I have a confession to make. This soup is my favorite part of Thanksgiving leftovers. Many people like warming up a plate of potatoes, yams, beans, turkey and stuffing (or ‘dressing’, if that’s your thing). Others like turkey sandwiches (someone I know grew up eating leftover turkey with mayonnaise and green olives on white bread).
All that aside, what follows is my Turkey Noodle Soup recipe.
Turkey Noodle Soup
A turkey noodle soup using your Thanksgiving turkey carcass. This is a great use of and my favorite part of Thanksgiving leftovers.
Equipment
- 2 Large pots 1 pot for noodles (> 4 quarts) and 1 for soup (6 or more quarts)
- knife
- cutting board
Ingredients
- 2 onions
- 1 head of celery
- 1 turkey carcass (all the bones, neck, and "Pope's Nose")
- 10-12 quarts water
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1-2 pounds turkey meat much of this is on the carcass; some may need to be added
- 4 large carrots
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
- sage, ground to taste
Instructions
Making the Stock
- Remove any skin and stuffing from the carcass. Put the carcass in a large Dutch oven or pot and cover it with water. Add one onion, quartered, and several celery stalks. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 6 to 8 hours, stirring occasionally. When you check it to stir, skim off any fat that has risen to the top.
The 'Great Separation'
- This step needs to be done in stages unless you have a gallon-sized fat separator. Pour liquid into a fat separator. When the fat rises to the top, pour the stock into jars or other containers. Now pick through all the solids. You want to discard all the cartilage, skin, vegetables, and bones. Reserve all the meat. This can be a tedious process but it is well worth ensuring you don't choke on a bone.
Making the Soup
- Finely dice one medium onion and several stalks of celery. Put one tablespoon of avocado or olive oil into your soup pot and heat on medium. Add the onion and sauté until golden. Add the celery and sauté until soft. Add three to four sliced carrots. Now add the stock and the meat. Bring to a simmer on low. Stir occasionally. While the soup simmers, in a separate pot, boil the extra-wide egg noodles per the package instructions. When done, drain the noodles and add them to the soup. Continue to simmer the soup for four to six hours. Add salt, pepper, and sage to taste.
Notes
