Turkey Neck Soup Recipe For National Turkey Neck Soup Day

RECIPE: Turkey Neck Soup

March 30, 2017 at 4:18 pm · Filed under Food Holidays, Soups

A bowl of Turkey Neck Soup with fresh herbs and chopped scallions
[1] Momsdish says that her turkey neck soup recipe is “absolutely the best.” Here’s her recipe (photo © Momsdish).

Broth With Vegetables
[2] The vegetables in this soup are made with a vegetable spiralizer (photo courtesy Wholesomeness.com.au).

A package of Perdue turkey necks.
[3] Turkey necks (photo © Perdue).

THE NIBBLE first created its Daily Food Holiday Calendar in 2004. But it’s taken us this long to address one of the more unusual holidays: National Turkey Neck Soup Day, March 30th.

Turkey neck soup is a concept we’d only come across on the calendar. This year, for the first time, we had enough down time to wonder:

Who established a holiday for turkey neck soup?

And do you need more than one turkey neck?

We couldn’t find an answer to who, but it turns out that turkey neck soup is a more economical way to feed a family than, say chicken or turkey soup made with the main parts of the poultry.

And yes, you do need more than one turkey neck. Some people freeze the necks from the giblets bags that come in whole turkeys and chickens, until they have enough.

You can buy turkey necks in the poultry department of supermarkets from Perdue and Shady Brook Farms, along with non-branded packages.

Turkey necks themselves are bony, but they do have meat; and thus can be used to make that Paleo diet darling, bone broth.

WANT TO MAKE TURKEY NECK SOUP?

The classic, economical recipe combines turkey necks with root vegetables—carrots, parsnips, rutabaga, turnips—plus onion, celery and parsley. Potatoes, noodles or rice can bulk up the recipe. Check out the recipe from photo #1.

Here’s a recipe with veggies and rice..

A variation, this recipe adds both rice and potatoes to create a heartier “main dish” soup.

Some recipes called “turkey neck soup” start with the entire carcass from a roast turkey dinner. The neck from the giblets bag is usually available to toss in; and perhaps the other giblets, if they didn’t go into the gravy.

However, if a so-called turkey neck soup has a good portion of turkey meat, then it’s regular turkey soup. If cooks have all that meat at hand, they don’t need to focus on the neck.

For the first time in 13 years, we bid you a Happy National Turkey Neck Soup Day.

> The history of turkey.

> The history of soup and the different types of soup.