If you make my Soy-Maple Glazed Roast Turkey for your Thanksgiving or Christmas Dinner, and you saved the drippings, this is the next recipe you need. When I carve the turkey I leave a little meat on the bones and then boil them all day the next day. You get the most decadent turkey stock and a perfect base for this Leftover Turkey Ramen.
In my book, this is the ULTIMATE turkey leftovers recipe. So much good flavor, and reminiscent of some of the best Pho I have had in my life. I love that I can utilize Thanksgiving leftovers here too and use the turkey bones.
What you need to make Leftover Turkey Ramen
While you can use any roasted turkey leftovers, if you make my Soy-Maple Glazed Roast Turkey you will start off with a base of flavor that is unmatched. You can build in some Asian flavors in other ways, but starting with that base just makes this soup even better.
As I mentioned above, leave some meat on the bones when you carve your turkey so you have some left in the soup. I first boil the turkey bones all day in a pot with enough water to cover the bones. When your water has gained some color, remove them bones, pick off the leftover meat, discard the bones and reserve the meat.
I then add in the leftover soy-maple drippings, this is where your broth gains ALL of its seasonings. I save the drippings in the fridge so the fat will rise to the top and solidify, remove all that fat and add the remaining liquid to your turkey stock. Do this about 1.5-2 hours before you want to eat, and let the broth simmer till then.
Ramen Toppings
In my opinion, traditional ramen is all about a deeply flavored broth and celebrated toppings.
While my broth is simmering with the drippings, I prepare a few toppings for my ramen. If you think about it and have the time, make some soy sauce eggs by placing a few boiled eggs in a soy sauce, sake, and sesame oil mixture up to 2 days before, but even 30 minutes will do the trick. Ari at WellSeasoned Studio has the recipe I use!
I then sauté some spinach and garlic together and brown some button mushrooms to use as garnish and additional flavors when serving the soup. Some green onions and spicy red chilis are good parings too if you like a little heat.
Slice your eggs in half and add the prepared toppings to the soup to serve. If you have some leftover roast turkey, place a few slices of that on top of the soup to really make it a meal.
Here are a few other optional toppings I came up with:
- Soy Sauce Eggs
- Spinach
- Green Onions
- Mushrooms
- Sesame Seeds - black
- Soy Sauce
- Bok Choy
- Cilantro
- Lime
- Corn
- Asian Nori Seasoning
- Red Chili
The Noodles
I LOVE these ramen noodles, that cook up so quickly and I have started to just keep some on hand for any time I want some soup. They are great even in a little warmed up boxed stock with your favorite toppings. I like to call them grown-up ramen noodles. They are what I used for this Leftover Turkey Ramen.
While you can really use any noodles that you like or can get you hands-on, these are nutritionally dense, and super filling. My family has loved every time I have used them. They are exceptionally good for a Thai coconut curry soup with the ramen noodles added.
📖 Recipe
Leftover Turkey Ramen
This is my fun spin on ramen utilizing the leftover Asian inspired roast turkey that I made for Thanksgiving dinner. The flavors of my Soy-Maple Roast Turkey lend themselves to boosting the flavor of this soup out of this world! Feel free to use any ramen toppings you like, this is just how I whipped mine up and to give you inspiration for you Thanksgiving leftovers.
Ingredients
- 1 recipe Soy Sauce Eggs, see notes for link
- 1 Leftover Turkey Carcass
- 2 cups Roast Turkey Drippings
- Leftover Turkey Breast, sliced
- 1 bunch Green Onions, sliced
- 1 Asian Red Chili, sliced
- 8oz Button Mushrooms, sliced
- 4 tablespoons Unsalted Butter or Olive Oil
- 3 Garlic cloves, sliced
- 1, 6oz container Baby Spinach
- 4-6 Ramen Noodle Bunches
Instructions
- Prepare the Soy Sauce Eggs, this is best when done even a day or 2 ahead of time, the longer they can marinate the better.
- Utilizing your leftover holiday turkey carcass, I leave a little meat on mine so I have some in this broth, place it in a stockpot, and cover it with water. If you made my Soy-Maple Glazed Roast Turkey, add the onion, green onions, ginger, and garlic that roasted inside the bird to the pot as well. Bring the water to a boil and simmer until the water takes on a rich golden color, about 4 hours.
- After your stock has gained color, remove the turkey bones from the pot and continue simmering the broth. When cool enough to handle, pick any meat left of the bones off and reserve for adding back to the broth just before serving. Add the reserved turkey drippings to the pot, minus the fat that rose to the top. Continue simmering the stock for 1.5-2 hours longer.
- During the final simmering of the stock prepare your toppings. Slice the green onions and chili and reserve for serving. Cook the mushrooms in a skillet over medium heat with the butter or oil until browned on both sides. Season with salt and pepper and set aside. In the same pan in the leftover drippings cook the garlic and spinach until wilted, adding in a bit more butter or oil if needed. Season with salt and pepper and reserve for serving.
- When ready to serve, bring your broth to a rolling boil. Add the reserved meat that you picked off the bones back to the pot. Place the ramen noodles in a shallow bowl and ladle the boiling broth over top. Let it rest for 4-5 minutes. This should give you plenty of time to add the toppings to your bowl while the noodles soften in the hot liquid.
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
*Feel free to add or subtract to the toppings list any way you like. This is just what I had around and it complimented the soup perfectly.
*If you want to make the soup and didn't use my Soy-Maple Glazed Turkey, add ½ a cup of hoisin sauce to your turkey stock, along with 2 Tablespoons of better than bullion chicken base, and 2 Tablespoons of soy sauce to amp up the Asian flavors. Serve with more hoisin and soy if desired.
Nutrition Information:
Serving Size: 1 gramsAmount Per Serving: Unsaturated Fat: 0g
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Did you make this recipe? Let me know by leaving a review or comment! And be sure to sign up for my newsletter, and follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook!
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