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A ladle filled with homemade turkey soup held over a pot of soup.
Print Recipe

Homemade Turkey Soup

A turkey soup made from scratch, that is easy to make and perfect for colder days in the fall and winter.
Prep Time45 minutes
Cook Time3 hours 30 minutes
Total Time4 hours 15 minutes
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Canadian
Keyword: soup

Ingredients

Soup Base

  • 1 leftover turkey bones from a whole turkey
  • 6-12 cups water (you will need enough to cover the bones)
  • 6-8 medium sized carrots, roughly chopped
  • 6-8 celery stalks, roughly chopped
  • 2 cooking onions, roughly chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 2 Tbsp kosher salt
  • 4 whole bay leaves
  • 1 Tbsp freshly ground black pepper

Soup Add-ins

  • 1-2 cups cooked rice or pasta
  • 1 can diced tomatoes
  • 2 cups frozen corn
  • 2 cups cooked potatoes, cubed

Instructions

  • Place turkey bones in a large stock pot and add enough water to cover the bones.
  • Add carrots, celery, onions, garlic, bay leaves and salt and pepper.
  • Bring to boil over high heat.
  • Allow to boil for 15 minutes, then reduce heat and simmer for 2 hours, covered.
  • Remove cover and simmer another 30 minutes.
  • Remove from heat.
  • Remove bones from the pot using a wire skimmer, making sure to remove all the smaller bones. *see notes
  • Pick any visible meat remaining on the bones and return the meat to the pot.
  • Add rice, pasta, potatoes or any other add-ins to the soup.
  • Return the pot to the stove and heat to a simmer.
  • Simmer 5 minutes to heat the add-ins.
  • Serve hot.

Notes

*To remove the bones, we use tongs and a wire skimmer for the larger bones. Then we skim the pot again with a mesh skimmer to make sure all the smaller bones are removed.