Waste not, want not . . . right? Or rather I should say, “waist not, don’t want.” Thanksgiving can be hazardous to our waistlines. Eating healthy soup, after the feast is over, makes it easier to control. I love to make my favorite Herb Marinated and Roasted Turkey Recipe, and eat it until all that’s left is the carcass. Instead of throwing it out, I make a fabulous after Thanksgiving turkey soup using the carcass to flavor the broth.
This post was updated 11/2021
Enjoy this Recipe
After Thanksgiving Turkey Soup
Ingredients
Stock
- 1 Turkey Carcass
- water broth, skimmed pan drippings (can be a mix) to cover up the turkey carcass in a large soup pot.
- 1-2 brown onions unpeeled
- 2-3 bay leaves whole
- 2-3 parsley sprigs
- a few celery and carrot tops
Soup
- broth made above
- 1 28 oz can whole tomatoes and juice coarsely chopped
- 4 large carrots coarsely chopped
- 1 large onion coarsely chopped
- 1/2 bag frozen spinach or fresh if available
- 3 leeks coarsely chopped
- 3-4 cloves of garlic whole
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1-2 Tbsp fresh herbs chopped
- 1-2 cups turkey meat chopped
- 1 cup of tiny pasta or a combination of grains In the image I used Trader Joe’s Harvest Grains mix It’s a savory blend of Israeli style couscous, orzo, baby garbanzo beans, and red quinoa
- Parmesan cheese grated to taste
Instructions
Stock
- Pickoff most of the turkey meat that is leftover and set it aside.
- Break up the turkey carcass so that it will fit in a very large soup pot and place it inside the pot. If you have giblets, throw them in too, except for the liver.
- Cover the turkey with water or broth.
- Place an unpeeled brown onion or two (whole) in the pot. The peel will give the soup a nice color
- Add celery and carrot tops, parsley sprigs, bay leaves, garlic, to the pot and bring to a boil.
- Cook down the broth for at least an hour but preferably several hours at a low simmer.
- Let the broth cool a bit and strain the liquid into a smaller soup pot to make sure there are no bones in the soup. Use a fat skimmer or just use a spoon to take out any remaining fat.
- You will find more meat will come off the bones. You can save some of this to put back in the soup or feed it to your pets. Pets love Thanksgiving too.
Soup
- Saute the chopped carrots, chopped onion, celery, spinach, and leek in olive oil until slightly soft. Add the mixture to the broth
- Add chopped turkey, herbs, salt, pepper, and garlic cloves, and bring to a low simmer for at least an hour.
- Add the mixed grains (or pasta) and cook in the pot until done. (time it according to the package directions)
- Ladle into soup bowls with a tiny bit of grated Parmesan on top.
- Serve with crusty bread and enjoy. Of course, this soup is always better the next day as most soups are.
It’s a free for all!
Throw in any vegetables you happen to have on hand including leftovers veggies from your Thanksgiving meal. Fresh is always better, but canned vegetables along with their juice work well too. Feel free to be creative.
Soup made with lean turkey and plenty of vegetables is low in calories and high in fiber. It’s a great way to clean out all that we indulged in during the holidays. Also, bone broth has many immune-boosting benefits to keep you strong and healthy.
Souping in between holiday meals is a great way to get through the holidays without gaining weight.
You may enjoy these soup recipes as well.
Pumpkin Soup with Apple and Bourbon
The Vegan option
If you had a vegan Thanksgiving, use a vegetable broth instead and enjoy the goodness of the vegetables. You can substitute the turkey for tofu or a meat substitute like chopped sauteed portobello mushrooms.
For more Thanksgiving recipes click here.
What do you like to put in your after Thanksgiving turkey soup? Please leave a comment below. We all love to be inspired!
Oh, this sounds heavenly! Saving…
Great, Diane. I hope you enjoy it!
This is such an interesting sounding Turkey Soup, I love the addition of the tomatoes to make it unique.
Thanks, Karen. The tomato gives it some zest and makes it even tastier.
My spouse has made after-Thanksgiving soup for years; in fact he starts it Thanksgiving night. One nice addition is escarole (maybe instead of the spinach). I highly recommend this soup to all! I do have to ask – do the carrot tops lend any bitterness to the soup? I must have a super sensitive bitter gene in my tasting.
Escarole is a great idea. I’ll have to try it next time. I didn’t notice any bitterness from the carrot tops plus they add more nutrients. You can always chop them off.
Trying this recipe. I always make turkey stock so my question is about how many cups of stock do you use in this soup?
Hi Nancy,
I put it in a soup pot and cover up the turkey carcass with water leaving about 2 inches from the top of the pot so it doesn’t boil over. I didn’t measure the cups (family recipe – LOL) but approximately 12 cups of water depending on the size of your pot and the number of bones you have.
Was looking for a soup for all my turkey leftovers. Here it is! Sounds wonderful.
I hope you like it, Laurie!
I throw the carcass ns remaining turkey in the freezer after a day of leftovers. Then sometime weeks later on a cold winter day I take out the frozen turkey and make soup. Will try your recipe!
That’s a great idea, Meryl. Then you can use it anytime!
I am just about to make this!
I hope you like it, Carol!