftovers, you can have dinner on the table pretty quickly. I usually make my stock either early in the day or the day before and then assemble the soup an hour or so before dinner.
What you will need:
1 leftover turkey carcass and the extra meat separated. I usually chop or pull apart my turkey meat
8 cups of water or more to cover the ingredients for the first cooking
Onions
Carrots
Celery
Poultry seasoning - or any herbs you like such as thyme, rosemary, and sage
Leftover mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, and vegetables (onions and peas are particularly good, but I might avoid the squash because it will make your soup sweeter).
Tips:
If you don't have any leftover mashed potatoes or stuffing, you can add 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour mixed with some of the cold stock or a couple of teaspoons of cornstarch mixed with cold stock to the soup to thicken it.
You can also add other vegetables to the soup, such as green beans, peas, or corn.
Leftover turkey soup can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Here’s my recipe for Leftover Turkey Soup.
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