Leftover turkey soup gets a ramen makeover! Japanese and American traditions combine to make the ultimate winter comfort food.
As the main Thanksgiving chef, I’ve cooked many a turkey. I’ve made oven roasted turkeys, deep fried turkeys, crock pot turkeys and everything in between. A few years ago, The Hubs and I decided that the very best way to cook a Thanksgiving turkey was in the smoker.
A 24 hour wet brine followed by a low and slow cook in the smoker returns the juiciest turkey you’ve ever eaten. Some would call it epic. Others would say it was the best turkey they’ve ever had (true story). Both would be right.
The only downside is that a smoked turkey carcass does not make for a very good leftover turkey soup.
Turkey soup has long been my favorite Thanksgiving leftover recipe. However, I gave it up since we began smoking our turkey several years back. The broth made from a smoked turkey is all smoke, zero other flavor.
Luckily for me, this year I was hired to do a turkey themed video shoot in which the turkey would be actually cooked.
Let me explain.
As a food stylist, often the food we end up photographing is undercooked, manipulated by techniques that are inedible, or are no longer safe to consume after sitting under hot lights for hours.
The first thing I thought of when I was asked to follow a complete turkey roasting recipe was LEFTOVER TURKEY SOUP!
The job got even better because I wound up roasting two whole turkeys which in return yielded just over 16 cups of delicious turkey broth. Enough for a classic leftover turkey soup recipe and a savory Japanese twist.
Leftover Turkey Ramen Soup
Turkey broth is the perfect base for ramen. The addition of miso, ginger, and fish sauce take the broth from savory to downright comforting. A virtual hug in a bowl.
This isn’t your classic packaged ramen. This is next level Thanksgiving leftovers right here.
Overall, I’m not generally a leftovers fan, but I have a different point of view when it comes to Thanksgiving leftovers. I almost like the leftovers more than the main event.
I’m dying to know what your favorite Thanksgiving leftovers recipes are. Leave a comment below and let me know if you’re a leftover turkey sandwich person, or if you go for the soup like me. Turkey tetrazzini? Turkey stromboli? What do you crave in those leftover filled days after Thanksgiving?
If you decide to take this leftover turkey ramen soup recipe for a spin, be sure to tag @betsylife on Instagram or Facebook so I can see and share your creations.
Happy cooking this holiday season!
Leftover Turkey Ramen
Leftover turkey soup gets a ramen makeover! Japanese and American traditions combine to make the ultimate winter comfort food.
Ingredients
For the broth
- Carcass from 1 12- to 14-pound turkey
- 1 large onion diced
- 2 medium carrots peeled and diced
- 1 6-inch daikon radish, peeled and diced
- 5 cloves garlic peeled
- 1 2-inch knob ginger, peeled and sliced
- 1 lemon cut in half
- About 1 gallon water
For the eggs
- 4 large eggs cold
- ¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce
- ¼ cup rice vinegar
- ¾ cup water
For the Ramen Bowl
- Prepared eggs
- 2 tablespoons red miso
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 2 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons white distilled vinegar
- A few dashes of hot sauce
- 12 ounces ramen noodles from 4 packages ramen soup or thin spaghettini
- 2 cups pulled cooked turkey or chicken from the carcass used for stock
To serve:
- Thinly sliced carrots
- 2 scallions chopped
- 2 cups arugula
- About 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lime juice
Instructions
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Pull about 2 cups of meat off the turkey carcass and reserve for the soup. Break or chop the carcass into pieces. Transfer to a large pot with onion, carrots, daikon radish, garlic, ginger, and lemon halves. Add enough water to cover the ingredients by 1 inch and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and let the stock simmer until richly aromatic, about 4 hours. Skim off any foam that rises to the top. Let the stock cool slightly then pour through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl, discarding solids. Measure 8 cups of stock for the ramen bowls. DO AHEAD: The turkey stock can be prepared ahead and kept, covered in the refrigerator, up to 4 days, or frozen, in an airtight container, up to 3 months.
For the eggs
-
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and carefully lower the eggs into the water. Reduce the heat to a low simmer and cook the eggs for 6 minutes.
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Meanwhile whisk the soy sauce, vinegar and water together in a bowl. After the eggs are cooked, transfer the eggs to the ice water to cool for about 3 minutes until cool enough to handle.
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Gently crack the shell (the egg will be soft) and under running water, carefully peel away the shell. Submerge the eggs in the marinade (they should be covered, if not, transfer to a smaller bowl). Leave them for at least 6 hours or overnight.
Make the ramen bowl:
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Bring 8 cups of the turkey stock to a boil. Add the miso, fish sauce, soy sauce, vinegar, and hot sauce and stir to combine. Add the ramen noodles, discarding the flavor packet, and boil until tender but still firm, about 3 minutes. Add turkey meat and heat until meat is warmed.
To serve:
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Divide the ramen noodles , broth and turkey meat evenly into 4 bowls. Top with carrots, scallions, arugula and eggs. Finish with lime juice.
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Jake says
Am I mistaken, or is this recipe pretty much lifted from Edward Lee’s Epicurious recipe? Seems to just leave out some proscuitto and maybe changes some of the additions to to the ramen bowl itself at the end, but it’s about the same. https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/turkey-ramen-51197040
Jill says
Thank you for this recipe – trying today. One question – you mentioned that smoked turkey carcass is not ideal for leftover turkey ramen soup. Why is that?
betsy says
The smokiness transfers too and intensifies in the soup which, in my opinion, is not the flavor I’m going for. If you’re into really intense smoke flavor then it will definitely work!
Jill says
Thanks for such a quick reply. As you may have guessed, I tried this with a smoked turkey. Well… it was awesome!! I didn’t marinate the eggs (just boiled and served immediately), but followed everything else and it turned out GREAT!