Merry Christmas Eve, Eve!
We hope that you are enjoying your holiday season! We sure are!
If you are up to date on last week’s blog, you know that Christmas is one of our favourite times of year. We have been enjoying doing some baking, getting outside for walks in the snow, Shopping for holiday gifts and catching up on some much-needed relaxation.
This is a very special week for Healthy Hicks as we have our very first guest chef. This guest has jumped in to help me introduce one of the best Christmas recipes ever! It’s my mom! This recipe is straight out of mamma’s kitchen and has been a family favourite for as long as I can remember, and I can’t think of a better time to share it with you than right before you make your turkey this weekend.
When you think of Christmas recipes, the turkey carcass may not be on your list of perfect ingredients. In this case, we can’t think of a better ingredient. Can you guess what we are making? You got it! Turkey Soup! This soup is the perfect way to use your left-over turkey scraps and carcass so make sure you save all those unwanted bits because we will be giving them a new life!
Christmas is all about traditions and every family has their own unique set of traditions that make their holiday special. This soup is as much of a Christmas tradition in our family as anything else. Mamma’s famous turkey soup usually makes its debut each
boxing day to keep the holiday spirit alive and well through the entire week. It is a delicious way to have something a little bit lighter after the big feast, but it still gives you that Christmas feel with the beautiful comforting flavours. Being from the east coast, mom always pairs this soup with her homemade tea biscuits. I like to pair it with my homemade bread.
I love this turkey soup because it is a great way to get the most out of your turkey and use the entire bird instead of just tossing half of it in the trash because it is not as desirable. It brings me back to the days when you had no choice but to use the entire animal that you harvested which makes my heart very happy. This recipe is also a very healthy way to use your left-over turkey and can easily be made in a large batch to save in the freezer for later. This one check all the boxes!
Healthy: ✔
Environmentally Friendly: ✔️
Resourceful: ✔️
Freezable: ✔️
Large Batch so you don’t have to cook for a little while: ✔️✔️
Looks like the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree on this one, thanks Mamma!!
So how do we make this beautiful turkey soup? It is not very hard. Just follow these few steps to set yourself up for success and you will be good to go.
Making The Broth:
The most intimidating part of this soup is usually making the broth. If you have never made broth before you may be thinking that it is a difficult process. In fact, it is one simple step and a great skill to keep in your back pocket for later. If you are squeamish about the turkey bones, this would be a great time to ask a friend or family member for help!
The broth is a simple 1 step process. Toss all your unwanted turkey bits (Bones, gizzard, skin, stuffing bits and other inedible pieces) into a large pot. Add water until the entire contents of your pot are covered.
Mom likes to use her instant pot for this and simmers it for about an hour on the soup function. If you don’t have an instant pot a regular pot on the stove is just perfect! I simmer mine for about 2-3 hours on the stove until all the flavours (and amazing nutrients) can be infused into your water.
Voila! You made Broth! Congratulations!!
What do you need to make Soup?
The best part about this soup is you don’t need anything fancy or special. And it is a very forgiving recipe so if you don’t happen to have an ingredient or if you want to add something not on the list, you can!
The secret to this recipe is really in the broth and in the sweet potatoes. Most soup recipes call for regular white potatoes, but Mamma’s recipe uses sweet potatoes instead. This simple swap not only packs your soup with all kinds of extra nutrients but also gives it another layer of flavour that you wouldn’t normally expect from a soup.
Equipment:
- Large pot (or instant pot)
- Strainer or Colander
- Large wooden spoon for stirring
- Cutting board and sharp knife for Prep
Ingredients:
- Homemade soup stock (See Above)
- Leftover turkey meat
- 1 small onion diced
- 2 Cloves Garlic Minced
- 4-5 Carrots chopped
- 1 small turnip or Rutabaga chopped into bite sized pieces
- 2 medium sweet potatoes chopped into bite sized pieces
- 4 stalks of celery chopped
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 2 tbsp green spices of your choice (We used parsley, oregano, thyme, basil, and rosemary)
How to make your soup
Making the soup is almost as easy as making your stock. Dump everything into your instant pot or soup pot and simmer until the veggies are soft. Slow cook for 8 hours on low or simmer for about 1 hour on the stovetop.
And there you have it. A Beautiful leftover meal that will warm your soul and keep you healthy through the holidays. Just one more way that you can turn this holiday from fear to cheer and get closer to your goals this Christmas. Remember friends, it is all about progress, not perfection. So Don't be too hard on yourself. Just try to do your best and have as many little wins as possible.
We hope you enjoy this soup, and we wish you a very merry Christmas! And as usual, if you need help please do not hesitate to reach out! We are here to help!
Leave us a comment with your favourite holiday food!
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