Now that Thanksgiving is over, you may be lucky enough to have leftovers sitting in your fridge, waiting to be turned into a midnight snack, a lunchtime sandwich, or a quick post-Black Friday shopping treat before dinner. Just last night around 12:30 am, I sat at my kitchen table and ate some mashed potatoes smothered in homemade gravy while my dog judgingly stared on from his bed.
But let's face it, although turkey may be the STAR of Thanksgiving, it isn't really the star of my tastebuds, and many agree. Even when cooked well, turkey is a pretty dry meat. Unless it was brined, your turkey is going to expel a lot of the juices that could potentially give moisture to the bird. Those juices, however, do contribute to a mighty fine gravy. 🤤
Anyway, with all of the delicious side dishes taking precedence in many houses on Thanksgiving, you may be left with a fair amount of turkey leftovers. In my house, the dark meat is barely touched so we are usually left with the wings and a drumstick or two. This year, I decided to put those bones to use. Let's make some soup!
If you read my last blog recipe, I mentioned that I don't measure. Again, this recipe is a rough estimate of how much I used of each ingredient. You can decide how much you think will be enough for you! Also, feel free to chop, mince, dice, slice, half, or cube the vegetables however you prefer! Remember, cooking is an art. Be the artist!
What you will need:
-Leftover turkey meat and bones (The bones will make for a richer, more flavorful stock. Don't have any? The turkey meat is good enough. You can add more flavor with bouillon.)
-2 stalks of celery, sliced
-carrots, sliced or halved
-2 cloves of garlic, minced
-half of an onion, sliced
-button mushrooms, diced (Not necessary, we just had them in the fridge!)
-1 plum tomato, diced
-2 or 3 sprigs of thyme
-2 or 3 small bay leaves
-olive oil
-salt and pepper
-water
-a vegetable or chicken bouillon cube or two for extra flavor, if needed
-Worcestershire sauce
-egg noodles (or whatever pasta you prefer)
Start by heating up a large pot. After a minute or two, add in a healthy amount of olive oil. Add all of the veggies and stir. By sautéing them first, we are giving them more potential to be flavor superheroes; browned veggies are your flavor friends! After the veggies soften a bit, add the thyme, bay leaves, turkey bones, shredded or diced meat, and cover with water. Add salt, pepper, and stir. The salt is NECESSARY in this soup. Remember, this broth is starting out as water and is just asking for flavor! As Samin Nosrat and many other chefs would swear by, salt is the single most important ingredient in any good cooking.
I brought the soup to a boil and then proceeded to simmer low and slowwww. The soup will cook for about 4-5 hours, so remember to stir and taste for seasoning every so often. As time progresses, the broth flavor will intensify.
My Taste Thoughts
Hour 1: Eh, this is bland, but I know it just needs more time.
Hour 2: Better. I can taste more of the ingredients, but the broth is lackluster. Let's add a gluten-free Herb Ox chicken bouillon cube.
Hour 2.5: Delicious. I can really taste the symphony of flavors in one single spoonful, but I'm not getting any of the umami taste that I crave in all of my dishes. We add Worcestershire to our homemade turkey gravy, so let's go ahead and add a tiny bit (about a teaspoon) to the soup. This will add a savory, mouthy depth.
Hour 3: Salt check. Needs a touch more. *Adds another bouillon*
Hour 4: Ok salty, needs a little water for balance.
Hour 4.5: Better and done!
By hour 4.5, it was time to serve! I pulled out the bones, thyme sprigs, and bay leaves, and boiled some egg noodles in a separate pot. Don't add the egg noodles directly to the broth because they can absorb a lot of it. We ladled the soup into the pot with the drained noodles so that we could control the quantity.
Voila! Thanksgiving leftovers turned into a comforting and hearty soup. The broth was light but earthy. The veggies were soft but not mushy. The turkey was tender and juicy. For extra zing, add grated parmesan.
*BONUS*
We took my aunt's delicious mashed potato leftovers and revved them up as well! I caramelized the other half of the onion in margarine and folded them into the potatoes, along with some milk to reconstitute them.
Setting my alarm for the gym tomorrow morning! Goodnight!