Turkey Farro Soup

There is nothing like all the preparation leading up to a holiday meal, or the memories created together with your loved ones that keep family traditions alive. Keeping traditions alive is very honoring to those who have gone before us. This turkey farro soup in our household is one of those traditions!

Holiday Traditions

One tradition that I love is making my mother’s millionaire shortbread (also known as caramel squares) during Christmas time. It’s a recipe that will make its debut on Simply Sells very soon, as Christmas approaches. The millionaire shortbread is so absolutely delicious you can’t stop eating them. Before Christmas though comes Thanksgiving!

For Thanksgiving this year we want to share a recipe for what to do with your leftover turkey. I mean, there is nothing like loading up another plate of Thanksgiving food for round two, pouring on the gravy and buttering up those rolls that your grandmother made, but we figured let’s shake things up a little bit. We often enjoy this soup with our homemade Challah Bread that we make traditionally every Thanksgiving.

Did I mention that I am definitely a soup person? I could have it multiple times a week. Not only can soup be delicious but it can also be a great way to make sure that you are eating your vegetables. It’s also a great way to feed the little ones a variety of foods that prioritize nutrition. 

Every year in November, when turkey goes on sale, Kodi and I have made it a tradition to buy a few small turkeys that we put in the deep freezer to cook throughout the year. This way we don’t have to wait another 12 months before we have a delicious roasted turkey meal. Every time we cook a turkey, we are always thinking of ways to extend the meal and creatively use all the leftovers. Sometimes we even cook extra turkey just for the leftovers. For quite a few years, we have turned our leftover turkey into a delicious turkey soup. This turkey farro soup became our ultimate after-Thanksgiving turkey meal! 

We are sticklers for making meals with as much homemade flavor and healthy ingredients as possible. This turkey farro soup recipe is very simple and carries a lot of the familiar flavors you may be used to. Simple is good after a big holiday of very hard work.

Make your own stock

We begin by making our own turkey stock. If you’re in a rush you can just purchase a good quality store bought stock. To make your own stock, put all the leftover turkey bones, organs, and neck in a large stock pot, and then add 12-14 cups of water. Bring the liquid and turkey parts to a boil. Add in four carrots, four celery stalks, and one onion. (All chopped in very large pieces as you will strain and discard the ingredients at the end.) Then add one tablespoon of Italian seasoning, one tablespoon of salt, and pepper to taste.

Bring everything back to a rolling boil, and then turn the stock down to simmer for a minimum of 4-6 hours. For a deeper richer flavor, you can simmer it for up to 12 hours on low. When ready, strain the liquid through a sieve or cheese cloth and you will have the most delicious turkey stock. 

Recipe

After preparing the turkey stock, warm some olive oil over medium heat. I like to use my favorite large coated Dutch oven. While the olive oil is heating, chop the fresh carrots, celery, and onions into small even pieces. Throw the vegetables into the olive oil, and then sauté them until they are soft and starting to caramelize. There is tons of flavor in the browning on the bottom of the pan. Beware of burning because you don’t want your veggies to disintegrate.

Add the chopped garlic to the vegetables then sauté until the garlic is softened. Then add salt and pepper to taste. Ladle some turkey stock into the pan to deglaze it and keep as much of the pan flavors as possible. Add thinly chopped dill, shredded or cubed cooked leftover turkey, and the rest of your freshly made turkey stock. Simmer the soup for at least 30 minutes.

Years back we discovered a grain called farro, which is like couscous or rice. It can be used in many ways. We find it gives this soup the perfect hearty “stay in” winter touch. Add the farro then cook the soup for an additional 10 minutes. Serve the soup with your favorite loaf of crusty, buttery, bread and enjoy!

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