Turkey Carcass Soup

Learn how to make turkey soup from a carcass! Turkey carcass soup is easy, delicious, and so comforting.

Course Main Dish, Soup

Cuisine American

Keyword homemade turkey soup, turkey carcass soup, turkey soup, turkey soup from carcass

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 2

Total Time 2 30

Servings

Calories 191kcal

Heat olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pan or Dutch Oven. Add garlic, onions, celery, and carrots, along with a pinch of salt and pepper, and cook until browned, about 5-6 minutes. When browned, add half of your water.
3 Tablespoons olive oil, 3 cloves garlic, 1 onion, 4 celery stalks, 4 large carrots, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper
Add turkey carcass, parsley, chicken bouillon, and bay leaves. Add the remaining half of your water and bring to a boil.
12 cups water, 1 turkey carcass, 2 bay leaves, 4 Tablespoons fresh parsley, 2 chicken bouillon cubes
Once the soup is boiling, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 2 hours. After 2 hours is up, flip the turkey and begin picking pieces off of it into the soup using tongs.
Remove the turkey carcass from the soup and set aside. Add pasta noodles to cook in the soup. Let the turkey carcass rest and cool before picking off more pieces to add back to the soup.
16 ounces pasta noodles
Once the noodles are cooked and meat has been added to the soup, stir through to remove bay leaves. Keep an eye out for any small bones and remove them. Taste and add more salt and pepper to the broth if needed.

You can make the broth ahead of time without adding the noodles to keep it for longer. The broth itself, without the noodles, will last for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
Be sure to remove any skin, bones, or cartilage before serving this soup.
If you don't have a turkey carcass, use pieces of turkey meat and replace the water with equal parts chicken broth. Don't add the bouillon. If you use a salted chicken broth, make sure to check the flavor before adding any seasoning of your own.
Celery, onion, and carrots are staples, but any vegetables you want can be added to make this turkey soup recipe exactly how you like it, like corn or peas.
Make sure to let the turkey carcass rest and cool before picking off more pieces to add back to the soup!