Homemade Turkey Soup

The Christmas holidays are my favourite time of year. Snow falls and winter activities bring out the kid in me. Family gatherings and traditional home cooked meals remind me I am following in my moms footsteps slowly but surely. A fragrant homemade turkey soup simmering on the stove is where great memories begin.

If you are looking for me during this holiday season, there is a good chance you will find me in the kitchen. Planning and prepping, hunting and gathering all of my favourite flavours. Scouring recipes from old and new cookbooks in search of menu options to make my families feast one we will all enjoy.

Each year as I prep my turkey and prepare my fixings I am also planning what to do with the leftovers. As much as we crave the turkey sandwiches and pot pies in the wake of an epic turkey feast, there is so much more to get from all of these extras.

The staple leftovers from my turkey feast; aside from the turkey meat; are turkey stock, and turkey gravy. The stock is the base for my homemade turkey soup and the gravy I use to add flavour to many dishes including this soup.

This recipe for my homemade turkey soup is one you can use as the base for your own. Feel free to add to it some tomatoes, or leftover broccoli. Furthermore, some barley or rice will work well to give additional depth should you want a heartier meal.

Serve this homemade turkey soup with some fresh buttermilk and herb biscuits as a warm comforting companion to this lovely tradtitional dish. An authentically rustic meal that has spanned generations is at your fingertips. Go for it and make it your own. Cook with whimsy and remember to have fun along the way.

Variations for additional flavour can be the following:

Add red, green, or yellow peppers. Some cubed squash or parsnips would be lovely, as would some cubed sweet potato. Adding tomatoes and zucchini takes this soup to another level. Just add towards the end of the cook time to avoid them becoming too soggy.

Homemade Turkey Soup

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Serves: 6 Prep Time: 8 hours Cooking Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

For the Stock:

1. Turkey bones 
2. Water
3. Herb odds and ends such as parsley stems

For the Soup:

1. 6 cups Turkey stock
2. 1 cup Turkey gravy 
3. 4 carrots diced
4. 4 leeks sliced thin. (white and light green parts.)
5. 4 stalks of celery diced
6. Kosher Salt 
7. pepper
8. 2 bay leafs
9. 2 tsp dried sage
10. 2 fresh thyme sprigs 
11. 1 tbsp tomato paste
12. 1 tsp Worcester sauce 

Instructions

This soup is prepared in a two step process. Step 1 is the stock.

I like to prepare the stock in a large pot on the stove over night. Simply place the bones and herb ends in the pot, and cover them with water until they are barely submerged. Bring the water to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat too low, cover and allow to simmer for at least 8 hours.  

In the morning, remove the bone broth from the heat and allow it to cool for 30 minutes. Once cooled, remove the bones from the broth using a sieve being careful to collect the small bones and herb ends and set aside. Strain the broth through a colander lined with a cheese cloth into a large bowl ensuring to collect any small bone fragments. Set the broth aside. 

Soup

In a large pot, add some olive oil and heat over medium heat. Add the leeks, celery, and carrots. Sprinkle with some Kosher salt (approximately 1 tsp) and stir. Cook for about 10 minutes until the vegetables are softened. 

Add the turkey meat, sprinkle with more Kosher salt and stir. Add 6 cups of the broth, the gravy, tomato paste, Worcester sauce, sage, bay leafs, and thyme and stir. Cover and allow to simmer for 20 minutes on low heat. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper accordingly. 

When ready to serve, remove the bay leaves and thyme sprig. Spoon into bowls and garnish with some micro greens.  I used baby onion greens in the photo here. 

Enjoy! 

 

Notes

The leftover stock can be frozen for up to 3 months. Simply thaw in the fridge and add to soups, stews, and other dishes when needed. Do not re-freeze.