Canning Recipe Mastery Unleashed: Elevate Your Pantry with Our Delectable Turkey Soup Recipe!”

Preserve the warmth of homemade comfort with our guide to canning turkey soup! Stock your pantry and savor the convenience of homemade soup anytime with this safe canning recipe.

There’s something comforting about a steaming bowl of homemade soup, especially when it’s made with care and preserved to be enjoyed when the craving strikes. In this recipe, you’ll learn how to safely pressure can a wholesome and hearty staple for your pantry—Turkey Soup.

Leftover turkey is one of the best parts of the Thanksgiving meal, but one of my favorite ways to use up leftovers is to turn them into home-canned turkey soup that we can enjoy all winter. In fact, I get an extra turkey so I can roast it up and use the meat for canning plain turkey meat, preserving turkey soup, and turning the bones into a delicious, rich turkey stock.

Canning your own turkey soup not only provides a convenient and timesaving solution at mealtime, but also guarantees a flavor-packed soup that surpasses store-bought alternatives with no additives or mystery ingredients.

Steps to Canning Turkey Soup

You’ll need a pressure canner to can turkey soup safely. It’s the only way to get the high temperatures required to kill harmful bacteria that cause foodborne illnesses. If you don’t have a pressure canner, you can still follow this recipe. Just freeze the soup instead.

Before you start, familiarize yourself with the Using Pressure Canners guide on the National Center for Home Food Preservation website. Also, please review the instructions for your pressure canner and ensure it’s all clean and working fine.

About the Ingredients

This recipe is developed based on the basic Soup recipe from the USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning, So Easy to Preserve, and the National Center for Home Food Preservation. These guidelines call for packing the jars half full with the solid ingredients, then filling them with liquid and leaving a 1-inch headspace. It may seem like a lot of liquid, but it is the perfect amount for heating and ladling over noodles or rice at serving time.

• Turkey Meat: This recipe calls for cooked turkey. If you start with raw turkey, precook it by cutting it into cubes and simmering it in a skillet with some turkey broth or water. As a rough estimate, you will need around 3 to 3 1/2 pounds of raw boneless turkey meat to yield 6 cups of diced cooked turkey.
• Vegetables: This recipe uses the classic trio of mirepoix veggies—celery, onions, and carrots. Yet, feel free to swap these out for an equal amount of alternatives like asparagus, green beans, corn, mushrooms, thawed frozen peas, peppers, tomatoes, or turnips.
• Seasonings: This recipe uses the classic Bells poultry seasoning. However, you can use dried herbs like thyme, rosemary, oregano, or basil, but keep in mind that sage turns bitter when canned.
• Broth Liquid: I like using homemade turkey stock to add flavor to the soup, but you can use vegetable broth, chicken bone broth, or simply water – your choice. If you don’t have turkey broth or stock on hand, you can make it from the turkey carcass and roasting pan juices the day before by following this Turkey Stock Recipe. Once the stock cools in the refrigerator, the fat will rise to the top and can be easily removed before using it to make your soup.
• Caution: Do not include noodles, pasta, rice, flour, cream, milk, or other thickening agents to home-canned soups. Instead, add these when you open the jar and heat the soup at serving time.

Step 1: Gather and Prepare Your Canning Equipment

Before you begin, make sure you have the necessary kitchen tools and canning equipment ready to go. Here’s a list of what you’ll need:

• Pressure Canner with canning rack
• Canning Jars: 12 pint-sized canning jars, or if you prefer larger portions, 6 quart-sized jars.
• Lids and Bands: You will need new lids for each jar, while the bands can be reused.
• Canning Tools: A jar lifter for secure handling, a canning ladle for jar filling, a funnel for spill-free pouring, and a bubble popper to eliminate any trapped air and measure headspace.
• Basic Equipment: A large stainless steel saucepan, a reliable knife and cutting board, measuring cups, a slotted spoon, and a supply of clean kitchen towels.

Wash your canning jars, lids, bands, tools, and equipment in hot, soapy water, followed by a thorough rinse. Then, set everything aside on clean kitchen towels to air dry.

Add the jar rack to the pressure canner, place it on a large burner of your stove, and fill it with water. Refer to your canner manufacturer’s guidelines for the correct water amount. For instance, if you’re using a Presto canner, you’ll need 3 quarts of water, while Mirro specifies 2 quarts, and All American recommends filling it 2 to 3 inches deep.

Preheat the jars by filling them halfway with water and arranging them upright in the canner. Cover the canner, bring it to a simmer (180°F), and allow it to simmer for at least 10 minutes. Keep the jars warm until you are ready to fill them. You can get the soup ingredients ready while the canner is warming.

Step 2: Prepare the Ingredients

This recipe calls for cooked turkey and raw vegetables. Before starting the canning process, get all your ingredients prepared by following these steps:

• Turkey: Begin by removing the skin, trimming the fat, and cutting the turkey into approximately 1-inch cubes. Then, measure out 6 cups of diced, cooked turkey and add it to your large saucepot.
• Carrots: You will need 2 to 3 medium carrots to get 3 cups of sliced carrots. Wash the carrots well under clean running water, peel, then rinse again and cut into 1/2 inch slices. Measure 3 cups of sliced carrots and add them to the pot.
• Celery: You will need about 6 celery stalks for 3 cups of diced celery. After a thorough rinse under running water, trim off the leafy tops and ends, then chop the celery into bite-sized pieces. Measure 3 cups of diced celery for your pot.
• Onions: You will need about 2 medium onions. Peel and dice the onions, then measure 2 cups of diced onions and add them to the pot.
• Garlic: Peel and mince 4 garlic cloves and add to the pot.

Then, add the poultry seasoning, salt, pepper, and turkey stock to your saucepot. Cover the pot, bring it to a boil over medium-high heat, and boil for 5 minutes. Keep the soup piping hot as you fill your jars.

Step 3: Fill the Jars

Lay a dry kitchen towel on the counter. Use the jar lifter to take a jar from the canner. Empty the water into the sink (save it for dishwashing) and place the jar on the towel. Keep the other jars inside the canner to maintain their warmth.

Position the canning funnel onto the jar. Use the slotted spoon to fill the jar halfway with solid ingredients, then ladle in the hot stock, leaving 1-inch headspace. Pass the bubble popper through the jar to release any trapped air bubbles, and adjust the headspace if needed to maintain 1 inch.

Wipe off any residue from the jar rim using a damp towel. Place a lid on the jar’s top, set the band over it, and screw it on until fingertip tight. Return the jar to the canner and repeat the process for the remaining jars.

Step 4: Process the Jars in a Pressure Canner

Consult your pressure canner’s guidelines for sealing, venting, and heating, and process the jars for the times indicated in the recipe below.

Once the processing time completes, turn off the heat and allow the pressure to return to zero. Remove the jars and place them on a dry towel to cool, ensuring they remain upright. Avoid adjusting the rings or testing the seals at this point; the jars require an undisturbed cooling period to seal effectively. Let them cool completely for 12 to 24 hours.

After the cooling phase, test the seals. Refrigerate any jars that didn’t seal properly and consume them within a few days. Before storing the sealed jars, remove the rings and wash them thoroughly with soapy water to eliminate any residue. Then label, date, and find a cool spot to store the canned turkey soup. For optimal flavor, consume within 12 to 18 months.

Enjoy Your Homemade Turkey Soup!

Congratulations on your freshly canned turkey soup! Now, enjoy the convenience of a quick, hearty meal whenever you crave the comforting warmth of homemade soup. Here’s how to make the most of your culinary creation:

Reheating Instructions

When hunger strikes, open a jar of your home-canned turkey soup and add it to a medium saucepan. Heat it on the stove for approximately 10 minutes. Don’t hesitate to customize it by adding extra veggies, fresh herbs, or a dash of your favorite spices. I enjoy tossing in a handful of fresh spinach, frozen broccoli, or any leftover veggies from the fridge.

Additional Serving Suggestions

Explore various ways to elevate your turkey soup after opening the jar:

• Turkey Noodle Soup: Elevate your meal by turning your canned turkey soup into turkey noodle soup. Cook the noodles separately in a pot, drain them, and add the noodles to your bowl. Then, generously ladle the piping-hot soup over the noodles. Cooking the noodles separately prevents them from absorbing all the delicious chicken stock. Prepare about 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of dried noodles per quart.
• Turkey and Rice Soup: If you prefer a heartier base, try turkey and rice soup. Cook your rice separately, and add the cooked rice to your bowl at serving time. Ladle the hot turkey soup over the rice and stir to combine the flavors. This variation adds a satisfying depth and texture to your soup, creating a wholesome meal in a bowl. Prepare approximately 1/4 to 1/3 cup of uncooked rice per quart jar.
• Additional Serving Ideas: Feel free to experiment with other additions to suit your taste. Consider tossing in a handful of cooked quinoa, barley, or even orzo at serving time for added texture. Garnish your soup with a sprinkle of fresh parsley, a drizzle of olive oil, or a squeeze of lemon juice to enhance the overall flavor.

The versatility of your home canned turkey soup allows for endless creativity and personalization at serving time. Whether enjoyed on its own or with these suggested variations, your soup will become a staple in your home, offering a quick meal, comfort, and nourishment with every spoonful.

Grow a Good Life Guide to 40+ Meals in a Jar Pressure Canning Recipes

In this eBook, you will find 50 pressure canning recipes, including 44 meals, along with homemade stocks and bone broths. Recipes include soups, stews, chilis, beans, beef, pork, and poultry. Explore the world of preserving delicious home-cooked meals for all seasons.