Turkey leftovers are the best. Our all-time favorite thing to do the day after Thanksgiving is to make turkey soup. I have been using this recipe for years, and it never steers me wrong.

Turkey Soup adapted from Simply Recipes

For the stock:
1 turkey carcass and giblets/drippings
Cold water
1 medium to large yellow onion, quartered or cut into thick wedges
5 to 10 peppercorns
1 to 2 carrots, roughly chopped (include tops)
Several sprigs of fresh parsley
1 to 2 sprigs of thyme, or a teaspoon of dried thyme
5 to 10 peppercorns
1 celery rib (roughly chopped) and some celery tops
5 to 10 peppercorns
Salt
Pepper
Bay leaf

For the soup:
1.5 cups chopped carrots
2 cloves garlic, minced
1.5 cups chopped onion
A few sprigs of fresh parsley, leaves chopped (about 2 to 4 Tbsp)
1.5 cups chopped celery
Seasonings – a couple teaspoons or more of a mix of ground sage, thyme, marjoram
2 cups or more of leftover chopped or shredded cooked turkey meat
Salt and pepper to taste
1lb cooked noodles (we like the soup noodles from Flour City Pasta?

Make the turkey stock:

1. Remove all the usable turkey meat from the turkey carcass

2. Put turkey carcass, vegetables, herbs, peppercorns, and drippings in large pot, cover with water

3. Bring to a boil on high heat and then lower the heat to keep the stock to a bare simmer.

4. Cook for at least 4 hours, partially uncovered, at a very low simmer.

5. After 4+ hours of a low simmer, use tongs, a ladle, or a large slotted spoon to remove the bones and vegetables from the pot. Then strain the stock through a fine strainer, or cheese cloth. You can jar the stock now or move on and make turkey soup!

Make the Turkey Soup

1. In a large soup pot, heat some butter or olive oil on medium high heat. Add chopped carrots, onions, and celery in equal parts (about a cup each). Cook until the onions are softened, about 10 minutes.

2. Add garlic and cook for a minute more, until the garlic is fragrant. Then add the stock to the pot. Add the parsley and seasonings—salt, pepper, sage, thyme, marjoram.

3. Bring to a simmer and cook until the vegetables are just cooked through.

4. Add turkey meat and cooked noodles.

5. Add salt and pepper to taste and a dash of hot sauce for extra kick.

6. Enjoy!