Making turkey carcass soup is a beloved Thanksgiving day tradition in my family. Slowly simmered turkey bones make a flavorful stock.
Once you have your rich stock, add sauteed vegetables and leftover turkey meat for a wonderfully satisfying meal.
Having a hot, comforting bowl of soup for a late dinner on Thanksgiving is something I look forward to every year. We eat our Thanksgiving meal early to ensure we get to enjoy this tasty soup that same night!
This turkey carcass soup is rich and delicious. After carving, we always save the turkey bones, plus any skin we're not interested in eating, and often the wings. Turkey bones with some attached meat and skin, slowly simmered for several hours, make a rich, flavorful stock.
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Ingredients
Here's an overview of the ingredients needed to make this soup. The exact measurements are included in the recipe card below.
For the turkey stock:
- Bones from a 10-12-pound turkey. If some meat is still attached to the bones, that's even better and will make for a richer, more flavorful soup.
- Water: Enough to cover the bones.
- Seasonings: Kosher salt, black pepper, dried thyme, and a bay leaf.
For the soup:
- Olive oil: For sauteing the vegetables.
- Vegetables: Sliced carrots, sliced celery, and chopped onions.
- Cooked turkey meat: White or dark - both work, though typically use white. Be sure to remove the skin.
Variations
- If you're out of turkey meat but still have some turkey stock, add these turkey meatballs to the soup.
- Serve the soup with condiments such as hot sauce and soy sauce (gluten-free if needed) in case anyone wants to add extra flavor to their soup.
- Change up your veggies. Small cauliflower florets work well.
- Add a teaspoon of minced garlic when you cook the vegetables.
- Saute the vegetables in butter instead of olive oil.
- Make it into an egg drop soup.
Turkey Carcass Soup Instructions
Scroll down to the recipe card for detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps for making this recipe:
Simmer turkey bones in water with spices for three hours, then strain the rich stock and discard the bones.
Cook vegetables (onions, celery, and carrots) in olive oil or butter. Add diced cooked turkey meat.
Add the strained turkey stock. Cook just until heated through. Serve immediately.
Expert Tip
It's up to you if you'd like to skim the fat layer off the top of the stock. I prefer not to since the fat adds so much flavor.
If you decide to skim it, it's easier to do so if you allow the stock to cool completely in the fridge. The fat will float to the top and harden, making it easy to remove. Then, you can reheat the stock and proceed to make the soup.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! If you don't want to make the soup immediately, you can freeze the carcass for up to four months. Let it cool completely, then wrap it in plastic wrap and foil.
When it's time to make the soup, you can simply add it frozen to your stockpot.
I don't recommend it. That meat has been cooked for hours and will be very dry. It's best to discard it. There shouldn't be a lot of it anyway.
Yes! Simply stir in half a cup of heavy cream to the strained broth, then add it to the saucepan with the sauteed vegetables and gently heat the soup for a few minutes, taking care not to bring it to a boil.
Serving Suggestions
I usually serve this soup as our main dish. Rather than serving cups of it as an appetizer, I serve generous bowls. It makes the perfect after-Thanksgiving dinner - relatively light, flavorful, and comforting.
Since this soup contains meat and vegetables, it makes a complete and filling meal.
If you'd like to add something on the side, try thick slices of almond flour keto bread (great for dipping in the soup!), cornbread, keto crackers, or these delicious keto biscuits.
You can add cooked noodles or rice to the soup if you're not eating a low-carb diet.
Storing Leftovers
The leftovers keep well in the fridge, in an airtight container, for about 3 days. I reheat bowls or mugs of them in the microwave, covered, at 50% power.
You can also freeze individual portions in mugs. Seal their tops with a few layers of plastic wrap.
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Recipe Card
Turkey Carcass Soup
Ingredients
For the basic broth:
- The carcass of a 10-12-pound turkey
- 3 quarts water
- 1 tablespoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt - or ½ tablespoon of any other salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
For the turkey soup:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup carrots - sliced
- 1 cup celery - sliced
- 1 cup onion - chopped
- 2 cups cooked turkey breast - skinless, diced (10 ounces)
Instructions
- Place the turkey carcass in a large stockpot and cover it with cold water. Add the kosher salt, black pepper, thyme, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil. Skim the foam off the surface. Reduce the heat to medium-low so the stock is at a gentle simmer. Cook, partially covered, for 3 hours.
- Remove the bones and bay leaf and discard. Strain the stock through a strainer. Measure how much liquid you have - you should now have about 2 quarts of stock. If you have less, add enough water to get to 2 quarts. Wipe the stockpot clean with moist paper towels.
- In the clean stockpot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes. Add the carrots, celery, and onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender-crisp, for about 5 minutes. You want the onions golden, not browned. If the bottom of the stockpot becomes too dry, add a splash of water. Add the turkey meat.
- Skim the fat layer from the top of the broth if you wish, and then add it back to the stockpot. Bring back to a simmer and cook just until heated through, about 5 more minutes.
- Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- The sodium content is an estimate.Â
- It's up to you if you'd like to skim the fat layer off the top of the turkey stock. I prefer not to since the fat adds so much flavor. If you decide to skim it, it's easier to allow the stock to cool completely in the fridge. The fat will float to the top and harden, making it easy to remove. Then, you can reheat the stock and proceed to make the soup.
- The leftovers keep well in the fridge, in an airtight container, for about 3 days. I reheat bowls or mugs of them in the microwave, covered, at 50% power. You can also freeze individual portions in mugs. Seal their tops with a few layers of plastic wrap.
Nutrition per Serving
Disclaimers
Cup measurements refer to the standard American cup, which is 240 milliliters. Most of my recipes are low-carb (or keto) and gluten-free, but some are not. Please verify that a recipe fits your needs before using it. Recommended and linked products are not guaranteed to be gluten-free. Nutrition info is approximate, and the carb count excludes non-nutritive sweeteners. Nutrition info may contain errors, so please verify it independently. Recipes may contain errors, so please use your common sense when following them. Please read these Terms of Use carefully before using any of my recipes.
Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., CNC, has been following a low-carb real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She's a Certified Nutrition Coach (NASM-CNC), has taken courses at the Harvard School of Public Health, and has earned a Nutrition and Healthy Living Certificate from Cornell University. Her work has appeared in several major media outlets, including Healthline, HuffPost, Today, Women's Health, Shape, and Country Living. 
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