Boxing Day 2025’s Turkey Scotch Broth from my kitchen
Table of Contents
Description | Ingredients | Method | Nutritional Info | Notes And OptionsTurkey Scotch Broth
Some recipes don’t come from a notebook or a family heirloom card. They live in memory instead.
This Scotch broth is one of those. It’s been a quiet Christmas-time constant in my family for as long as I can remember. Its roots almost certainly trace back to my Scottish uncle Brian, with a broader Scottish influence from my dad and his siblings, some of whom went to university in Scotland (where they met my uncle, of course 😉). When we were living in Calgary, it was something that always seemed to appear at my aunt and uncle’s house rather than ours. It wasn’t part of the Christmas Day spread itself, but something that arrived in the calm that followed.
Once we moved to BC, it became part of our own rhythm. Made from the carcass of the Christmas turkey, it usually showed up on Boxing Day or in that quiet stretch between Christmas and New Year. The decorations were still up, the house was slower, and there was finally time to turn leftovers into something that felt intentional rather than improvised.
This isn’t a handed-down recipe. It’s my reconstruction of that soup over the years, built from memory and repetition. The flavour, the texture, the feel of it mattered more than exact measurements, and over time it settled into something reliable and familiar. If we roast a whole turkey, whether at Christmas or Thanksgiving, this soup follows. It’s just how it works. This year it made a welcome return after a long gap, thanks to my wife insisting on a proper Christmas turkey after missing out at Thanksgiving. Once the bird was roasted, the soup was inevitable.
What I love about this recipe is how naturally balanced it is without trying to be anything special. Remove the fat from the homemade stock and you’re left with a deeply satisfying, nutrient-dense meal built from simple ingredients. Lean protein from the turkey and broth, plenty of vegetables, chewy barley for substance, and just enough richness to feel grounding. It’s a great example of how traditional, home-cooked food often lands in a very sensible place nutritionally without labels, rules, or restriction. This is normal eating. Real food. The kind that quietly takes care of you.
Flavour-wise, it’s hearty, savoury, and nostalgic. Tender turkey, firm carrots and rutabaga that hold their shape, barley with just enough chew, all swimming in a clean, comforting broth. It’s the kind of soup that warms both belly and soul on a cold winter day.
As it simmered this time around, and later as we sat down to eat, I had this Scottish folk and traditional playlist playing in the background. By Boxing Day I’m usually well past Christmas music, but something about fiddles and old melodies felt exactly right. A pot on the stove, a quiet kitchen, and a recipe that’s been showing up for decades, whether written down or not (and that is finally written down…LOL).
Ingredients (Makes 12 Servings)
4L turkey stock or broth (recipe here, or use store-bought)
800 grams leftover roast turkey (white and dark meat; diced)
1 medium onion (about 250 grams / 1/2 pound; diced)
1 rutabaga (about 500 grams / 1 pound; peeled and diced)
8 medium carrots (about 500 grams / 1 pound; peeled and diced)
4 stalks celery with leaves (about 150 grams / 1/3 pound; stalks diced, leaves chopped)
4 sprigs of Italian flat-leaf parsley (including stems; chopped)
6 cloves of garlic (chopped)
250 grams pearl barley (about 1-1/2 cups)
2 TBSP vegetable oil
4 bay leaves
2 sprigs rosemary
Salt & pepper to taste
Method
In a large stockpot over medium-high heat, sweat the onions in the vegetable oil until translucent (about 3-5 minutes)
Add all the veg, barley, herbs and stock, increase heat and bring to a boil
Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 35 minutes
Add the turkey meat, bring back up to a simmer and cook for a further 10-15 minutes, until the barley is tender
Turn heat down to just keep warm (or remove from heat), remove the bay leaves and rosemary, and allow the soup to sit for 30 minutes for the barley to swell before serving
Season with sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste
Nutritional Info
For the Full Recipe (makes about 6 L / 12 servings):
Calories (excluding fiber): 3,261 kcal
Protein:
341.2 g
1,365 kcal
41.9% of total calories
Fat:
99 g
891 kcal
27.3% of total calories
Total Carbohydrate: 305 g
Total Fiber: 54 g
Net Carbohydrate:
251 g
1,004 kcal
30.8% of total calories
Per 500 ml Serving:
Calories (excluding fiber): ~272 kcal
Protein:
~28.4 g
~114 kcal
41.9% of total calories
1 to 1.5 palms (1 palm = 20–30 g)
Fat:
~8.25 g
~74 kcal
27.3% of total calories
0.6 to 0.8 thumbs (1 thumb = 10–15 g)
Total Carbohydrate: ~25.4 g
Fiber: ~4.5 g
% of recommended daily intake:
Women under 50: 16–18%
Men under 50: 13–15%
Women over 50: 20%
Men over 50: 16%
Net Carbohydrate:
~24.3 g
~97 kcal
30.8% of total calories
0.8 to 1.2 cupped palms (1 cupped palm = 20–30 g)
Fist-sized Portions of Non-Starchy Vegetables:
Total non-starchy vegetable weight: ~1,418 g
Fist-sized portions (100 g each): ~14 portions total
Per serving: ~1.2 fists
This nutritional analysis is an estimate only, based on available knowledge regarding the nutritional content of the individual ingredients. Nutritional content of foods is HIGHLY variable, so you should always base your dietary intake on whether it meets your needs and progresses you towards your goals rather than any theoretical numbers on paper.
Notes and Options
As with most soups and stews, this is actually better after having been cooled and refrigerated overnight and then reheated. If you’re going to make this ahead, you can skip the 30 minute rest in step 5.
If using homemade turkey stock (like in my recipe here) that has not had seasoning adjusted, you may need to add a lot more salt than you think. Do it in stages so you don’t OVER salt it.
If you like barley (like I do), you could increase the barley to 2 cups, but beware that it will absorb a LOT of the liquid. It does seem to release some back when the soup is reheated though.