Recipe for Homemade Turkey Soup

Savor the rich flavors of Homemade Turkey Soup. This soup recipe is comfort food in a bowl that you will eat for days! The turkey carcass simmers to create the most delicious, nourishing broth.

One of the best things about this time of year is the soup you can make with Thanksgiving leftovers or Christmas leftovers. It just satisfies your soul!

We love this recipe for Turkey Soup you make from scratch because:

• It tastes better than anything you can buy from the store.
• Although it has a few steps, overall, it’s easy to make.
• It’s great to use up your leftovers.
• It’s economical and freezes well to enjoy for months.

Ingredients

For the Stock (aka bone broth)

turkey carcass – we usually use a 12-14 pound turkey.
onion – peeled and halved
carrot – peeled and coarsely chopped
celery – coarsely chopped
garlic cloves – peeled and smashed
dry white wine – if you don’t have a bottle open or on hand, use the small bottles found in the liquor section of the grocery store.
water
bay leaf – add a good amount of flavor
fresh parsley
fresh thyme 

For the Turkey Soup

homemade turkey stock and reserved shredded meat – this is your first step in the recipe
onion – chopped 
carrots, peeled and chopped into rounds
celery – sliced
fresh thyme leaves
salt and pepper
pasta noodles – we love to use egg noodles
fresh parsley leaves

How to Make Turkey Soup from the Carcass

The first step is making your turkey stock from the roasted carcass and bones. 

Note: You can store your turkey carcass in the refrigerator for about two days before you make your stock and soup. 

Step 1 – Make Stock

Place your turkey carcass (broken into parts), onion, carrot, celery, garlic, wine, bay leaf, and water in a large pot (12 quarts or larger) and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, you can skim any fat the rises to the surface. 

Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 2 hours. Continue to skim the surface of fat if necessary. 

Step 2 – Add Fresh Herbs and Continue Cooking

Add the fresh parsley and thyme and continue to simmer until the stock is rich and flavorful about 2 more hours. 

Step 3 – Strain the Stock

Pour the stock through a large mesh strainer into a large bowl or container. Pick through the solids and remove the turkey meat. Then, shred it and set it aside. Discard the solids remaining in the strainer.

Note: The stock can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Before you use it, make sure to scrape off the fat.

If using right away, use a fat separator to remove excess fat. 

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Step 4 – Cook the Main Ingredients of the Soup

It’s time to make your homemade turkey soup!

Bring the turkey stock you already made to a simmer in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add your chopped onion, carrots, and celery, as well as thyme and 1 teaspoon of salt. Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes until the vegetables are tender. 

Step 5 – Add the Pasta

Add the pasta (we love egg noodles) and the reserved shredded turkey meat. Simmer for about 10 – 12 minutes longer or until pasta is cooked al dente (a little firm). Stir in the parsley and add salt and pepper to taste. 

So the pasta doesn’t get soft and mushy, serve immediately.

Mmmm, this is a great recipe! 

How Long Do You Boil Turkey Bones?

To get maximum flavor, simmering your turkey bones for 4 hours produces a full-flavored stock that’s perfect for any recipe. Adding some fresh parsley and thyme halfway through infuses the stock with plenty of herb flavor. 

Recipe Tips & Tricks

• The amounts shown are a guideline. You can improvise depending on your preferences and the ingredients you have on hand, as well as how much soup you want to make.
• Try not to pick all the meat off your turkey carcass before making your stock. The stock tastes best when there is a good amount of meat clinging to the bones when cooking it. 
• While shopping for the herbs to roast your turkey, make sure to buy extra to use in your soup. 
• If you don’t have white wine on hand for your homemade turkey soup, use chicken broth. 
• The pasta will break down rather quickly, so this soup is best right after it’s made.

How to Add Flavor to Turkey Soup

• The best way to add rich flavor to turkey soup is by making your own stock with the bones like we do in this recipe. It’s worth the extra step.
• To up the flavor and heat of your soup, try adding Tabasco sauce.

Variations

THANKSGIVING DINNER TRIMMINGS – it sounds a little crazy, but you can put leftover corn, green beans, peas, stuffing, AND mashed potatoes into your soup. It’s delish! The stuffing and mashed potatoes help to thicken the soup and give it more “Thanksgiving” flavor.

RICE – instead of pasta, you can include 2 – 3 cups of cooked rice. 

BARLEY – instead of noodles, you can add about 1 1/2 cup quick-cooking barley and cook it for 12-15 minutes in the soup. 

What to Eat With Your Soup

We like hearty artisan bread with our soup. You can also serve it with biscuits or green salad.

Storing Your Homemade Turkey Soup

TO SERVE – As with most recipes, you shouldn’t leave this homemade turkey soup out for longer than 2 hours. 

TO REFRIGERATE – completely cool your soup and store it in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. Either reheat on the stovetop in a saucepan until hot or microwave it for 1 – 1 1/2 minutes or until heated through. 

TO FREEZE – completely cool your soup and store it in an airtight container or freezer-safe bag for 3 – 4 months. Don’t forget to label and date your soup! Place in the fridge to thaw the day before you want to eat it. 

More Soup Recipes

30-Minute Chicken Soup – one of the easiest and tastiest homemade soup recipes.
Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup – let your slow cooker do the hard work and you can come home to delicious chicken soup.
White Chicken Lasagna Soup – a savory soup recipe that never disappoints.
Crockpot Chicken Enchilada Soup – an easy recipe that families gobble up!
Crock Pot Vegetable Soup – a low-fat, healthy recipe that is so easy to make in your slow cooker.

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