Post Thanksgiving Turkey Vegetable Soup

6 years ago

In the style of our forefathers – rather fore-mothers, we are not ones to waste any portion of an animal product.

Even before our Thanksgiving meal was over, Doug took it upon himself to place the turkey carcass in a large pot of water to cook.

This resulted in a huge bowl of turkey broth, which, once chilled, became a gelatinous mass – which is a good thing. Any remaining meat left on the carcass was removed (by me) creating a fair amount of turkey tidbits – the beginning of a hearty soup.

Here’s how we created our ‘Post-Thanksgiving Turkey Vegetable Soup’.

Post-Thanksgiving Turkey Vegetable Soup

An easy soup recipe that uses leftover holiday turkey.

Course Main Course, Soup

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 25

Servings servings

Ingredients

½ cup each: celery, carrots and onions coarsely chopped
2 tbsp butter AND olive oil yes, both!
5 cups gelled turkey broth
Salt, pepper, dried herbs – such as marjoram and thyme to taste
2 bay leaves
2 tsp ‘Better than Bouillon’ Roasted Chicken Base optional, but recommended!
¾ cup dry pasta of choice (orzo, egg noodles, elbows) uncooked
2 cups turkey meat chopped
parsley chopped, optional for garnish

Instructions

In a large pot, heat the butter and olive oil. Add the chopped vegetables and sauté, stirring frequently, until softened. Season with a little salt and pepper.
Add the gelled broth and allow to thin-out from the heat. Add the dried herbs, to taste, and bay leaves. Bring broth to a boil. Taste to determine if the bouillon needs to be added.
Add the uncooked pasta, stirring, so it won’t stick, and cook until the pasta is tender. (Refer to directions on the pasta package for cooking time.)
NOTE: You might have to add broth or water, a little at a time, since the pasta will absorb some of the liquid as it cooks.
Remove and discard bay leaves. Add 2 cups of turkey tidbits. Simmer soup for 10 minutes.
Garnish with chopped parsley, if you wish.

Notes

Serve with a salad for a complete meal!

Next Armenian Chicken, Rice and Lemon Soup from Christine Datian »

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View Comments

Gloria Hachigian-Ericsen says:

November 28, 2017 at 2:09 am

I follow the process as you outlined but I add either rice or barley, preferably barley and sometimes even cannelloni beans for more protein.
Robyn Kalajian says:

November 29, 2017 at 1:54 pm

You make an excellent point, Gloria. Thanks!