Turkey leftovers do not end with sliced meat packed into the refrigerator. The carcass can become the base for the next meal before it heads to the trash.
A turkey wild rice soup recipe from Lively Table uses the bones to make broth, then brings the reserved turkey meat back into the pot with wild rice, carrots, celery, onion, mushrooms, and thyme. The same bird supplies both the meat and much of the liquid for the soup.
Turkey Bones Go Into the Stockpot After the Meat Comes Off
Remove the remaining meat from the carcass first and save it for the soup. The bones then go into a large stockpot instead of the trash.
Add a bay leaf, smashed garlic, fresh herbs, onion, celery, carrot, peppercorns, apple cider vinegar, and salt. Vegetable scraps can replace whole pieces of onion, celery, and carrot.
Water goes in until the bones and vegetables sit under the surface.
Simmering Turns the Carcass Into Broth
Cover the pot and let the carcass simmer for at least an hour.
The broth takes on flavor from the bones, herbs, garlic, onion, celery, and carrot. No separate carton of turkey broth is required if the carcass is still available after dinner.
Once the broth has simmered, strain it. Bones, herbs, and vegetables come out, leaving the liquid for the soup.
Leftover Turkey Comes Back Into a New Pot
The reserved meat returns during the next stage.
Garlic, onion, celery, and carrots cook in a small amount of oil first. Shredded turkey, wild rice, thyme, salt, pepper, and the homemade broth follow.
Whole-grain wild rice needs about 45 minutes to cook. Regular wild rice cuts that time to about 20 minutes.
The result no longer reads like another plate of Thanksgiving dinner. The turkey sits in broth with rice and vegetables instead of beside stuffing and mashed potatoes.
Wild Rice Gives the Broth Time to Develop
Rice goes into the soup uncooked and stays in the pot as the broth simmers.
That longer cook gives the vegetables time to soften while the rice takes up some of the turkey broth. Whole-grain wild rice keeps its shape and adds a firm bite beside the shredded meat.
If the soup has enough body at this stage, it can be served without another addition.
Greek Yogurt Can Replace Heavy Cream at the End
For a creamier version, the recipe uses Greek yogurt instead of heavy cream.
The yogurt needs to be tempered before it reaches the pot. Remove about 1/3 cup of hot broth and stir it into the yogurt first. Turn off the heat, then stir the warmed yogurt into the soup.
Adding cold yogurt straight to hot soup can cause it to separate. Bringing its temperature up with broth first reduces that risk.
If the soup needs reheating after the yogurt goes in, keep the heat low and avoid a boil.
Turkey Leftovers Stretch Beyond the Meat
The useful part of a roasted turkey is not limited to what can be carved from the breast and legs.
Meat becomes the filling for the next soup. Bones become its broth. Vegetable scraps can join the stockpot as well.
Instead of starting leftover turkey soup with packaged broth, the part headed for the trash can provide the base.
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