Stop! Don’t throw away that Thanksgiving turkey carcass just yet, not until you’ve made some homemade broth to use in my timeless turkey noodle soup recipe, comfort food at its finest. OK, if you don’t want to make your own broth, substitute store bought chicken stock instead. But it’s much better to your own, just saying.

Homemade broth is so, so, so easy to make – just throw those bones in a big pot, cover with cold water and add a quartered onion, a celery stalk cut in half, a garlic clove and some salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for an hour or so. Pour the liquid through a strainer and voila!, great tasting homemade stock. Easy, easy, easy!

This soup is great the next day and it will thicken as the noodles absorb some of the liquid. It’s almost like you’re getting two soups for the price and labor of one. Yaaaay! It also freezes well. Since Brad isn’t a soup person (I know, what’s up with that?), I freeze this in individual portions to have on hand whenever I need a homemade soup fix. Thaw in the fridge, zap in the microwave, and a perfect lunch is ready.

Ingredients (Makes 8-10 servings)

• 1 (8 oz.) package wide egg noodles
• 1 (10.5 oz.) can cream of chicken soup
• 7 cups homemade turkey broth
• 2 cups cooked turkey, white and dark meat
• 2 large carrots, sliced into 1/8 inch rounds
• 2 large celery stalks, chopped into bite-sized pieces
• 1 medium sweet onion, diced small
• 1 cup frozen green peas
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• Sea salt, to taste
• Fresh ground pepper to taste

Preparation

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add egg noodles, cook until al dente (6 to 8 minutes). Drain noodles in a colander.

Meanwhile, place the cream of chicken soup in a large pot. Add about a cup of the turkey broth and whisk together until smooth.

Add the rest of the broth and other ingredients (minus the egg noodles, because they’re still cooking). Stir until well blended.

Add the egg noodles to the soup.

Bring to a boil, then turn down heat and simmer on low for about 25 minutes, until the carrots are tender/crisp.

Serve with crusty bread and a glass of good white wine.

Or just fill up a soup mug and dig in!

Bon appétit!

Eat, drink and be merry!

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