Turkey soup from carcass turns the bones from your holiday bird into a golden, homemade stock, then into a big pot of cozy noodle soup with soft carrots, celery, herbs and tender pieces of leftover turkey. It’s the day-after-Thanksgiving dinner that uses up everything, and one pot makes 10 bowls.
How to make turkey soup from a carcass: cover the carcass with water, add onion, garlic, bay leaves and thyme, and simmer it covered for 90 minutes to 2 hours. Strain the stock, sauté fresh vegetables in the same pot, add 10 cups of stock and 4 cups of turkey, simmer 10 to 12 minutes, then cook egg noodles in it for 5 minutes.
Why You’ll Love It
- Nothing goes to waste. The carcass, the wings, the legs and the leftover meat all go into the pot.
- Real homemade stock with only onion, garlic, bay and thyme added.
- Mostly hands-off. The stock simmers on its own; the soup itself cooks in about 20 minutes.
- Makes 10 servings, enough for a crowd or for the freezer.
Ingredient Notes
The carcass. One leftover carcass from a 12 to 15 pound turkey, plus the bones from the wings and legs. A roasted turkey makes the best stock. If your turkey was smoked or fried, keep those leftovers for sandwiches instead.
Stock aromatics. A roughly chopped onion, 6 whole peeled garlic cloves, 2 bay leaves and 4 sprigs of thyme. Rosemary or sage sprigs work in place of the thyme.
Soup vegetables. A second onion, diced this time, plus 2 minced garlic cloves, 3 carrots and 4 ribs of celery. Wash the carrots well; there’s no need to peel them.
Bouillon. One chicken bouillon cube, or 1 teaspoon of Better Than Bouillon chicken base, goes in with the vegetables.
Turkey and noodles. Four cups of chopped or shredded leftover turkey and 5 cups of uncooked egg noodles.
Stock. The soup takes 10 cups. If your carcass gives you less, top it up with chicken stock.
Ingredients
For the stock
- 1 leftover turkey carcass, from a 12 to 15 pound turkey, including the bones from the wings and legs
- 1 medium white onion, roughly chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, whole, peeled
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme, or rosemary or sage
- 10 to 12 cups water, enough to cover the carcass
For the soup
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, extra virgin
- 1 tablespoon butter, salted
- 1 medium white onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 3 carrots, washed and chopped; no need to peel
- 4 ribs celery, washed and chopped
- 1 chicken bouillon cube, or 1 teaspoon Better Than Bouillon chicken base
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, finely chopped
- 1 bay leaf, removed before serving
- 10 cups turkey stock, from the carcass above, or chicken stock
- 4 cups leftover turkey meat, chopped or shredded
- Salt and black pepper, to taste; coarse ground pepper
- 5 cups uncooked egg noodles
How to Make Turkey Soup from Carcass
1. Start the stock. In a large stockpot, place the leftover turkey carcass (broken down to fit if the turkey was large), the wings and legs, the chopped onion, 6 whole garlic cloves, 2 bay leaves and 4 sprigs of thyme.
2. Add the water. Add enough water to cover the carcass, about 10 to 12 cups.
3. Simmer the stock. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for about 90 minutes to two hours, or until the meat is falling off the bone.
4. Strain. Remove the pot from the heat and let it cool slightly. Remove the bones, then strain the stock to remove the bits of meat, onion, garlic and herbs.
5. Heat the fat. Return the stockpot to the stove, add the olive oil and butter and heat over medium-high heat.
6. Sauté the vegetables. Add the diced onion, minced garlic, carrots, celery, bouillon cube, parsley, thyme and bay leaf and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes, until the onion is translucent.
7. Simmer the soup. Pour in 10 cups of the turkey stock and add the 4 cups of turkey meat. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for about 10 to 12 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
8. Season. Taste and season with salt and pepper, then remove the bay leaf.
9. Add the noodles. Add the egg noodles and simmer for 5 more minutes, until tender. Make sure the soup is steaming hot, at least 165°F, then serve.
How Long to Simmer a Turkey Carcass
The stock is the heart of this soup, and the carcass decides how good it is. Three things matter: what kind of carcass you start with, how much meat is still on it, and how long it bubbles.
Start with a roasted bird. A carcass from an oven-roasted turkey gives the best stock. Smoked or deep-fried turkey leftovers are better saved for sandwiches.
Strip the meat first. Pull off every bit of meat you can before the bones go in the pot, and set it aside for the soup. Stock is best made from bones stripped of meat, so all the bone, marrow and cartilage cook into the liquid. The meat goes back in at the end, so it only needs to heat through.
Choose your simmer. The recipe simmers the carcass covered for 90 minutes to 2 hours, until any meat left on it falls off the bone. If you have more time, the stock can go longer. Whichever you choose, skim off any foam that rises to the top.
| Method | Time | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Covered simmer | 90 minutes to 2 hours | Meat falls off the bone |
| Longer simmer | About 3 hours | The bones are soft |
| Uncovered simmer, skimming foam | About 4 hours | Skim the foam as it forms |
| Roast the bones first at 400°F for 30 minutes | Then about 1 hour of simmering | Simmer until the meat left on the bones falls off |
When the stock is done, lift out the big bones with tongs and pour everything else through a strainer or colander. What’s left is a clear, golden stock ready for the soup.
Tips for Success
Why is my stock cloudy and foamy?
Foam collects on top as the carcass simmers. Skim it off with a spoon as it forms, and strain the finished stock through a strainer to catch the small bits of meat, onion and herbs.
Why are my leftover noodles soggy?
Noodles keep soaking up broth after the pot comes off the heat. If you plan to store some of the soup, cook the noodles separately and add them to each bowl, so they don’t absorb too much liquid.
My carcass won’t fit in the pot. What now?
A turkey of 15 pounds or less fits most stockpots. For a bigger bird, break the carcass into pieces before it goes in, so the water can cover it.
Variations
- Other noodles: use fusilli instead of egg noodles and simmer about 10 minutes until al dente, or 12 ounces of frozen wide egg noodles. Brown rice pasta makes it gluten-free.
- More vegetables: add peas or potatoes, or a handful of spinach with 1/2 cup pearl barley.
- Brighter stock: add 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar to the water with the carcass.
Storage & Reheating
A big pot of soup cools slowly, so divide it into shallow containers and refrigerate within 2 hours. It keeps 3 to 4 days in the fridge or 3 to 4 months in the freezer; freeze it without the noodles. Stock can be frozen in jars filled only 3/4 full so it has room to expand. Thaw in the fridge and reheat covered to a rolling boil, as USDA FSIS advises for soups.
What to Serve With It
A warm loaf of bread in 10 minutes is all this soup needs. Out of turkey? Slow cooker turkey breast gives you meat for the next batch. For more noodle soups, try creamy chicken noodle soup or slow cooker Amish tomato noodle soup, and for something brighter, slow cooker lemon chicken and rice soup. On a cold week, rotate it with beef and barley soup.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the secret to great turkey soup?
Homemade stock from a roasted carcass with the meat stripped off, and turkey that goes back in only at the end. Season the soup after it has simmered, not before.
Can I use chicken stock instead?
Yes. If you don’t have time to make stock, or your carcass gave you less than 10 cups, chicken stock works in the soup.
Can I add herbs other than thyme?
Yes. Rosemary or sage sprigs can go into the stock, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of poultry seasoning works in the soup.
Final Notes
Make the stock the day you carve the turkey and refrigerate it, and the soup is a 20-minute job the next night. Tell me in the comments how long you let your stock simmer.
Turkey Soup from Carcass
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Ingredients
- 1 leftover turkey carcass from a 12 to 15 pound turkey, including the bones from the wings and legs; for the stock
- 1 medium white onion roughly chopped; for the stock
- 6 cloves garlic whole, peeled; for the stock
- 2 bay leaves for the stock
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme or rosemary or sage; for the stock
- 10 to 12 cups water enough to cover the carcass; for the stock
- 1 tablespoon olive oil extra virgin
- 1 tablespoon butter salted
- 1 medium white onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic finely minced
- 3 carrots washed and chopped; no need to peel
- 4 ribs celery washed and chopped
- 1 chicken bouillon cube or 1 teaspoon Better Than Bouillon chicken base
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme finely chopped
- 1 bay leaf removed before serving
- 10 cups turkey stock from the carcass above, or chicken stock
- 4 cups leftover turkey meat chopped or shredded
- salt and black pepper to taste; coarse ground pepper
- 5 cups uncooked egg noodles
Instructions
- In a large stockpot, place the leftover turkey carcass (broken down to fit if the turkey was large), the wings and legs, the chopped onion, 6 whole garlic cloves, 2 bay leaves and 4 sprigs of thyme.
- Add enough water to cover the carcass, about 10 to 12 cups.
- Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for about 90 minutes to two hours, or until the meat is falling off the bone.
- Remove the pot from the heat and let it cool slightly. Remove the bones, then strain the stock to remove the bits of meat, onion, garlic and herbs.
- Return the stockpot to the stove, add the olive oil and butter and heat over medium-high heat.
- Add the diced onion, minced garlic, carrots, celery, bouillon cube, parsley, thyme and bay leaf and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes, until the onion is translucent.
- Pour in 10 cups of the turkey stock and add the 4 cups of turkey meat. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for about 10 to 12 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
- Taste and season with salt and pepper, then remove the bay leaf.
- Add the egg noodles and simmer for 5 more minutes, until tender. Make sure the soup is steaming hot, at least 165°F, then serve.
Notes
Nutrition
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