One of my father’s favorite dishes to make in the winter is a hearty turkey stew with lots of root vegetables like rutabagas, turnips, and carrots. It’s warming, filling, and a big batch will last all week for several meals of leftovers.
It’s also very easy on the budget, which is probably why we had it so much growing up. You make it with turkey thighs (or legs), which, in addition to being the tastier dark meat, you can usually get for $1.50 per pound or less.
Slow cooking the turkey thighs bone-in, you get all of the healthy goodness and flavor from the bone marrow. Cooking them with skin on also coats the turkey with flavor. Turnips and rutabagas, which can be rather strong tasting, hold up beautifully with the also strong-tasting dark turkey meat.
Updated from the recipe archive, first posted in 2005.
Turkey Stew with Root Vegetables Recipe
Save time by prepping the root vegetables during the first stage of the stew's oven cooking.
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 3 lbs turkey thighs (preferred) or legs (skin on, bone in)
- 1 medium-large yellow onion, peeled and roughly chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 2 stalks celery, roughly chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 quart (4 cups) chicken, turkey, or vegetable stock
- 2 medium carrots, peeled, 1/4 inch slices (about 1 1 /4 cups)
- 1-2 medium turnips, peeled, 1/2 inch cubes
- 1 medium rutabaga, peeled, halved, cut into 1/4 inch thick slices
- 3 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and quartered
- 1 teaspoon herbes de provence*
- Freshly ground black pepper
*Herbes de Provence is a delightful French blend of herbs - Winter savory, thyme, basil, tarragon, and lavender flowers. If you don't have herbes de provence, you can substitute with an Italian herb mix.
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