Turkey and Noodles w/ Garlic & Herb Mashed Potatoes

Turkey and noodles over mashed potatoes is the perfect day after Thanksgiving meal. Save the turkey bones and boil it to make the hearty thick soup. Serve over leftover mashed potatoes and you have a “stick to your ribs” meal.

Happy day after Thanksgiving! Notice I didn’t say “Happy Black Friday?” That’s because I refuse to participate in Black Friday.  BUT today is the perfect day to do a cupboard clean-out recipe.  We have tons of leftover mashed potatoes, unused herbs, etc..

A tradition my family had when I was younger on the day after Thanksgiving was to have Turkey and Noodles at my grandma’s house.  She would always tell us how she “boiled the carcass” to make it.  That always sounded really gross to me.  But it tasted good, so I didn’t question it.

This was the first year I have tried my hand at “boiling the carcass” and making my own Turkey and Noodles.  It turned out great and is such a comforting and nostalgic meal.

Edit: It’s interesting that we don’t really ever question the food we grew up with.  Almost like I think everyone grew up with the same kind of food.  But I was talking to my sister-in-law last night about this meal and she said “Where are the vegetables?”  Hm… I had never really thought about it.

You could definitely add carrots, onions, peas or whatever to this recipe like a chicken noodle soup would have.  It just isn’t the way we grew up eating it.  In my mind this is a completely different meal than chicken noodle soup.  It is completely starchy and hearty and comforting.  Just give it a try.  The potatoes are a must and it’s really good with chicken too 🙂

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Turkey and Noodles w/ Garlic & Herb Mashed Potatoes

Prep Time 3 hours

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 3 hours 20 minutes

Ingredients

for the turkey and noodles

• “Carcass” of a 16-20lb Turkey
• Water
• 3 Chicken Bouillon Cubes
• 8 oz Extra Wide Egg Noodles
• Salt and Pepper

for the garlic and herb mashed potatoes

• 5 cups left over Mashed Potatoes
• 4 Tbsp Butter
• 1 cup Milk
• 2 tsp chopped Herbs
• 2 cloves Garlic

Instructions

for the turkey and noodles

1. Put the bones from your turkey in a large pot and fill with enough water to cover. Boil for 3 hours.
2. Remove the bones from the liquid and discard.
3. Strain the liquid into another bowl and let the fat separate. Skim the fat off and discard.
4. There will be a good amount of meat and small bones in the strainer. Pick through the meat and discard the bones, pieces of fat and skin.
5. Bring 2 quarts of the liquid and the bouillon to a boil. Add the egg noodles and cook for 7 minutes.
6. Add the turkey meat. Salt and pepper to taste.
7. Serve over mashed potatoes.

for the garlic and herb mashed potatoes

1. Melt butter in a sauce pan. Push garlic cloves through a garlic press and add to the butter. Cook for 1 minute.
2. Add the milk to the sauce pan and heat over medium heat. Chop herbs you have on hand (I had rosemary and sage) and add to the milk mixture.
3. Add mashed potatoes to the milk mixture, re-mash, and heat.
4. Serve with your Turkey and Noodles.