This Gut-Friendly Ginger Turmeric Turkey Bone Broth Is the Perfect Post-Holiday Sip 

While you may be tempted to toss out the bones from your Thanksgiving turkey, recipe developer Aubrey Devin encourages you to save them to make a rich, nutritious bone broth. 

Making your own bone broth is a sustainable way to cut down on food waste, and it’s a whole lot easier than it looks—you’ll just need a large pot and a free afternoon to monitor the stove. By staying patient and allowing the slow simmer to work its magic on the turkey leftovers, you can create a golden broth that’s perfect for sipping, stirring into rice, or using to flavor your favorite meals. 

Devin recommends adding the vegetables and aromatics toward the end of the broth-making process, as this keeps them from becoming mushy or bitter. She also cautions against over-seasoning while cooking; instead, she suggests seasoning the broth right before drinking, either with good quality salt, a squeeze of lemon, or a bit of both.

Leftover Turkey Bone Broth With Ginger and Turmeric

Yield: 1 quart
Active Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 5 to 6 hours

Ingredients

All leftover turkey bones, meat scraps, and skin
¼ teaspoon whole black peppercorns
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
2-3 garlic cloves, smashed
1 shallot, quartered, plus scraps
1 large celery rib, roughly chopped, plus scraps
1 carrot, roughly chopped
Small handful of leftover raw mushrooms (optional)
2 green onions, roughly chopped
Parsley and cilantro stem scraps
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
¾ teaspoon ginger powder

Instructions

Add turkey bones, skin, and meat scraps to a large pot with enough room for the vegetables. Add peppercorns and apple cider vinegar. Cover with cold water by 1 to 2 inches. (Tip: Don’t season the broth now or while it simmers. It reduces as it cooks and can turn overly salty. Season later, when you reheat it to sip or cook with it.)

Set over high heat and watch closely. As soon as it reaches a boil, reduce the heat to a soft simmer. (Tip: Harsh or prolonged boiling can make broth greasy, while low and gentle simmering releases the most gelatin and nutrients.)

Simmer for a minimum of 4 hours, or up to 6 hours. Top off with a little cold water as needed to keep at least 1 inch of liquid over the bones.

With 1 to 1 ½ hours left, add the garlic, shallot, celery, carrot, and mushrooms. Adding the veggies later prevents making the broth bitter or overly sweet.

With 20 to 30 minutes left, add the green onions, cilantro and parsley stems, ginger powder, and turmeric. Soft aromatics only need a short simmer to keep their volatile oils from evaporating, so flavors stay fresh and bright instead of muted or bitter.

Pour the broth through a fine-mesh strainer or coffee filter into a mason jar or similar container. Leave the lid off and let cool, then refrigerate.

Once fully chilled, the broth will turn gelatinous, which is a sign of a gelatin-rich broth. Scrape off any fat from the top.

To serve as a beverage, warm and season the broth with a little salt and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. To cook with the broth, use as a finishing pan sauce; you might stir a little into finished risotto or polenta, or warm it with beans and a knob of butter.