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 turkey carcass soup that same night! Turkey bones with attached meat and skin, slowly simmered for several hours, make a rich, flavorful stock.
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. When I roast turkey wings separately, I add the wing tips, too.
- 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.
Instructions
Scroll down to the recipe card for detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps for making this soup:
Simmer turkey bones in water with spices for three hours. 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 half a cup of heavy cream into 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 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. The photo below shows a bowl of this soup with cooked noodles - that's how my kids eat theirs:
Storing Leftovers
You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four 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 before freezing.
More Leftover Turkey Recipes
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Recipe Card
Turkey Carcass Soup Recipe
Video
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, including Morton kosher 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.
Notes
- The sodium content is an estimate.
- 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.
- To make a creamy soup, stir half a cup of heavy cream into 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.
- You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four 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 before freezing.
Nutrition per Serving
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Most recipes are low-carb and gluten-free, but some are not. Recommended and linked products are not guaranteed to be gluten-free. Nutrition info is approximate. Please verify it independently. The carb count excludes non-nutritive sweeteners. Please read these Terms of Use before using any of my recipes.
Pat Dyer says
For a creamier soup in this recipe, I now make a white sauce (instead of heavy cream) consisting of 1 cup milk, 2 tablespoons butter, 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon of black pepper) ... not only is the soup creamier ... it also thickens the soup making it a little hardier. Once sauce is done, just add it to the completed broth along with the sauteed veggies. So very good !!!
Vered DeLeeuw says
Thanks for sharing your method, Pat! Sounds delicious.
Brian says
Everyone enjoyed this soup. Very flavorful. I did not remove the fat and added pre-cooked egg noodles.
Vered DeLeeuw says
I'm so glad this was a success, Brian!