Creamy Turkey Soup
This creamy turkey soup turns your Thanksgiving leftovers into a rich, comforting meal, with homemade broth from the turkey carcass, tender barley, veggies, and a splash of half-and-half.
Servings: 14 1 cup servings
Calories: 256kcal
Equipment
- 1 strainer
Ingredients
- 1 turkey carcass
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 1 large yellow onion (diced)
- 2 celery ribs (diced)
- 2 large carrots (peeled and diced)
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 3 cloves garlic (diced)
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 10 cups reserved turkey broth
- 4 cups cooked turkey (chopped)
- ½ cup barley (or white rice, wild rice blend, or egg noodles)
- 2 teaspoon sea salt
- ¾ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon rubbed sage
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme (or more rubbed sage)
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup half-and-half
Instructions
- Begin by stripping the meat from the carcass. Set the meat aside until needed. Place turkey carcass in a soup kettle or Dutch oven and cover with enough water to fully immerse. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 to 2 hours.
- Remove carcass and strain 10 cups of turkey broth. Strip remaining turkey meat from the carcass and slice into bite-size pieces. You'll need four cups of turkey.
- Melt butter in a large soup kettle or Dutch oven. Sauté onion for a few minutes, then add celery, carrots, corn, and garlic. Sauté for a few more minutes. Add flour and cook for three additional minutes.
- Gradually add reserved turkey broth, stirring until smooth. Add turkey, barley, sea salt, black pepper, sage, and thyme. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 35 minutes or until barley is tender.
- Add milk and half-and-half, then simmer on low for an additional 10 minutes.
Video
Notes
- If your turkey was stuffed with fruit or vegetables while roasting, add everything to the pot! If not, add onions, celery, carrots, and bay leaves to improve the flavor.
- I like to boil the turkey carcass on Thanksgiving night. I then refrigerate the broth until the next day, when I make the soup.
- One advantage of making the broth the night before is that you can skim the hardened fat off the top, reducing the fat in the soup.
- Be sure to reserve some of the soup to make mini turkey pot pies!
- Add leftover turkey soup to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 3 months. The barley soaks up liquid as the soup sits, so add a splash of broth when reheating.
- If you don't mind the extra calories, you can replace the whole milk with more half-and-half or cream.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cup | Calories: 256kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 87mg | Sodium: 471mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g
