Turkey Stew With Root Vegetables

Slow-cooked turkey stew is filling, delicious, and affordable.

By
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.
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Updated January 12, 2025
Elise Bauer
Turkey Stew with Root Vegetables
Elise Bauer

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, and 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 much less than turkey breasts.

Turkey Stew with Root Vegetables
Elise Bauer

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.

More Hearty Stews

From the Editors Of Simply Recipes

Turkey Stew With Root Vegetables

Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 2 hrs 30 mins
Total Time 2 hrs 40 mins
Servings 6 to 8 servings

Save time by prepping the root vegetables during the first stage of the stew's oven cooking.


*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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Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

  • 3 pounds 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 to 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

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 300°F.
  2. Brown the turkey thighs:

    Heat olive oil on medium high heat in a Dutch oven on the stovetop. Wash and pat dry turkey pieces. Working in batches if necessary, brown the turkey thighs, first skin side down, 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Sprinkle the thighs with a little salt as you brown them.

    turkey-stew-root-vegetables-method-1
    Elise Bauer
    turkey-stew-root-vegetables-method-2
    Elise Bauer
  3. Cook the onions and celery:

    Once the thighs have browned, remove them from the pan and set them in a bowl. Add the onions and celery to the pot. Cook for about 5 minutes or so, until the onions are translucent and starting to brown at the edges.

    turkey-stew-root-vegetables-method-3
    Elise Bauer
    turkey-stew-root-vegetables-method-4
    Elise Bauer
  4. Add the turkey thighs, salt, half of the stock:

    Return the turkey thighs to the pot. Add 2 teaspoons of salt and half of the stock. Bring to a simmer, remove from the stove top and put in the oven, covered, for an hour and fifteen minutes.

    turkey-stew-root-vegetables-method-5
    Elise Bauer
  5. Add the rest of vegetables and remaining stock:

    After an hour and fifteen minutes, remove from oven and add the rest of the vegetables—carrots, turnips, rutabaga, and potatoes, the herbs, and the rest of the stock.

    Return to the oven, covered, and cook until tender, another 45 minutes or more.

    turkey-stew-root-vegetables-method-6
    Elise Bauer
    turkey-stew-root-vegetables-method-7
    Elise Bauer
  6. Strip the meat from turkey thighs, return to stew:

    Remove the turkey thighs from the stew and place in a bowl to cool. When cool enough to handle, strip the meat off the bones. Discard the bones and skin. Cut the meat into bite-sized pieces (1 1/2-inches or so chunks) and return to the pot.

    Sprinkle with black pepper and add more salt to taste.

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Nutrition Facts (per serving)
488 Calories
21g Fat
29g Carbs
47g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6 to 8
Amount per serving
Calories 488
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 21g 27%
Saturated Fat 6g 30%
Cholesterol 201mg 67%
Sodium 908mg 39%
Total Carbohydrate 29g 10%
Dietary Fiber 4g 16%
Total Sugars 8g
Protein 47g
Vitamin C 26mg 128%
Calcium 70mg 5%
Iron 4mg 22%
Potassium 1257mg 27%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.