Rich & Savory Turkey Soup

Turkey leftovers are usually enjoyed the next day but after that we start to look for other options. I usually try to make use of everything I prepare and not let any food go to waste. Using a few extra ingredients in this rich & savory turkey soup is what I found to make this broth extraordinarily tasty. And, it also allows me to utilize all my holiday leftovers. My secret is to add stuffing to the broth. The combination of the bread and butter in the stuffing gives it a rich texture. I also make my stuffing with breakfast sausage which adds a unique and flavorful spice to the turkey broth. The combination of bread, butter and sausage produce a rich, delectable and undeniably tasty broth. If you have also leftover homemade gravy from the drippings then I would also suggest using a little of that too. The drippings are the most concentrated and adding a few tablespoons enhance your soups texture to a nice, thickened broth. Thus, needing to use less noodles.

Ingredients for Rich & Savory Turkey Soup

• 2-3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• Leftover turkey meat (preferably on the carcass)
• 1 onion chopped
• 3 carrots chopped
• 3 celery stalks chopped
• 12 cups chicken or turkey broth (I prefer to use Pacific Organic Vegetable Broth)
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped
• Salt & pepper
• ½ cup or more leftover stuffing
• homemade gravy drippings
• 1 box of Noodles (your choice)
• 2 Bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon Fresh thyme (dried can be used)

Directions

Place Olive Oil in a large soup pan and heat. Add the chopped carrots, onion, and celery and sautee until the onions are transparent. Next, add the broth and the turkey meat. Add the parsley, bay leaves, thyme, salt, & pepper. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat and let simmer for 1-2 hours skimming off any foam or excess fat.

When the bones start to fall apart, remove from the pan, and let cool. When cool enough to handle, trim off the meat from the bones, break it apart in small pieces then add it back into to the broth. Also make sure to skim any residue or fat, and remove the bay leaves at this time. Now add a few tablespoons or more of leftover homemade gravy and at least one cup of homemade stuffing and stir thoroughly into soup broth. Separately cook your noodles in another pan, drain them, and add to the soup broth. 

A final note, I like to store the broth and noodles separately and add them to the soup when I’m ready to serve. I found that storing the noodles in your soup broth causes them to expand overnight.

This soup will keep in your refrigerator for a few days. However, I have also frozen the extra broth to use on those hectic December shopping days. It’s nice to come home to a little comfort food after you’ve been out running errands in cold weather.