Save that leftover turkey carcass and enjoy every last scrap from Thanksgiving with this delicious turkey carcass soup. Paired with hearty grains, beans and veggies, this turkey soup is the perfect day-after Thanksgiving meal the whole family can enjoy!
How’s that for a title? Seeing the word “carcass” in your recipe probably isn’t the most appetizing but I swear this turkey carcass soup is straight delicious and the perfect use for your leftover Thanksgiving turkey.
I’ve been making this leftover turkey soup for years. I ALWAYS save the turkey carcass and whip up this soup the day after Thanksgiving (or at a later date if I don’t have time). I learned how to make this soup from a family member over a decade ago and it’s been my go-to ever since. It can also be customized to your liking! Let’s jump in:
Why Save and Cook your Turkey Carcass?
Okay so let’s chat about saving your turkey carcass. There’s a couple reasons why you’ll want to reuse it:
- There’s still plenty of meat on those bones! Don’t let it go to waste.
- Turkey bones make a delicious and nutritious bone broth that contains amazing benefits including collagen and immune-boosting properties. Your grandmother was onto something with her chicken soup <– same goes for turkey!
You can of course just pick your turkey clean, but I find that cooking it into soup helps release some of the meat that gets stuck on the bones. Plus turkey carcass soup is delicious!
Ingredients Turkey Carcass Soup
- Turkey carcass -any size is fine! You’ll just adjust water and seasonings based on the size of your turkey carcass.
- Water– for making stock
- Apple cider vinegar– this helps the bones release their collagen into the stock
- Onion
- Carrots
- Celery
- Grains – hearty grains (I like farro, barley or wild rice) work best or it will get too mushy! You could alternatively add noodles at the last minute to make turkey noodle soup but I find that noodle soup doesn’t freeze well.
- Beans -optional but white beans or lima beans taste best
- Spices – I like sage and poultry seasoning but this is where you can play around and make this turkey soup your own. Don’t forget the salt and black pepper for flavor!
How to Make Turkey Carcass Soup
STEP 1: COOK + SIMMER TURKEY CARCASS
Place turkey carcass in a large stockpot or large soup pot and cover with water. Amount of water will depend on the size of the carcass. Add apple cider vinegar and bring to a boil. Once boiling lower heat to a simmer and let cook for 1 hour.
STEP 2: PICK OFF TURKEY MEAT
Turn off stove and carefully remove turkey carcass from pot and place in a large shallow dish. Set turkey stock aside. Once turkey carcass has cooled, remove meat from bones and set meat aside.
STEP 3: COOK SOUP + SEASON
Add onion, carrots, celery, grains and beans (and chiles if using) to stock and once again bring mixture to a boil before setting to simmer for 30-45 minutes or until grains are cooked through. Add turkey meat to soup and stir in spices. Adjust spices to taste. Cook on low for another 10 minutes before serving.
–>FAQs
I wanted to answer a couple questions that I know will come up with this turkey soup:
Yes! If you don’t have time after Thanksgiving (or any other occasion that calls for turkey!) you can place your turkey carcass in a bag and tie shut before placing in the freezer. You can freeze your turkey carcass for up to 6 months. When you’re ready to make your turkey soup just place frozen turkey carcass directly into the pot. No need to defrost!
Yes! I’ve tested this recipe on both the stove top and Instant Pot. The only problem with the instant pot is space, but if you cooked up a smaller turkey this year you can absolutely make this recipe in the Instant Pot.
Here are the instructions:
Place the turkey carcass in the instant pot and top with water until fully covered. Set Instant Pot to “soup” setting and adjust time to 25 minutes. Allow for slow release for roughly 20 minutes and then quick release the remaining time. Remove and strain carcass and once cool separate turkey meat from bones.
Put stock back in Instant Pot and add veggies, turkey meat, grains and beans. Set to “soup” setting and cook for 10 minutes before doing a quick release. Your turkey carcass soup will be good-to-go!
Yes! You most definitely can. Be sure to save your chicken carcasses after roasting a full chicken to make delicious chicken carcass soup. Just sub chicken for turkey and keep everything else the same. Alternatively, I recommend making bone broth which you can freeze and use in place of stock or sip on daily to keep your immune system healthy.
That’s entirely up to you! If you find your turkey broth has a lot of foam, feel free to skim off the top or use a fine mesh strainer to remove any particles before continuing on with your soup recipe. I find a higher quality carcass requires less straining.
Storage Instructions
Fridge: This turkey carcass soup will keep for up to 1 week in the refrigerator (if it lasts that long
Freezer: Store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 6 months. Turkey soup in the summer anyone? Allow to thaw overnight in the fridge.
Reheat leftovers on the stove top or in the microwave.
More Thanksgiving Recipes You’ll Love:
Turkey Carcass Soup
Save that leftover turkey carcass and enjoy every last scrap from Thanksgiving with this delicious turkey carcass soup. Paired with hearty grains, beans and veggies, this turkey soup is the perfect day-after Thanksgiving meal the whole family can enjoy!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 110 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 12 servings (at least!) 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Cook
- Cuisine: American
- 1 turkey carcass (any size will work)
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 4 carrots, chopped
- 4 celery stalks, chopped
- 1 cup of grains (I prefer barley, farro or wild rice)
- 1 can of beans, rinsed and drained (white or lima work great)
- 1 tbsp dried sage
- 1 tbsp poultry seasoning
- 1 tbsp dried thyme
- 1 1/2 tbsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- optional: 1 can of green chiles for added kick
*spices will need to be adjusted based on soup
- Place turkey carcass in a large stock pot and cover with water. Amount of water will depend on the size of the carcass
- Add apple cider vinegar and bring to a boil.
- Once boiling lower heat to a simmer and let cook for 1 hour.
- Turn off stove and carefully remove turkey carcass from pot and place in a large shallow dish.
- Once turkey carcass has cooled, remove meat from bones and set meat aside.
- Add onion, carrots, celery, grains and beans (and chiles if using) to stock and once again bring mixture to a boil before setting to simmer for 30-45 minutes or until grains are cooked through.
- Add turkey meat to soup and stir in spices. Adjust spices to taste.
- Cook on low for another 10 minutes before serving.
- Will keep for up to one week in the fridge or several months in the freezer.
