Leftover Turkey Dumpling Stew
Submitted by happyzhangbo
Hearty leftover turkey stew with fluffy dumplings, parsnips, carrots, and green beans in a rich homemade stock. The best way to turn your Thanksgiving carcass into a whole new meal.
YIELD
8 servingsPREP
45 minCOOK
4 1/6 hrsREADY
5 hrsThe day after Thanksgiving, the real cooking begins.
This stew starts from scratch with the turkey carcass, simmered for 4 hours with onion, celery, carrots, bay leaf, parsley, and thyme into a deeply golden, concentrated stock.
That stock becomes the base for everything: shallots softened in butter, a roux to thicken things up, sliced carrots and parsnips simmered until tender, shredded turkey stirred back in with a squeeze of lemon and snappy green beans.
Then come the dumplings. Dropped right on top of the bubbling stew, covered, and steamed for 20 minutes until they’re pillowy and soaked with flavor on the bottom, light and fluffy on top.
Scattered with fresh chives and served warm, this is honestly better than the original Thanksgiving dinner.
Kitchen Tips
- Reduce the stock by half. This concentrates all that turkey flavor into something rich and intense. Don’t skip this step or the stew will taste thin.
- Place dumplings in a single layer on top of the stew. Crowding or stacking them means they’ll steam unevenly and stay gummy in the middle.
- Don’t lift the lid while the dumplings cook. They need uninterrupted steam to puff up properly. Trust the timing.
Ingredients
Directions
To make the stock:
Divide the turkey carcass into smaller pieces, place the meat on the plate aside.
Add the bones in a large, deep pot and add cold water to cover, about 5 quarts.
Add the onion, celery, the 3 quartered carrots and the bay leaf.
Tie the parsley and thyme together with twine and add to the pot, then cover and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
Uncover, reduce the heat to medium low and cook about 4 hours.
Remove the bones and vegetables with a skimmer and discard, then strain the stock through a fine-mesh strainer.
Bring the stock back to the pot and simmer over medium-high heat until reduced by half, about 40 minutes (you should have about 8 cups stock).
About 45 minutes before serving.
Prepare the dumplings. Keep covered with plastic wrap while you make the stew.
To make the stew:
Melt the butter in a large, wide pot over medium heat.
Stir in the shallots and cook until soft, 2 to 4 minutes.
Add the flour and cook, stirring, about 35 seconds.
Gradually add the stock, stirring, and bring to a gently simmer.
Season with salt and pepper.
Stir in the sliced carrots and parsnips, cover and cook 6 minutes.
Stir in the turkey meat, lemon juice and green beans.
Place the dumplings in a single layer (leave as squares or pat into rounds).
Cover and simmer until the dumplings are cooked through, 18 to 22 minutes.
Top with chives in the serving bowl and serve warm.
