Can you actually make a real turkey and bone broth comfort stew from leftover carcass broth without it tasting like sad reheated Thanksgiving? Yes — and after burning a roux black the first time I tried, I’ve made enough versions to know exactly where it goes sideways.
I started making this the day after our first Friendsgiving in 2019, when my friend Priya handed me a Tupperware of turkey bones and said “do something useful.” I simmered the carcass overnight, and the stew I built from that broth is still the meal I want when it’s grey outside.
Key Info
– Prep: 20 minutes
– Cook: 45 minutes
– Total: 65 minutes
– Servings: 4–6
– Per serving: ~340 cal | 12g fat | 32g protein | 26g carbs
– Difficulty: Easy–moderate
– Dietary tags: High-protein, dairy-free (as written), gluten-free option
Equipment
– 5–6 qt Dutch oven (a heavy stockpot works)
– Chef’s knife and cutting board
– Wooden spoon
– Small whisk (for smooth roux)
– Ladle
Ingredients
For the base
– 3 tbsp olive oil or butter
– 1 large yellow onion, diced
– 3 carrots, sliced into half-moons
– 3 celery stalks, diced
– 4 garlic cloves, minced
– ⅓ cup (40g) all-purpose flour (swap: 2 tbsp cornstarch slurry for gluten-free)
– 6 cups (1.4L) turkey bone broth, warm
– 4 medium Yukon Gold potatoes (about 700g), in ¾-inch chunks
– 2 bay leaves
– 1 tsp dried thyme
– ½ tsp dried rosemary, crushed
– 1 tsp salt (start low if broth is salted)
– ½ tsp black pepper
To finish
– 3–4 cups (450–550g) cooked turkey, shredded
– 1 cup (140g) frozen peas or corn (optional)
– Chopped parsley
– Squeeze of lemon
Method
1. Sweat the vegetables. Heat oil in the Dutch oven over medium. Add onion, carrots, and celery. Cook 8–10 minutes, stirring now and then, until the onions turn translucent and the edges of the carrots look glossy. Stir in garlic for 30 seconds — just until it smells sweet, not sharp.
2. Build the roux in the pot. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables. Stir constantly for 2–3 minutes. The flour should coat everything and smell like toasted bread — not raw, not burnt. This is where I scorched my first batch by walking away to answer a text. Don’t.
3. Add broth slowly. Pour in about a cup of warm broth while whisking hard. It’ll seize and look like paste. Keep whisking. Add the rest in two more pours, whisking between each. Lumps form when you dump it all in cold and fast.
4. Simmer with the potatoes. Add potatoes, bay leaves, thyme, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer — small bubbles around the edge, not a rolling boil. Cover partially and cook 22–28 minutes, until a knife slides into a potato chunk with no resistance but the chunk still holds its shape.
5. Add the turkey. Stir in shredded turkey and peas or corn if using. Simmer another 10 minutes, uncovered. The broth should thicken to coat the back of a spoon and look glossy. If turkey was cold from the fridge, give it 12.
6. Taste and adjust. Fish out the bay leaves. Salt now, not earlier — bone broth concentrates as it reduces. A small squeeze of lemon brightens the whole pot; I add it every time and people always ask what’s different.
7. Serve. Ladle into warm bowls. Scatter parsley over the top. Crusty bread on the side, or spoon it over mashed potatoes if you want full comfort mode.
Crucial Tips
– Don’t boil cooked turkey hard. A rolling boil turns leftover breast meat into string in about four minutes. Gentle simmer only.
– Cut potatoes the same size. Uneven chunks mean some are mush before others are tender.
– The stew thickens overnight. Loosen reheated portions with a splash of broth or water on the stove over medium-low.
– Storage: Airtight in the fridge for 3–4 days, or frozen in portions for up to 3 months. The flavor is genuinely better on day two.
– For a creamy version: Stir in ⅓ cup heavy cream off the heat at the end. Don’t boil after — it can break.
– Gluten-free: Skip the roux entirely. Whisk 2 tbsp cornstarch with 3 tbsp cold water and stir in during step 5.
– No bone broth? Use the best low-sodium chicken broth you can find and add a parmesan rind to the simmer. Not the same, but close.
