Got a turkey carcass leftover from enjoying a good meal? If so, don’t throw it away! Save that carcass to make homemade soup broth or soup stock! After I’ve roasted a turkey I always save the carcass. I pick off most of the remaining meat and then place the carcass into a bag. Toss into the freezer until I have the time to cook it down into soup.
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First things first. I remove the majority of leftover meat. I toss out the skins. If you have a large carcass, break it in half or into smaller pieces. You want to save all of the larger bones and bits of meat. If you don’t have time to cook it down right away…place into a bag and freeze it.
The easiest way to cook down a turkey carcass is by placing it into a slow cooker crockpot. Once it is in the crockpot, cover it with water…so your pot should be almost full. Cook it on high for 2 hours and then turn the temperature down to low. Let it cook on low for at least 10-12 hours. This will pull all of the flavor and goodness out of the bones. Plus…all of those small bits of meat should fall right off.
Once it’s done cooking I like to strain it to get all of the bones, gristle and skin out of the broth. Pour the broth back into the slow cooker. I then add sliced carrots, chopped onions and chopped celery. The amounts will depend on how much turkey meat and broth that you have. Approximate amounts are as follows:
3/4 to 1 cup sliced carrots
3/4 to 1 cup chopped celery
1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped onion
Season up the turkey stock with parsley, Selefina Italian Seasoning Blend, ground black pepper and a little bit of sea salt. If you’re not fond of “turkey” you can toss in a few chicken bouillion cubes to disguise it. We enjoy the turkey flavor, so I don’t add them…but you certainly can.
Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 2-3 hours.
You can use this seasoned turkey broth aka turkey stock to make a big pot of homemade turkey noodle soup, turkey and potato soup, turkey and rice soup, etc. It makes a great soup base for all kinds of different things. You can freeze it once cooled in freezer-safe containers or process in a steam pressure canner (home canning) for later use.
Note: I buy and use a lot of spices and seasoning blends from Selefina. They sell high-quality spices from all around the world. You can purchase small sample sizes, regular sized bottles or in bulk sizes. I love that they ship straight to my front door and have everything that I need to keep a well-stocked spice cabinet.