Ingredients

1 turkey carcass, from roasted turkey, with extra meat removed 

2 carrots, peeled and diced 

2 celery stalks, diced 

1 dried bay leaf

3 sprigs fresh thyme

2 c. cooked turkey meat, shredded 

8 oz. egg noodles 

Kosher salt 

Freshly ground black pepper 

2 tbsp. fresh dill, roughly chopped 

Preparation

Step 1Place the turkey carcass in a large pot. Cover with cold water, bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 2 hours.Step 2Strain and reserve stock (reserving excess turkey meat, if desired). Transfer stock back to pot, and bring back to a simmer. You should have about 6 cups of stock.Step 3Add the diced carrots, celery, bay leaf, thyme, and shredded turkey. Cook until vegetables are just tender, about 12 minutes.Step 4Add the egg noodles and cook according to package directions. Season with salt and pepper, and garnish with dill before serving.

If you’re wondering: what exactly is a turkey carcass? No stress, you’re not alone. The carcass is what’s left of the turkey after you’re done with it, but no need to throw it away! The bones and remaining meat will make a rich and flavorful stock, perfect for a warming, cozy turkey soup. It might just be our favorite way to rework Thanksgiving leftovers.  Some things we noticed that amped up the flavor in big ways:  For the stock, just use the carcass. Conventional wisdom dictates that to make a great meat stock, you must always add veggies. Not true. We found that simmering the carcass – and the carcass alone – produced a clean, meaty stock that actually tasted of turkey. Add the veggies and herbs later when you are making the soup. 2 hours is enough. Again, bucking conventional wisdom, we assumed that a long simmer for the carcass was necessary to extract flavor and gelatin, which helps provide the stock with richness. Again, false. Two hours was perfect. Looking for what to pair it with? Even MORE Thanksgiving leftovers, of course! Serve this soup with (or on top of 😎) mashed potatoes, alongside some homemade biscuits, or with some candied yams for a touch of something sweet.   If you manage to have any soup leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to the three days.  Made it? Let us know what you think in the comment section below!