Mexican Turkey Soup

One of my favorite things to do with a lazy day is simmer a big pot of soup - something easy that doesn't require a lot of babysitting but will yield a delicious dinner when it's done cooking. This Mexican turkey soup is basically a simple broth with shredded meat that gets most of its excitement from the numerous toppings and add-ons. The broth only has two ingredients: water and the carcass from our Thanksgiving turkey, but manages to have a rich turkey flavor that really makes this dish. The recipe is heavily based on a chicken tortilla soup recipe I shared a couple years ago, so feel free to adapt your broth to that method if you don't have a leftover turkey carcass hanging around. It's a warm, satisfying bowl of goodness that will fill you up without weighing you down.


P.S. I make all my soups in my Sur La Table dutch oven, which is on sale today for Cyber Monday!


Related Recipes:
- Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Turkey Enchiladas
- Turkey Noodle Soup


Mexican Turkey Soup:

• Place a turkey carcass from a 16 lb. cooked turkey* in a large dutch oven and cover with water.
• Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer and cook for 4 hours.
• Remove the turkey and strain the broth into a bowl to remove any solids.
• Place the broth back in a pot over low heat and skim any fat off the top.**
• Add 2 c. cooked, shredded turkey to the pot and simmer for 10 minutes, or until warm.
• Ladle soup in bowls and stir in 1 tsp. (or more, depending on desired spice level) of canned chipotle peppers in adobo into each. Add a squeeze of fresh lime to each soup.
• Garnish soup with crispy tortilla strips, fresh cilantro, diced avocado, cubed mozzarella cheese, etc.
• Serve immediately and enjoy.***

Serves six-eight

*I removed some large pieces of skin and reserved any big remaining pieces of meat for shredding and adding to the soup after.

**Broth can be made in advance and will keep in the fridge for a week or in the freezer for several months.

***Leftover soup (sans garnish) can be kept in the fridge for a few days.