Traditional Turkey Noodle Soup

I'm always amazed at the fact that I'm in the minority when it comes to making turkey noodle soup with the bones of the Thanksgiving turkey. Actually, I buy turkey whenever it's on a good sale, for the meat and to be able to make this soup- it's become one of my favorite traditions.

I didn't grow up watching anyone make soup with the bones- we mostly just threw the carcass away. But when I reached a certain age (read: paying for my own food...), it seemed like such a waste. I mean, I could see there was still some meat on those bones!

So, through some trial and error (alas, before the Internet...) I found out how to make a comforting, flavorful bowl of turkey noodle soup.

And I kid you not, I really look forward to being able to make this soup. In case there's anyone else who would like to join me in this tradition, but haven't a clue what to do with the turkey after it's been carved, I have provided step-by-step instructions.

You can thank me later. :-)




OK, my apologies to any vegetarians out there, but I thought I'd start at the beginning. This is what we're usually left with after all the meat has been carved.

I have already cut any leftover meat off the bones and diced them up to be ready to use in future meals.

I also go ahead and separate the meat into containers (the container on the left is holding the skin and fat...sorry) for freezing and sandwiches.

And I plunk the bones into a large (12-quart) stock pot as I'm cutting the meat off. It usually is just an empty pot, but I had boiled the neck earlier and had this broth to add.

As an aside, I paid .22 a pound for this turkey and was able to get meat for five meals out of the 12 pounds. That's about .52 per meal- whoa!

And soup? Onions (.20), carrots (.25), celery (.20) peas (.40), and noodles (.50- with a coupon, of course!) were all I paid for, making this pot of soup cost just about $2.

For the whole pot. Which fed the four of us for dinner and provided about 6 lunches over the next few days.

Ten servings for 2 bucks. I guess that's why I always read about people eating a lot of soup in the Depression and when times are tough. Soup is some amazing food- all that and it's homey and comforting, too.




I also pour the liquid from the roasting pan in if I didn't make gravy, and if I did make gravy and have some left over, I'll put that in, too.

I never worry about the amount of fat here, because I usually always make the broth one day, and the soup the next. When it's refrigerated, the fat rises to the top making it easy to skim off.




Add water to completely cover the bones.

And here is something I've found to be surprisingly crucial: add onions, carrots, and celery. I didn't believe at first that it would make a difference, and since I'm cheap...*cough*... frugal I just added water and continued on with the soup. I just couldn't put perfectly good vegetables in there to just throw away with the bones.

It was OK. I mean, we ate it, but it didn't seem terribly flavorful.

Then I read (I think it was Tightwad Gazette) that I could keep the ends and trimmings of vegetables in a baggie in the freezer to use in making homemade broth. Well, you can imagine how I felt about this- whoo, hoo- using not only what you have, but what you were going to throw away!

But what a revelation for the broth, too. Both my husband and I noticed right away the difference in the soup made with the broth cooked with vegetables. The flavor is deeper, more pronounced, it's well...it's just better.

So along with the water, I add some of those vegetables from the freezer. I just wouldn't use any strong vegetables like broccoli or cabbage.

Bring to a boil, turn down the heat and let simmer for one to two hours until the meat is falling off the bones and the broth is golden.




I always let the broth cool a bit, then use a large strainer (one of those that rest on the sides of the sink is great) to separate the broth from the bones and meat.

And always remember to put a pot under the strainer to catch all that wonderful broth.

But please don't ask how I know to emphasize this.




This is the part where I know I loose most people with "I just don't have time to deal with those bones" or " I just don't want to deal with all those bones."

And here are my answers:

1. I timed it and it only took 8 minutes to separate the meat from the bones.

2. And you don't have to deal with the bones if you don't want to. Just pick the large pieces of meat out that you see and leave the rest to the bones. You'll probably have plenty for the soup and you can spend the other 7 minutes livin' it up.

But you'll have to be able to see perfectly good meat go into the trash...




All this meat went into the broth.

And the broth went into the refrigerator for two days.




When it came out, I skimmed the fat from the top with a spoon.

For those who've never made broth from bones, it will be jell-like when cold. I think it's from the natural gelatin found in the marrow of the bones. It will look normal again with heating.

I usually start the broth heating while I start prepping the vegetables.




Now we add the real vegetables: diced carrots, onions, and celery. Just throw them into the pot.

I like to add a couple cloves of minced garlic, too.

Then bring to a boil again and cook at a simmer until the vegetables are soft, usually about 15 minutes.

Add a bag of noodles and some frozen peas, bring to a low boil again, and cook until tender, about 8-10 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.




That's all there is to enjoying a warm and wonderful bowl of Turkey Noodle Soup.

Of course, the process is the same if you want to make Turkey Vegetable Soup- just add potatoes instead of noodles and a few more vegetables. And if you want creamy noodle/vegetable soup, add some cream.

Have fun and start a new tradition.

Find more recipes at $5 Dinner Challenge and Balancing Beauty and Bedlam's Tasty Tuesdays.

-Jami