Turkey, vegetables, and thick egg noodles in rich, delicious, homemade broth makes a perfect soup. That turkey carcass leftover from your holiday meal is treasure, not trash! Use the frame from your turkey (or chicken) to easily make homemade broth that is perfect for turkey noodle soup.
Simply put the turkey bones (and skin if you have any) into your slow cooker and cover with water. Let it simmer overnight, and in the morning you can strain it, making the base for delicious turkey noodle soup.
I like to refrigerate the broth all day before making the soup so that I can remove the fat before making soup. When the broth is cold, the fat rises to the top, so you can easily remove and discard it. If you have never made homemade broth, you may think something went wrong when the turkey both turns thick and gelatinous when chilled; it is actually the sign of a good quality broth. After discarding the fat, you can either freeze the broth in bags or freezer jars or you can use it in soup right away.
There is no right or wrong way to make soup from a turkey carcass; just use whatever you have on hand. It can contain broth, mixed vegetables and/or noodles, and leftover turkey. I like to add diced tomatoes, mixed vegetables from the freezer, and frozen egg noodles to mine. Season your soup however you like; I use Montreal Chicken Seasoning and lots of fresh ground pepper in mine.
Here is a basic recipe for Turkey Frame Soup; feel free to adapt it to the ingredients you have on hand.
Turkey Noodle Soup
Ingredients
- leftover turkey carcass, including skin if available
- water to cover, about 8 cups
- 2 cups leftover turkey, shredded or chopped
- 2 cups frozen mixed vegetables, or leftover vegetables you have on hand
- 1 can diced tomatoes, drained
- salt and pepper, or other seasonings to taste
- 1 bag frozen egg noodles
Instructions
- Place turkey frame and skin in slow cooker; cover with water and simmer on low overnight.
- In the morning, strain then broth, then refrigerate broth until fat rises to the top and hardens. Discard fat.
- Place broth in a large soup pot.
- Add chopped leftover turkey, mixed vegetables, tomatoes, and salt and pepper.
- Simmer for 30 minutes.
- Add frozen egg noodles and cook about 25 minutes or until done (if using dry egg noodles, adjust cooking time as per instructions on bag).
- Serve immediately.
Nutrition
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