Turkey Noodle Soup

The Thanksgiving bird made it's last bow today and rewarded us with a wonderful meal. Using the turkey bones that were left, I made turkey noodle soup. There is such wonderful flavor remaining in those bones!

I placed the turkey carcass in a large stock pot, breaking it up to fit. Using a large chef's knife to chop some of the larger bones in half releases the flavor of the marrow into the stock. The pot is then filled with water to cover the bones and then I added a large onion, a few stalks of celery with the leaves, one large carrot, a bay leaf, a bouquet garni of parsley and fresh thyme, salt and peppercorns and simmered it for about 2-1/2 hours.

After the initial simmer, I strained the stock twice and then added fresh vegetables to simmer until tender. Egg noodles were added during the last 8 minutes and finally a good helping of leftover cubed turkey breast meat tossed in to heat. A little sprinkle of fresh parsley...and a loaf of freshly baked artisan bread, made for a perfect Sunday dinner break as we put up some Christmas decorations!


Turkey (Carcass) Noodle Soup
Printable Recipe

1 turkey carcass from your holiday bird, with most of the meat and skin removed
1 whole onion - unpeeled and halved (this will give your soup a rich color and flavor)
1 carrot, scraped and cut into fourths
3 stalks of celery with a bunch of the celery leaves from the center of the celery stalk
1 large bay leaf
A few sprigs of fresh parsley
A sprig or two of fresh thyme
2 teaspoons salt
A good sprinkle of whole peppercorns - I don't measure but about 20

Fresh vegetables for the finished stock such as:
1 cup of diced carrots,
1 cup of diced celery
1 cup of diced onion

1 12-oz bag of wide egg noodles
1-2 cups of cubed turkey meat
Chopped parsley for garnish

Place the turkey carcass in a large stock pot and add enough cold water to cover. Add the next 8 ingredients. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 2-1/2 hours. After the first hour, I put the lid on the pot leaving an opening on one side. Strain the bones and vegetables from the liquid and discard putting the liquid back into the stock pot.

Add the fresh vegetables and simmer until softened, about 20 minutes. Turn the heat up to a low boil and add the egg noodles and cook as long as the package indicates. Add the cubed turkey meat and chopped parsley. Adjust the seasonings, if necessary.