Turkey Carcass Soup
Don't waste your leftover turkey bones the day after the holidays! Turkey Carcass Soup is a great way to use leftovers on the day after Thanksgiving. The bones make a rich, flavorful broth, that we turn into soup by loading it up with extra turkey, veggies, and your choice of rice or noodles. A healthy soup after the holidays and to keep warm on chilly nights.
Wondering what a turkey carcass is? It’s simply what’s left of the turkey after carving it up. Instead of tossing it, save those bones and bits of meat to make a tasty soup! First we create a flavorful stock and use as the base for a cozy turkey soup!
Honestly, it's my favorite way to repurpose Thanksgiving leftovers. Pair with Cornbread Croutons for an added crunch.
Why This Turkey Carcass Soup Rocks!
Ingredients + Substitutions
- Turkey Carcass: This is the star of the broth. Use your leftover Thanksgiving turkey, including the bones and any small pieces of meat left on it. If you don’t have a whole carcass, you can use just turkey bones or wings. Turkey soup from carcass transfers all those amazing savory flavors to the soup.
- Onion, Celery, and Carrot: Classic soup aromatics for depth of flavor. You can also swap in leeks, garlic, or shallots. These are cooked with the carcass to make the broth and then more added to bulk up the soup.
- Parsley, Thyme, Bay Leaf, and Peppercorns: Fresh herbs add great flavor to the broth and the soup. If you’re out of fresh herbs, dried ones will work just fine.
- Butter or Olive Oil: For sautéing the vegetables for the soup. Use whichever you prefer or have on hand though the butter adds a slightly richer flavor.
- Potatoes: Adds heartiness to the old fashioned turkey soup. You can substitute with sweet potatoes or even skip them if you want a lighter turkey and vegetable soup.
- Rice, Noodles, or Pasta: These are completely optional so add whichever starch you like, or leave it out for a lower-carb version.
Check the recipe card below for the full ingredient list and quantities of each one.
How to Make Turkey Carcass Soup
The process for how to make turkey soup from carcass is simple. First, make the stock; then make the soup. Here are the steps for how to bring the turkey carcass soup recipe together after your broth has already been made.
Step 1: Add ingredients to a Dutch oven. Place the turkey carcass, veggies, and spices in the pot. If the carcass is too big to fit, use kitchen shears to cut it into smaller pieces. Pour in 10-12 cups of cold water.
Step 2: Strain the broth. Cook over low heat covered with a lid for 1 ½ - 2 hours. Transfer the carcass to a sheet pan or large plate to cool. Strain the broth to remove all of the vegetable solids and seasonings.
Step 3: Saute the veggies. Cook the diced onion, celery, and sliced carrot, in butter or olive oil over medium heat until the onions are soft.
Step 4: Add the soup ingredients. Add in the potatoes, turkey meat, bay leaf, and broth. Bring the soup to a low boil and cook for 15-20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
Step 5: Add your herbs. Remove the bay leaf and sprinkle in the fresh parsley, thyme, and pepper.
Step 6: Serve. If you're using rice or noodles, add them to the bowl and ladle over the hot soup just before serving. Garnish and enjoy!
Handy Tip: Cook Longer for More Flavor
You can cook the broth longer if you want a more intense flavor. I think it tastes much better when cooked for 3-4 hours.
Dietary Modifications & Variations
- Go gluten-free. Keep it gluten-free by adding rice or gluten-free noodles, making it just as hearty without the gluten.
- Add more veggies. Feel free to add any vegetables you enjoy. Frozen mixed vegetables, diced zucchini, chopped cabbage, green beans, kale, and spinach are just a few options.
- No turkey carcass? You can easily substitute a chicken carcass and make half a recipe or use two chicken carcasses to make a full batch.
- Turkey bones. Feel free to use any turkey or chicken bones instead! You will need enough to fill up a large pot for the best and consistency.
Soup-er Toppings & Serving Suggestions
- Serve turkey frame soup with a warm loaf of crusty bread or dinner rolls. You might also try some homemade biscuits.
- Make a grilled cheese sandwich or a hummus sandwich as a side for the soup.
- Add some toppings to your soup. I love a squeeze of lemon or lime to add a bit of brightness plus some chopped parsley, and red pepper flakes for a punch of flavor and color.
Storage Tips
- Storing: Keep your turkey bone soup in the fridge for up to 4 days in an airtight container. For best results, store the pasta or rice in a separate container. This prevents it soaking up the broth and becoming too soft.
- Freezing: This soup freezes well for up to three months. Just make sure to store it in freezer-safe containers!
- Reheat: Return the soup to a pot to reheat on the stove. Soups sometimes lose their consistency during storage so feel free to add more broth or water if it needs it. Once the soup is hot, stir in your rice or noodles and enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Don’t worry if the broth looks gelatinous when cold. That’s a sign of a good, collagen-rich stock. It will liquefy again once reheated.
- Simmer longer for richer flavor. The longer you cook the stock for turkey soup with carcass, the more intense the flavor will be, but keep in mind it also increases the gelatinous texture when chilled.
- Skim the fat. Once the soup has chilled, it's easier to skim off excess fat if you prefer a lighter broth.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, of course! Speed up the broth by using a pressure cooker! Place the carcass, veggies, and herbs in the Instant Pot with water. If needed, cut the carcass down using kitchen shears so it will fit. Add the water and cook on high pressure for 90 minutes, naturally release the pressure, and then strain the bones and vegetables from the broth. Make the turkey soup recipe from carcass by sauteing the vegetables using the saute function of your pressure cooker. Then add the next set of ingredients to the pot and cook on high pressure for five minutes. Release the pressure and finish the soup as directed.
You can pick off any pieces of meat that may fall off the bones to use in your soup but I find that it’s kind of tough and overcooked tasting. I prefer to try to remove as much of the turkey before I cook the carcass.
Yes, if there’s foam or particles in your broth, skim the top or strain it with a fine mesh sieve. Higher-quality carcasses usually need less straining.
If properly stored in the refrigerator, a turkey carcass will last for up to 3-4 days. You can also freeze it in a large ziplock bag for 3-4 months until you're ready to cook the soup.
More Easy Soup Recipes
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Turkey Carcass Soup
Equipment
- Mesh strainer
Ingredients
Turkey Broth
- 1 turkey carcass
- 10-12 cups cold water
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 rib celery sliced, can use some celery leaves too
- 1 large carrot sliced
- 4-6 sprigs parsley
- 2-3 sprigs thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 8-10 peppercorns
- 1 tablespoon salt
Soup
- 1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
- 1 large carrot sliced thin
- 1 large onion diced small
- 2 ribs celery sliced
- 10 cups turkey broth
- 2-4 cups chopped turkey depending on how much you get from carcass or have on hand and how meaty you want the soup
- 2 medium potatoes cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 bay leaf optional for extra flavor
- 2-3 sprigs fresh thyme leaves only, optional for extra flavor
- 3-4 sprigs parsley chopped
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 2 cups rice noodles, or pasta, cooked, optional
Instructions
Make Broth
- Place carcass in a large pot with onion, celery, carrot, parsley, thyme, bay leaf, peppercorns and salt. Add water.
- Cook over low heat covered with lid for 1 ½ - 2 hours. Transfer carcass from the pot to a sheet pan or large plate to cool. Strain the broth through a fine mesh sieve to remove all the vegetable solids and seasonings. You should get about 10 cups of broth. If you have some evaporation you can add water to make 10 cups or simply use what you have which will have a more intense flavor.
Make Soup
- Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add carrots, onion, and celery and cook for 8-10 minutes or until onions are very soft.
- Add broth, potatoes, turkey, and bay leaf to pot. Cover with a lid and bring to a low boil over medium low heat. Cook for 15-20 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Remove bay leaf. Stir in parsley and thyme, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve the soup over pasta or rice and garnish with parsley or green onions.
Recipe Tips
- Don’t worry if the broth looks gelatinous when cold. That’s a sign of a good, collagen-rich stock. It will liquefy again once reheated.
- Simmer longer for richer flavor. The longer you cook the stock for turkey soup with carcass, the more intense the flavor will be, but keep in mind it also increases the gelatinous texture when chilled.
- Skim the fat. Once the soup has chilled, it's easier to skim off excess fat if you prefer a lighter broth.
- Store. Keep the soup and noodles or rice separate during storing if possible. See the full post above for more tips for serving.
Nutrition
