4cupsshredded or chopped cooked turkey (or use chicken)
Grated Parmesan(to serve; optional)
Instructions
Place the pieces of the turkey carcass pieces into a large soup pot and add the broth. Bring to a simmer, season with salt and pepper, and simmer for 45 minutes. Strain the stock into another pot and discard the bones, skin, and any solids in the strainer.
In the same pot that you simmered the stock, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions, celery, carrots, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and sauté, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, until the vegetables start to soften. Add the strained stock back to the pot along with the split peas and simmer for about 1 to 1 ½ hours, until the split peas are very tender and starting to fall apart.
Stir in the chopped or shredded turkey and heat through for about 5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Serve in bowls, sprinkled with Parmesan if desired.
Notes
No part of the turkey should be tossed when you are making stock; everything should go into the pot. Bones, skin, and inedible bits...all of it will be strained out, and all of it will add deep flavor to the broth. There is nothing to compete with the flavor of homemade turkey stock, even bolstered with storebought chicken broth.
Go easy on the salt at first, especially if you are including skin from the turkey in your broth, which may have been generously salted.
Leftover turkey split pea soup can be sorted in the fridge for up to 5 days. Heat in a pot over medium heat, stirring frequently, until hot throughout. You can also freeze this soup for up to 4 months. Make sure to leave some headroom in the container, as the soup will expand when it freezes, and you don't want it to pop open the container.