This leftover turkey soup is an easy and delicious meal that puts your turkey carcass to good use! So save the carcass from your Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner — and some stuffing, too — and make this tasty soup for lunch or a light dinner the next day.
Ingredients
1 picked-over turkey carcass
1 ½ cups leftover stuffing
1 onion, peeled and diced
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
1 teaspoon ground sage
2 bay leaves
2 ½ quarts chicken broth
1 cup water, or as needed (Optional)
½ teaspoon garlic salt, or to taste
ground black pepper, to taste
2 cups (uncooked) regular long-grain white rice
1 (16 ounce) package frozen green peas
Directions
Place turkey carcass in a large, deep pot. Add stuffing, onion, carrots, celery, poultry seasoning, sage, and bay leaves.
Pour in chicken broth. Add additional water if needed to cover. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, skimming off any foam, for about 1 hour.
Remove carcass and any bones. Pick any meat off carcass and bones. Return meat to the pot and discard bones and skin.
Season soup with garlic salt and pepper. Stir in rice and return to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 15 minutes.
Stir in peas and continue to simmer until rice is tender, about 10 minutes more.