Turkey and Dumplings Soup

Hearty turkey and vegetable soup with fluffy buttermilk dumplings cooked right on top. A great way to use leftover turkey! I've also included a recipe to make your own turkey broth for the soup, but you may substitute with store-bought if you prefer.

Course Soup

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 30

Broth Cook Time: 2

Total Time 2 45

Servings servings

Calories 326

Author Annalise Sandberg

Ingredients

Homemade Turkey Broth (optional):

Leftover turkey bones
1 small onion , quartered
2 carrots , chopped into large chunks
1 stalk celery , chopped into large chunks
1 small bunch of herbs like rosemary, thyme, sage and parsley
Water , as needed

Soup:

2 tablespoons butter
½ cup chopped carrots
1 small onion , chopped
1 clove garlic , minced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups turkey or chicken broth , homemade or store-bought
1 cup quality apple juice or cider (see Note)
1 ½ cups chopped potatoes
1 teaspoon coarse salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
2-3 cups cooked shredded turkey
½ cup milk or cream

Dumplings:

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup cornmeal
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon coarse salt
1 cup buttermilk

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

To make the stock:

Remove any excess skin and fat from the bones. Make sure to remove any turkey meat you hope to use for another purpose; any meat left on the bone will be very tough by the time the stock is done.
Place the turkey bones in a large stock pot and add vegetables and herbs. Add enough cold water to cover all of the bones.
Place over high heat and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 2 hours, adding more water as needed to keep the bones covered. Occasionally skim the surface of the stock with a spoon to remove any "scum" that may develop as it cooks.
Pour stock through a fine mesh strainer. If desired, you can further strain out impurities by passing stock through a coffee filter.
Pour into quart-sized containers and store in the fridge for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to several months. Or use right away!

To Make the Soup:

In a large pot melt the butter over medium heat. Add the carrots, onion and garlic and stir until soft and onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add flour and stir until vegetables are coated.
Slowly pour in the turkey stock while whisking until it's all incorporated. Add the apple cider, potatoes, salt, pepper and thyme.
Bring to a boil and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until potatoes are just starting to tenderize.
Stir in the turkey and milk/cream.

To Make the Dumplings:

While the soup is simmering, prepare the dumplings. Mix the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.
Add the buttermilk and stir just until no streaks of dry ingredients remain, do not over mix.
Drop the dumpling batter by 1/4 cupfuls on top of the soup. Try to evenly space them, but it doesn't need to be perfect.
Cover the pot with the lid so that there's a 1-inch opening for steam to escape and simmer for 15 minutes until dumplings appear dry on top and are cooked all the way through.
Serve soup immediately, store leftovers in the fridge for up to 1 week.

Video

Notes

Several readers have misread the recipe and used apple cider vinegar in place of apple juice or cider, do not make that mistake! I use Simply Apple juice.
If you're short on time while making the homemade broth, you can simmer for only 30-60 minutes and add 1 Tbsp of bouillon paste.
This recipe can also be made with chicken instead of turkey.
To make ahead: You can prepare this soup and store in the pot it’s cooked in (if it’s oven proof). When ready to enjoy, warm in a 350°F oven for 30 minutes. A lot of the broth will get soaked up by the dumplings as it sits so it will be a lot less soup-like. But still tasty!

Nutrition