How long can you keep a turkey carcass before making soup

Every Thanksgiving my mother takes what's left of the turkey carcass and makes a delicious turkey soup that we enjoy for days.

The first step is to make the stock, which you can get started on right after dinner.

Watch How to Make Turkey Soup

Storing Turkey Noodle Soup

Refrigerate leftover in an airtight container for 3 to 5 days. However, the noodles may get a bit mushy and absorb a lot of the broth. Cook the noodles al dente, if possible, for better storage.

Another option is to cook the noodles on their own in broth or water and add them for serving. This works well for freezing the soup, too. You can freeze this soup for up to 6 months.

Other Vegetables To Add To This Soup

• Cubed potatoes
• Zucchini or other squash
• Diced bell peppers of any color
• Chopped tomatoes
• Canned, frozen, or fresh corn
• Green beans
• Peas
  

Turkey Soup in 2 Easy Steps

To make this turkey soup easier, you can make the broth one day, chill it, and finish the soup the next day. Even easier? Make the stock in a slow cooker overnight.

Removing the Fat From the Broth

You may be tempted to remove the turkey skin before making the broth, but for the best flavor, keep it on! The turkey skin adds a ton of body and depth to the broth, and you can just skim off the fat later.

To remove the fat, cool the broth. Then, place the whole stockpot into the refrigerator to chill overnight. The next morning you can easily scrape the fat off the top.

If you don't have the time for overnight chilling, you can also remove the layer of fat on top by placing plastic wrap on top. The fat will cling to the plastic and will be easily discarded. It's not an eco-friendly method, but it works when you're pressed for time.

More Ways to Use Leftover Turkey

• Turkey Chili
• Hot Turkey Sandwich
• Turkey Tetrazzini
• Turkey Tacos with Cranberry Salsa
• Curry Turkey Salad

The amounts shown are a guideline. Improvise at will depending on the ingredients you have on hand and how much soup you are making.

For the stock:

• 1 turkey carcass, leftover from carving a whole turkey, including any leftover drippings or giblets (not the liver) if you have them

• Cold water

• 1 medium to large yellow onion, quartered or cut into thick wedges

• 1 to 2 carrots, roughly chopped (can include tops)

• 1 celery rib and some celery tops (roughly chopped)

• Several sprigs fresh parsley

• 1 to 2 sprigs fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried thyme

• 1 bay leaf

• 5 to 10 peppercorns

• Kosher salt

• Freshly ground black pepper

For the soup:

• 1 to 2 tablespoons butter or turkey fat

• 1 to 1 1/2 cups chopped carrots

• 1 to 1 1/2 cups chopped onion

• 1 to 1 1/2 cups chopped celery

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 3 to 4 quarts of the turkey stock you just made

• A few sprigs fresh parsley leaves, chopped (2 to 4 tablespoons)

• 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning (more to taste), or a combination of ground sage, thyme, marjoram, and/or a bouillon cube

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

• 4 to 8 ounces egg noodles or 1/2 to 1 cup dry rice (optional)

• 2 to 4 cups leftover chopped or shredded cooked turkey meat (don't use any of the meat from making the stock)

Making the Turkey Stock

1. Remove the usable turkey meat from the carcass:

   Save the meat for making sandwiches and for adding to the soup once the stock is made.

2. Put the carcass, vegetables, and drippings in large pot, then cover with water:

   Place the turkey carcass, neck (if you haven't cooked it with the turkey), leftover skin and bones into a large stock pot (at least 8 to 12 quarts depending on the size of the turkey), and cover with cold water by an inch.

   Simple Tip!

   If you are working with a large turkey carcass, you may want to break up the bones a bit so they fit better in the pot.

   Elise Bauer

   Add any drippings that weren't used to make gravy and any giblets (not the liver) that haven't been used already. Add thickly sliced onion, chopped carrots, celery, celery tops, parsley, thyme, a bay leaf, and some peppercorns to the pot.

   Elise Bauer

3. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, then skim the foam:

   Bring to a boil on high heat, and then lower the heat to keep the stock to a bare simmer. As it simmers, skim off any foamy crud that may float to the surface of the stock from time to time.

   Elise Bauer

4. Add salt and pepper:

   Add about 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper depending on how big your turkey is.

   Simple Tip!

   Don't be heavy-handed with the salt. You can always add salt to the soup that you make with the stock.

5. Simmer at least 4 hours:

   Simmer the pot partially uncovered, continuing to skim off any foam that comes to the surface.

   Elise Bauer

6. Strain the stock:

   After 4 hours of a low simmer, remove the bones and vegetables from the pot. Then strain the stock through a fine mesh sieve or strainer.

   Simple Tip!

   If you have a strainer but it isn't a fine mesh strainer, you can line it with cheesecloth or several layers of dampened paper towels and strain the stock through that.

   Elise Bauer Elise Bauer

7. Reduce the stock:

   If making stock for future use you may want to reduce the stock by cooking it longer, uncovered, to make it more concentrated and easier to store. Then you can add water to taste when making soup or another dish.

Make the Turkey Soup

1. Sauté the carrots, onions, and celery:

   Heat butter or olive oil (or turkey fat rendered from the stock) in a large pot on medium-high heat. Add the carrots, onions, and celery. Cook until the onions are softened, about 10 minutes.

2. Add the garlic, stock, and seasonings and simmer:

   Add garlic and cook for a minute more, until fragrant. Add the stock to the pot. Add the parsley, poultry seasoning, and salt and pepper to taste.

   Cook until the vegetables are cooked through.

3. Add the noodles or rice and turkey meat:

   Add the noodles or rice If adding noodles and cook until al dente, about 4 minutes. If adding rice, cook for 15 minutes.

   Simple Tip!

   If you're cooking gluten-free or low carb, skip the noodles or rice. The soup is delicious with just vegetables and turkey.

4. Add the turkey meat:

   Take some of the remaining turkey meat you reserved earlier, shred it into bite-sized pieces, and add it to the soup. Cook for 1 more minute to warm the turkey meat.

   Add salt and pepper to taste.

   Simple Tip!

   You may also want to add some chopped tomatoes, either fresh or canned. Sometimes a dash or two of Tabasco gives the soup a nice little kick.

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Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.

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