Vegetable soup with turkey bone

Turkey Bone Vegetable Soup

I didn't initially think to write this recipe. I usually make this soup when I have a turkey bone left over from deboning the breast and some vegetables in the fridge. However, this time it turned out much better than I expected. I used a five-liter pot and adjusted the quantities after seeing how much fits. It's the kind of soup that almost cooks itself, but the turkey bone makes a difference.

Quick Info

Total time: about 1 hour and 10 minutes
Preparation time: 20 minutes (chopping and preparing the ingredients)
Cooking time: 50 minutes
Servings: 6-8
Difficulty: easy
Recipe type: classic family soup, good for lunch or dinner

Ingredients

- turkey bone from deboning the breast
- 1 carrot
- 1 onion
- 1 small celery or a piece of a large celery
- 1 parsley root
- 1 parsnip
- 200 ml tomato juice
- 2 teaspoons lovage paste (be careful, it's quite salty)
- 1 tablespoon dried lovage
- rice noodles (about half a roll, not much needed)
- salt, to taste

Preparation Method

1. Wash the turkey bone. If it's too big for the pot, cut it into smaller pieces (I broke it into 3 to fit in the 5-liter pot).
2. Place the bone in the pot and add enough water to cover it and about 5 cm above. Turn on the heat and let it come to a boil.
3. After the first boil, throw away the water, quickly wash the pot if necessary, and put the bone back to boil with warm water. This procedure helps you get a clearer broth.
4. Let the bone boil for about 15 minutes after it starts boiling again.
5. Meanwhile, clean and wash all the vegetables. Chop them finely: carrot, onion, celery, parsley, parsnip.
6. After the 15 minutes, take the bone out onto a plate. Clean the meat off it as much as possible. You can add the meat back into the soup or use it for something else; I always put it back.
7. Put the chopped vegetables in the pot, along with the meat pulled from the bone. Let everything boil for about 30 minutes over medium heat, without a lid.
8. Add the tomato juice and lovage paste. Taste for salt, but keep in mind that the lovage paste is salty, so don’t rush with the salt.
9. When the vegetables are cooked, add the rice noodles. I use half a roll, enough not to overwhelm the soup. Let it boil for another 5 minutes.
10. Turn off the heat. Sprinkle a tablespoon of dried lovage.
11. Taste for salt again. If needed, add more, but it may not be necessary due to the lovage paste.

Why I make this recipe often

I make this recipe when I have a leftover turkey bone from other dishes. You use whatever you have on hand, it's not complicated, and it has a good taste from the vegetables and bone. It's suitable for several days, and the leftovers reheat well.

Tips and Variations

Tips

- Discarding the first water helps with the clarity and final taste of the soup.
- If you use a very salty lovage paste, add salt only at the end.
- Rice noodles cook quickly, don’t leave them too long as they become soft.

Substitutions

- Tomato juice can be replaced with fresh grated tomatoes if you have them on hand.
- If you don’t have dried lovage, you can skip it, but it will lack a bit of the specific flavor.

Variations

- You can use another type of poultry bone if you don’t have turkey, but the taste will be different.
- For a heartier version, you can add more noodles or even a handful of rice.

Serving Ideas

Serve hot, plain or with chili peppers, as preferred. Fresh slices of bread go well alongside.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can I add more vegetables?
Yes, if you want a thicker soup, you can add other vegetables like potatoes or zucchini, but they are not in the basic recipe.

2. Can I replace the rice noodles with something else?
Yes, with classic noodles or small pasta for soup, cooking time may vary slightly.

3. What do I do if I don’t have lovage paste?
You can use only dried lovage or skip it, but the final taste won’t be identical.

4. What do I do with the meat from the bone?
The meat pulled from the bone can be put back in the soup or used in another dish.

5. Can the soup be made without salt, just with lovage paste?
Yes, if the lovage paste is salty enough, you may not need additional salt.

Nutritional Values

Values are approximate, for one serving out of 8:

Calories: 80-100 kcal
Protein: 5-8g (depending on how much meat remains on the bone)
Carbohydrates: 10-15g (depending on the number of noodles)
Fats: 2-3g
Fiber: 2-3g

The soup is quite low in calories, especially if not much meat is added. If you are careful with sodium intake, watch how much lovage paste you use.

Storage and Reheating

This soup stores well in the fridge, in a covered pot or container, for 2-3 days. It can be reheated over low heat or in the microwave. The rice noodles absorb liquid, so you may need to add a little water when reheating. I do not recommend freezing, as the noodles do not thaw well.

 Ingredients: bone from deboning the breast 1 carrot 1 onion 1 small celery or a piece of a large celery 1 parsley root 1 parsnip root rice noodles 200 ml tomato juice salt 2 teaspoons lovage paste 1 tablespoon dried lovage

 Tags:  vegetable soup turkey soup