If you love canned soup, then this recipe is not for you. I always look forward to after-Thanksgiving turkey soup as much as I love cooking and eating Thanksgiving turkey dinner with all of the sides.After you have eaten all of the sandwiches and heated up plates of turkey dinner that you can handle, it is time to make soup. My mom always made soup from the left-over turkey and I have carried on the tradition. You get a hearty almost stew-like pot of goodness that is perfect for our cold fall weather at Mt Hood.
This is the type of recipe that does not have a strict list of ingredients or amounts. You have to use items that you like and then eyeball how much you need based upon how big your turkey was and how much meat you have leftover.
Put the carcass into your large pot with water to completely cover. Bring to a boil, then simmer slowly for about 3 hours, partially covered. This will pull all of the meat off the bones and pull flavor out of all parts of the turkey. You will need to scoop out the bones and place them on a plate. When it cools to the touch, pull off any turkey meat that did not come off in cooking and reserve. Discard the bones and other inedible parts. Pour the stock left in the pot into another pot or bowl, through a strainer. This will help you find any small bones, but keep the meat that ends up in the strainer. Put your stock and all turkey back into the pot and simmer on low.
Now comes the creative part. The amount of the following ingredients can be adjusted to your taste or you can substitute for items you like better. Don't worry if a little of your leftover stuffing or mashed potatoes end up in the soup; they will cook down and add more flavor.
In a large pan, saute the following in a small amount of oil:
1 small-medium onion, minced
When the mirepoix is soft and translucent, add it to the simmering stock. Then add the following ingredients. Simmer for about 30-45 minutes or until the rice is cooked.
Leftover turkey shredded into bite-size pieces
Your turkey soup is ready to be served. This is good with crusty sourdough or French bread and a green salad. If you end up with more soup than you can eat in a day, freeze some. It is perfect for dinner after a crazy day that we know will come up with the holidays ahead. Talk about comfort food.
This is the type of recipe that does not have a strict list of ingredients or amounts. You have to use items that you like and then eyeball how much you need based upon how big your turkey was and how much meat you have leftover.The most important and time-consuming (relatively) task in making your soup is in prepping the carcass and making the turkey stock. First, remove all the skin and any other little bones or gristley pieces. You may need to break the carcass into 2 or 3 pieces to fit into your stock pot. I use my large blue canning pot and cook on the side burner of my BBQ on the deck.
Put the carcass into your large pot with water to completely cover. Bring to a boil, then simmer slowly for about 3 hours, partially covered. This will pull all of the meat off the bones and pull flavor out of all parts of the turkey. You will need to scoop out the bones and place them on a plate. When it cools to the touch, pull off any turkey meat that did not come off in cooking and reserve. Discard the bones and other inedible parts. Pour the stock left in the pot into another pot or bowl, through a strainer. This will help you find any small bones, but keep the meat that ends up in the strainer. Put your stock and all turkey back into the pot and simmer on low.
Now comes the creative part. The amount of the following ingredients can be adjusted to your taste or you can substitute for items you like better. Don't worry if a little of your leftover stuffing or mashed potatoes end up in the soup; they will cook down and add more flavor.
In a large pan, saute the following in a small amount of oil:
1 small-medium onion, minced
2- 4 stalks celery, minced
3-5 carrots, minced
2+ cloves garlic, finely minced (be careful, too much garlic will overpower other flavors)
When the mirepoix is soft and translucent, add it to the simmering stock. Then add the following ingredients. Simmer for about 30-45 minutes or until the rice is cooked.
Leftover turkey shredded into bite-size pieces
Leftover peas, green beans, pearl onions or other veggies from Thanksgiving dinner or 2 cups frozen veggies
Leftover gravy from Thanksgiving dinner
1 cup wild rice (substitute noodles or white rice if you prefer, or make dumplings)
salt, pepper & poultry seasoning to taste
Your turkey soup is ready to be served. This is good with crusty sourdough or French bread and a green salad. If you end up with more soup than you can eat in a day, freeze some. It is perfect for dinner after a crazy day that we know will come up with the holidays ahead. Talk about comfort food.
