Turkey Soup — The Kind That Reheats Well and Provides Without Fuss

February brought River. Caleb called me on a Thursday morning at six a.m. and said the baby was coming and that I needed to get to Tahlequah. I was at the hospital by seven-thirty. River James Whitehawk was born at eleven-fourteen in the morning, seven pounds and some change, healthy, with the dark hair that runs in our family.

I stood in the hallway outside the room and felt something I don't have a word for—something adjacent to the feeling I had when I held Kai for the first time, but different because this time I was coming in from a different angle. River is Caleb's child. And Caleb has been through things that made it genuinely uncertain whether he'd be standing on the right side of his life at this moment. He was. He was there and he was sober and he was looking at his son with the particular expression of someone who has been given something they weren't sure they deserved.

I stayed for a few hours and then went home and cried for about twenty minutes in the kitchen, which is my right as an uncle. Then I made a big pot of elk and bean soup because I needed to do something with my hands and because I knew they'd need food in the coming weeks, the kind that reheats well and provides without fuss.

River. Named, Caleb told me later, after a conversation he'd had with Danny years ago about how rivers don't stop moving even when they're frozen on top. Danny had said that about Caleb, apparently. About the thing that keeps moving underneath.

That's the kind of thing that makes you sit down for a minute.

I didn’t have elk that day—what I had was a turkey carcass in the freezer and dried beans in the pantry, which turned out to be exactly right. This soup is built for the days when someone you love has just done something hard and good and you want to show up with something warm and real. It makes enough to share, it holds up in the refrigerator for days, and it asks very little of you while you’re still processing the fact that there is a new person in the world named River.

Turkey Soup

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 1 hr 30 min | Total Time: 1 hr 50 min | Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 1 turkey carcass (from a 12–14 lb turkey)
• 3 quarts water
• 2 medium carrots, sliced
• 2 celery stalks, sliced
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can (15 oz) white beans or Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 1/2 cups cooked turkey meat, shredded or chopped
• 1 1/2 cups egg noodles or small pasta (optional)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
• 1 tsp salt, plus more to taste
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)

Instructions

1. Make the broth. Place the turkey carcass in a large stockpot. Add the water, bay leaf, and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 45 minutes to 1 hour, skimming any foam that rises to the top.
2. Strain and reserve. Remove the carcass and set it aside to cool slightly. Strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl or second pot, discarding solids. Return the broth to the stockpot. Pick any remaining meat from the carcass bones and set aside; discard the bones.
3. Build the soup. Bring the strained broth back to a gentle boil over medium heat. Add the carrots, celery, onion, and garlic. Stir in the thyme, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Cook for 15 minutes until the vegetables begin to soften.
4. Add beans and turkey. Stir in the drained beans, the reserved turkey meat, and any additional cooked turkey you have. Simmer for 10 minutes to bring the flavors together.
5. Add noodles if using. Add the egg noodles or pasta and cook according to package directions, usually 8–10 minutes, until just tender. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed. Remove the bay leaf.
6. Serve or store. Ladle into bowls and garnish with fresh parsley. To give to a family with a new baby, cool completely before transferring to airtight containers. Refrigerates well for up to 4 days; freezes well for up to 3 months.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 210 | Protein: 22g | Fat: 5g | Carbs: 18g | Fiber: 4g | Sodium: 480mg