Neck Bone Stew

Turkey neck bone soup that hits all the right notes, it’s like a cozy hug from a loved one in the form of a bowl. It’s made with slow-cooked neck bones and tender vegetables, a perfect comfort food in cold weather.

This easy neck bone soup is simple yet has bold and tasty flavors and it always brings back the memories and comforts of home. I like to make hearty comfort meals to create memories for my kids just like how my mother and grandmother have done for me. I made this Dilly Bean Soup the other day and my older son always begs me to make it again.

Ingredients

Detailed quantities are on the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

• Neck bones: I used turkey neck bones but you can use pork neck bones, beef neck bones if you like.
• Potatoes
• Carrots
• Onion
• Tomatoes
• Broth (optional, I used water)
• Seasoning (garlic powder, oregano, paprika, dried Italian herbs, and a pinch of salt and pepper to taste)

How to make Turkey Neck bone stew

1. Rinse the neck bones, finely chop the onion.
2. In a deep pot, sauté onions with 2 tablespoons of cooking oil until they are soft.
3. Add the neck bones and allow them to brown a little bit. Like a mini pan sear but look out for the onions not to burn. (see tips for this step below)
4. Grate your tomatoes then add them to the neck bones, and stir a bit so that the bones are nicely coated with the gravy. You can now add 3 cups of water or chicken broth. If you are using beef neck bones or pork neck bones then you may want to use beef broth. Allow this to simmer on medium heat for a good one hour.
5. Meanwhile, peel the potatoes and carrots and chop them into 1-2 inch chunks.
6. Add the vegetables into the pot after an hour, and season with your favorite seasoning. Whenever I don’t use broth in my soup I kind of go big with seasoning to maximize flavor, in this neck bone stew I used a teaspoon of garlic powder, oregano, paprika, dried Italian herbs, and a pinch of salt and pepper to taste. Allow everything to cook for 30 minutes or until the vegetables are fork-tender.
7. You can now serve. We enjoyed this over a bowl of white rice.

Tips and common mistakes to avoid for beginner cooks

1. If you are not sure that you can pull the browning of the neck bones please skip that step and just add the grated tomatoes before the neck bones.
2. Whenever you use store-bought broth and stock, do a taste test before you add any salt. They have high sodium content unless you use a low-sodium broth or a homemade broth where you have control of the salt.
3. You are welcome to add more vegetables if you want such as celery, green beans, sweet corn, etc.
4. When cleaning your neck bones there are different methods, some people soak them overnight in salt water and others don’t. I just rinse them with cold water and even go to the extent of rinsing and removing veins. Please do what is suitable for you. 
5. If you are not pressed with time you can boil the neck bones on low heat for up to 3 hours.
6. You can use canned tomatoes in your neck bone soup instead of fresh ones.

How to store leftover neckbone soup

First step let the neckbone stew cool down to room temperature then transfer whatever is leftover into an airtight container. This soup will stay in the fridge for up to 3 days. If you want to store it for a longer period then put it in the freezer for up to 3 months.

How to reheat it

From the fridge, you can warm it in a microwave or on a top stove over medium heat in a saucepan. 

From the freezer, you need to let it thaw then warm it with one of the methods mentioned above.

You may add a little bit of water or broth if needed and allow it to simmer for a few minutes over medium heat. If the soup for some reason has too much liquid, just allow it to simmer as well on medium heat with the lid open for the water to evaporate. 

Troubleshooting FAQ

More Soup recipes to add to your rotation