This is going to be more of a guide than an exact recipe, because it is so incredibly versatile and changeable based on individual preference.
https://redandhoney.com/day-9-nourishing-homemade-bone-broth/
Yesterday and today I am talking about homemade bone broth and homemade turkey stew. I first learned how to make stew from my mom, but I have experimented lots since getting married over eight years ago. I used to call my mom at least weekly, sometimes more, asking cooking questions and asking for recipes. These days it’s less frequent, and I feel like I’m finally beginning to really know what I’m doing in the kitchen, enough to even make things up as I go, which is when I have the most fun!
Homemade Turkey Stew
This is going to be more of a guide than an exact recipe, because it is so incredibly versatile and changeable based on individual preference.
Print Pin RateServings: 10
Calories: 95kcal
Ingredients
The Basic Ingredients
- Homemade broth as much as you want (I usually make a large stock pot of soup at a time, but be sure to leave several inches of space for the liquid level to raise as you add the other ingredients)
- The meat that you picked from the bones after making the stock
- Salt approximately a tablespoon for a 9 quart stock pot. If you’re doing less, you’ll have to add to taste, and ¼ tsp. pepper. Be sure to add enough salt, or it will taste gross!
- 1-2 cups each of chopped onion celery, & carrot
- Butter
Add Ins (frozen or fresh is fine):
- Legumes if they are dried, then they should be soaked and cooked according to package directions prior to adding them to the soup
- Potatoes chopped (I think sweet potatoes would be interesting and I want to try that next. They have more nutrients than their white counterparts).
- Brown rice
- Green beans
- Broccoli
- Sweet peppers
- Tomatoes
- Peas
- Corn though corn is a GMO crop, so I personally avoid it.
- Mushrooms
- Summer or winter squash
- Shredded cabbage
- Pretty well any other vegetable you can think of. If you add leafy greens like spinach add them in the last few minutes of cooking, or your whole soup will turn puke green (not that I know from experience…)
- You can also add cream or milk to make it a little creamier. I added about half of a cup of whipping cream to my last batch of soup and it was really good.
Add Herbs & Spices*
- Marjoram
- Parsley
- Summer savoury
- Sage
- Oregano
- Basil
- Bay leaves 3-4
Instructions
- Lightly saute the onion, celery, and carrot in a 1/3 cup of butter, melted in the stock pot (you don’t even need to wash it after making the stock, just make sure there aren’t any bones or gristle left in it) on medium-low heat. For the love of all that is good and holy, I beg you to never ever use margarine. Please don’t adulterate all of your hard work in making broth from scratch by ruining it with junk.
- Once the onions are more or less translucent, go ahead and add the stock, and keep the heat at medium-low. Add your salt and pepper, and spices. Add any of the add ins you desire.
- Let your soup simmer for as long as you have until suppertime! An hour or two is great. This soup just gets better as leftovers, and it freezes great. The same rules for freezing apply to soup as well (ie. leave an inch of headroom in your jars, etc). Enjoy!
Notes
My favourite combo is this: stock, turkey/chicken, salt and pepper, onions, carrots, celery, green beans, peas, broccoli, red or yellow peppers, potatoes, a bit of heavy cream (or twice the amount of milk instead), with oregano, summer savory, marjoram, and bay leaves. Simple and divine. *I would recommend choosing just 3-4 spices, and then add about a teaspoon of each (if they’re dried; a tablespoon or so if you’re using fresh herbs). I pretty well always use just bay leaves, summer savory, oregano, and marjoram. Of course, I always use fresh garlic too. I generally use around 6-8 cloves, crushed, and more if you’re sick because of its fantastic healing properties. Add the garlic near the end because the benefits are most potent in raw form. Plus, one of the best parts of making homemade stew is that all of the nutrients from the vegetables stay in the broth as you cook it, unlike when you steam or boil veggies as a side dish. Since we minimize grain consumption in our house, and I prefer not to eat soup by itself, I usually serve this with a salad. It’s the perfect meal, really: low-carb, nourishing, frugal, easy, delicious. Plus, my kids and husband all love it. **Nutritional Information is calculated roughly for my favourite combo. Exact amounts will vary.
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Nutrition
Calories: 95kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 739mg | Potassium: 476mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 2855IU | Vitamin C: 42.7mg | Calcium: 53mg | Iron: 2.9mg
Frances
This is a great recipe, and a great starting point before adding and changing ingredients.
Crystal
Okay, seriously, yum!!! I made it a few days ago and finished off the leftovers today, licking my lips. My mother-in-law is going to be visiting your site for the recipe as well! So easy, so full of healthiness and tasty goodness. Thanks for sharing!
Mom
One more spice I’ve been adding lately: rosemary (not ground but the form that looks like little evergreen needles).
Georgia
Mmmm, sounds yummy!
Marissa
I have a pot of turkey soup simmering for supper right now! I usually make a stew (and a pot pie) after thanksgiving, but this is more of a soup to me because it isn’t thick and creamy. Anyways, I told Dan that it is rather eclectic because I tossed random things in…squash (delecata), Celeriac (root), cabbage, carrots, rice and onions, with basil, garlic, oregano, and rosemary…it looks and smell good so we’ll see.
As a random note, if I ever steam or boil veggies lately, I have been keeping the water to add to soup or for making gravy. I don’t know if we are getting tons of nutrients from it but it seemed like a good idea.
Marissa
oh and green peppers.
Beth
Sounds yummy! I should totally do a pot pie… do you have a GF recipe? My mom always threw in the veggie water to our gravy when she made turkey dinner… I think it’s definitely a good idea.
Ash
Making it today! I am planning to do peas, garden carrots, beans, and brown rice (which I may cook separately and then add). My dad would always do turkey soup every year and that’s how he makes his, so I have kind of inherited his recipe 🙂 I never appreciated how good it is for me as I was growing up, but sure do now and will serve it to my kids for years to come!
Beth
Sounds so yummy! I love that your dad would make it every year. I don’t think you have to cook the rice separately though, just FYI. I never have and it cooks just fine. Hope it turns out well for you!