© 2024 National Turkey Federation
1225 New York Avenue NW, Suite 400, Washington, D.C. 20005
1225 New York Avenue NW, Suite 400, Washington, D.C. 20005
“Thanksgiving means turkey, and turkey means leftovers, and leftover turkey means soup. That is the rubric of Thanksgiving. Don’t shy away from buying a turkey that will give you leftovers – you would be sad without them.” – Katie Workman
10 c chicken or turkey broth
1 turkey carcass or the bones from one whole turkey breast , broken into pieces, any skin included
2 tbsp olive oil
2 c chopped onion
1 c chopped celery
1 c peeled and chopped carrots
1 tbsp minced garlic
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 c dried split peas
4 c shredded or chopped cooked turkey (or use chicken)
Grated Parmesan to serve (optional)
Place the pieces of the turkey carcass pieces into a large soup pot and add the broth. Bring to a simmer, season with salt and pepper and simmer for 45 minutes. Strain the stock into another pot and discard the bones, skin, and any solid in the strainer.
In the same pot that you simmered the stock, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions, celery, carrots and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and sauté, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, until the vegetables start to soften. Add the strained stock back to the pot along with the split peas and simmer for about 1 to 1 ½ hours, until the split peas are very tender and starting to fall apart.
Stir in the chopped or shredded turkey and heat through for about 5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
Serve in bowls, sprinkled with Parmesan if desired.