Leftover Turkey Soup

Now that you have brined and roasted your turkey, you may be wondering what to do with all that leftover meat (especially if, like us, you had a 19 pounder).  The answer - turkey soup.  This soup is a simple and convenient way use up all your leftover turkey.  The carcass can be boiled with some aromatics, such as onion, celery and carrots, to make a simple turkey stock.  If you're feeling under the weather (and looking for a cure to the common cold) or are too tired from the previous nights festivities to make turkey stock, a good quality chicken broth is a fine substitute.  This soup is delicious with a few crackers or some crusty bread.  Once you've had your fill of turkey, any leftover soup can be frozen for a quick weeknight dinner in the New Year.

Drizzle of olive oil

1 small onion, diced

3 ribs celery, diced

2 carrots, peeled and diced

1 clove of garlic, minced

2-3 cups of leftover turkey meat (light and dark), diced into bite sized pieces

4 litres of turkey stock or low sodium chicken stock

1/2-1 cup leftover gravy

1/2 (160 g) pkg of broad egg noddles

2 sprigs rosemary

2 sprigs thyme

salt and pepper to taste

In a large soup pot, heat oil over medium heat.  Add onion, celery and carrots and stir. Turn heat to medium-low, cover with a lid, and cook veggies for about 15 minutes or until translucent and soft.  Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.  Increase heat to medium-high, add turkey and brown for 2-3 minutes (you should begin to see brown bits caramelizing on the bottom of pot).  Next deglaze the pan with a bit of stock and scrape the brown bits off bottom. Add the remaining stock, gravy, rosemary, and thyme and bring to a boil. Turn heat to simmer, add noodles, and cover, cooking for 15 minutes until noodles are soft.  Remove rosemary and thyme sprigs. Serve and enjoy!

Happy Holidays!