Turkey Carcass Soup

Turkey carcass soup is a delicious way to use the leftover carcass from a holiday turkey!

Made with fresh vegetables, turkey meat, and wild rice, this great recipe is healthy and flavorful. First, homemade turkey stock is simmered on the stove, then used to create the delectable soup.

turkey carcass soup with carrots, celery, potatoes and tomatoes in a dutch oven with kitchen towel and parsley beside it.

Delicious Turkey Soup Recipe

This soup is a great way to enjoy your leftover turkey and use up that carcass. The recipe is created in two steps. First, the flavorful stock is made using the whole turkey carcass. Then, the turkey stock is used to create a delicious healthy soup.

TASTY – This tasty soup is incredibly flavorful with wild rice and a variety of fresh veggies!
CHEAP – This soup is budget-friendly using up every last scrap from your roasted thanksgiving turkey.
EASY – Using canned tomatoes is a time-saver and with a few additional ingredients, this recipe is so easy to prepare.

Pro Tip: The turkey carcass can be used to make turkey broth in advance. You can cook it on the stovetop, in an instant pot or slow cooker. The homemade broth can be frozen until you are ready to make turkey soup.

I love this soup recipe because it’s loaded with healthy vegetables! It’s a great meal to serve after the holidays when you want to get back on track with eating healthier.

leftover turkey soup with celery, tomatoes, carrots and wild rice in a white bowl with spoon.

Recipe Ingredients

Making turkey soup requires a few readily available ingredients including a smaller turkey, spices and veggies:

TURKEY CARCASS – The leftover bones from a roasted turkey are used for flavor. Break the bones as needed to fit your pot. Don’t want to do this step? Store-bought chicken stock can be used to save time!

COOKED TURKEY MEAT – Use the remaining turkey meat from your holiday leftovers.

VEGETABLES – This soup is piled high with veggies including carrots, celery, potatoes, onions, canned tomatoes and onion.

RICE – Wild rice adds a nice texture to the extra meat in the soup! I recommend using Lundberg wild rice, but brown or white rice should also work.

SEASONINGS – It’s a flavorful soup all thanks to the homemade turkey stock, Worcestershire sauce, poultry seasoning, parsley, salt and pepper.

Pro Tip: Save all pieces of the turkey you aren’t serving at the dinner table. These are perfect for making the stock. Break any large pieces of meat into bite-size pieces.

Flavor Additions

I love soup recipes because there are so many additional ingredients available that can be added to suit personal tastes. Here are a few ideas you may want to bring to a boil and try.

HERBS & SPICES – Fresh thyme and sage are used in stuffing and will carry that holiday flavor into your soup. Add garlic for a little earthy spice.

SWEET POTATO – Chop a yam or sweet potato and add that to the soup pot for a more robust meal.

CREAM – Add a cup of heavy cream and stir in after the soup has had a chance to cook. This will add a rich flavor to taste the recipe.

NOODLES – Make a turkey noodle soup simply by adding a cup of your favorite noodles to the pot. Consider omitting the potatoes if you try this.

four photos: turkey carcass in large pot with water, turkey bone broth in pot with carcass in bowl beside it, raw vegetables in broth with chopped turkey, cooked turkey carcass soup with soup ladle and parsley beside it

How To Make Turkey Carcass Soup

This soup is a 2-step process. I ended up making the stock the day before, storing it in the fridge, and making the soup for dinner the following night.

Here’s an overview of how to make the soup with full details in the recipe card at the bottom of this post:

STOCK – Place turkey carcass and cold water in a large pot and boil 1-2 hours. Strain, remove the remaining meat, and discard the bones.
SOUP – Pour 10 cups of homemade stock into a large pot along with diced tomatoes, turkey meat, potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, and uncooked rice. Next add the Worcestershire sauce, bay leaf, poultry seasoning, dried parsley, salt, and pepper.
SIMMER – Bring the soup to a low simmer over medium heat until veggies are tender. About 10-20 minutes.
SERVE – Serve with crackers or warm dutch oven bread and enjoy!

Pro Tip: I look forward to any meal that has a roast turkey involved because I know that I’ll be making turkey carcass soup soon after. I like to have a freezer full of leftover turkey stock on hand for gravies and sauces as well!

How To Make Turkey Soup From Frozen Carcass

The soup is made the same way using a frozen carcass. You can add the frozen turkey bones straight to the pot and fill it with water.

Boil for 1-2 hours and strain through a fine-mesh strainer to create turkey broth. Follow the other steps in the recipe card below to create the soup.

close up of carrots, celery, and potatoes in turkey carcass soup.

How To Store

REFRIGERATE – I love to use 8 qt mason jars to store extra turkey stock or soup in the fridge for up to 5 days.
FREEZE – Turkey soup can be stored in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 6 months using mason jars or silicone freezing tray. A turkey carcass can be wrapped in a large plastic bag, sealed tightly and stored in the freezer up to 6 months. There’s no need to defrost as the frozen turkey carcass can be added straight to the pot of water.
REHEAT – Defrost the soup in the refrigerator overnight and reheat on the stove. Or pop it in the microwave for 3-minute increments until thawed.

Pro Tip: Turkey stock can be added to an ice cube tray and frozen for up to 12 months. Add the cubes to a freezer bag for later use in soups and stews.

Ways To Serve

I like to incorporate a crunchy side dish into all my soup and pasta dishes. This recipe is great for dipping which makes bread a perfect choice for a side.

BREAD – Biscuits, garlic bread, or crusty buns and butter are perfect for dipping.
SALAD – Caesar salad topped with fresh parmesan is always a hit for a side dish.
WEDGES – A great option if you tried turkey noodle soup is to include a side of crispy parmesan potato wedges.
FRESH PARSLEY – Dice up some fresh parsley and sprinkle on top for more flavor and an eye-pleasing presentation.

Recipe Tips

Break The Turkey Carcass Into Smaller Pieces – The bones will be too big for most pots. It’s easier to break the weaker pieces off in order to make them fit. Be careful during this step – the bones are sharp!
Use the Skin, Bones, Unwanted Turkey Meat – Save all pieces of the turkey you aren’t serving at the dinner table. These are perfect for making turkey bone broth. Break any large pieces of meat into bite-size pieces.
Make Extra Broth For Future Recipes – Any extra bone broth can be added to an ice cube tray and frozen. Add the cubes to a freezer bag for later use in soups and stews.
Store Broth In Mason Jars – I love to use 8 qt mason jars to store extra broth in the fridge. They’re cheap and affordable.
Make Broth The Day Before Soup – This soup is a 2-step process. I ended up making the bone broth the day before, storing it in the fridge, and making the soup for dinner the following night.

Frequently Asked Questions

What parts of the turkey are used for stock?

If you are making stock, all you need is the carcass. But feel free to add the skin small bones and leftover meat to draw out every bit of flavor that you can.

How do I thicken my soup?

To thicken soup, make a slurry of 1 part cornstarch and 2 parts water and stir it into the pot. Start with a small amount of slurry and repeat until you reach your desired thickness.

close up of vegetables, turkey and rice in bowl with parsley sprinkled on top

Turkey carcass soup is a delicious way to enjoy your leftover turkey and use up that carcass. The recipe is created in two steps. First, the flavorful broth is made using the turkey carcass. Next, the turkey soup is used to create a delicious healthy soup using leftover turkey meat.

More Turkey Recipes

These recipes are a great way to use up turkey leftovers from Thanksgiving dinner!