I always look forward to turkey leftovers after the holidays. I love making a big batch of homemade turkey noodle soup. Luckily, Mr. D and the girls love turkey noodle soup as much as I do because we eat it for days on end. To me there is nothing more comforting than a fresh bowl of homemade turkey soup.
I fondly remember my mom making homemade turkey noodle soup after the holidays. To be honest, the long process of making homemade turkey noodle soup used to always intimidate me. But it’s worth the effort, plus you have leftovers for days. You can easily substitute a roasted chicken for the turkey. I recommend using the reserved liquid from cooking the carcass for extra flavour but you can also use low sodium chicken stock. I like to add a lot of extra vegetables to my soup. I also added barley to make it heartier, you could also add wild rice. To finish I add a ton of fresh thyme and cracked pepper.
- Turkey carcess
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
- 3 celery stalks, sliced
- 10 carrots, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1/2 onion sliced in half
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 cups of homemade stock, or low sodium chicken broth.
- 1 cup of water
- 1 cup of barley
- 6 stems of fresh thyme
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 handful of egg noodles
- Fill a large pot with water and turkey carcass. Allow it to boil and then simmer over low to medium heat until the meat falls off the bones, about 2-3 hours.
- Remove the carcass and remove the meat. Strain and reserve the liquid for later use.
- In a large pot. Add oil and cook celery and carrots until soften. About 3 minutes.
- Add garlic and cook for a about a minute. Be careful not to burn the garlic.
- Add bay leafs and half onion to pot.
- Add reserved stock to pot and allow to boil and turn down to a simmer.
- Add barley and water to pot and simmer for 45 minutes.
- Add thyme leave.
- Season with salt and pepper.
What’s your favorite way to use turkey leftovers?
