Turkey Soup From My Kitchen to Yours

DON’T THROW THAT CARCASS AWAY MAKE TURKEY SOUP TODAY

Making soup of any kind is really quite easy. It is healthier for you and cheaper than buying canned or packaged soups. Mind you it does take more time to prepare but in the long run homemade does taste better.

Whenever I make a turkey my family knows that soup is likely to follow within a few days. If I don't have time to make soup that week I will put the carcass in a freezer bag and freeze it until I am ready to use.

The ingredients I use depend on what I have on hand. For the turkey soup pictured these are the ingredients that I used.

I like using this type of pasta, as it does not need to be pre-cooked before adding to soups.

1 turkey carcass from a 13-pound bird

1 sweet onion chopped

2 stalks of celery chopped

2 large carrots sliced

3 potatoes cubed

1 large clove of garlic thinly sliced

1 1/2 boxes of Campbell’s low sodium chicken broth

1 TBS. powdered chicken broth *optional

2 good pinches of parsley flakes

2 good pinches of thyme

Fresh ground pepper

2 dashes of hot pepper sauce *optional

1 ½ cups of Acini di Pepe Pasta *Optional

(This is the tiny little ball type pasta)

1. I start my soup off by breaking the carcass in pieces to fit into the pot that I will be making the soup in. Cover or almost cover with water and cook on medium-high for about 30 minutes.
2. Strain the broth off into a bowl and allow the carcass pieces to cool.
3. Chop the vegetables and slice the garlic clove or cloves.
4. Pull all the meat off of the carcass once it has cooled enough to handle and set aside.
5. Pour the broth from the bowl back into your soup pot and set the burner on medium.
6. Add your vegetables, garlic, chicken broth spices and hot pepper sauce and bring to a boil.
7. Add the turkey meat, cover and simmer until your vegetables are cooked about 45 min – an hour. Have a taste of the broth, and at this point you may want to add more of the powdered chicken broth or other spices to enhance the flavor.
8. If you are adding pasta to your soup add it now and bring the soup to a boil.
9. Serve nice and hot. ENJOY!

This soup makes a wonderful lunch dish or can be served for dinner with a salad and bread.