Recipe Review

This Is Marcus Samuelsson’s Brilliant Way to Use Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey

Lois Alter Mark
Lois Alter MarkContributor
Lois Alter Mark is a contributing writer to Apartment Therapy, Forbes, USA Today 10Best and Reader’s Digest. She started travel writing after accompanying Oprah Winfrey on the Ultimate Australian Adventure, and now enjoys eating her way around the world. A native New Yorker, she and her husband live in San Diego, where they’ve become weather wimps and are still searching for a good slice of pizza. You can follow her adventures @loisaltermark
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published Nov 22, 2021
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Marcus Samuelsson onstage during the Grand Tasting presented by ShopRite featuring Culinary Demonstrations at The IKEA Kitchen presented by Capital One at Pier 94 on October 13, 2019 in New York City.
Credit: Getty Images/ John Lamparski / Stringer

Though you may not be thinking about what you could do with all of those Thanksgiving leftovers just yet, there’s one person who is: Chef Marcus Samuelsson. The famed chef stopped by Al Roker’s podcast, “Cooking Up a Storm with Al Roker,” to talk about the perfect Thanksgiving side dish — his caramelized Brussels sprouts — but while there, he gave listeners another little gift by dropping this umami bomb: Turkey Ramen.

It’s his favorite Thanksgiving leftovers dish, and when Roker asked him about it, he laughed and said, “Oh my God, I’m weird, right?! For me, when you cut off all the meat, you start making a broth, a really good turkey soup. That can be on Saturday, because first you’ve got to make a sandwich with the leftovers.”

Now if making ramen out of your leftover turkey is something you’ve never thought of, don’t worry, you’re not alone. According to Chef Marcus, however, it’s really simple and you won’t regret introducing your tastebuds to it.

“I just put the bones in, put some onions, shallots, rosemary, even put some miso in. Let that simmer,” he said. “Strain that broth and then you start to put back in your vegetables. Then you just heat up some really good ramen. And you’re going have the most delicious turkey ramen dish you’ve ever had.”

(Note to self: buy a little extra turkey to make sure there are leftovers.)

And, by the way, the Brussels sprouts are also great post-Thanksgiving. In fact, according to Chef Marcus, they’ll “taste better the next day because it’s kind of like they get marinated, so they’re going to have a different taste the next day.”

He also suggests that you throw them in the fryer (or try the air fryer!) for when you’re kicking back watching the football game. “They just become these beautiful chips because they’re already so flavorful. You can heat them up, add a little blue cheese on top. You truly get that umami bomb.”

Clearly, these recipes just add to the list of things to be thankful for this holiday season.

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