Leftover Turkey Soup (original) (raw)

This homemade turkey soup recipe is a simple, healthy soup you can make in your instant pot, slow cooker, or on the stove! A yummy, easy turkey soup everyone will love!

There’s nothing worse than eating thanksgiving dinner 4x in a row to use up the leftover turkey.. that’s why this leftover turkey is a MUCH better option!

This isn’t just any leftover turkey soup… it’s the BEST leftover turkey soup. What makes it so good you might ask?

Well, we use turkey bone broth (which you can easily make in under 5 minutes of prep), loads of hearty veggies, and tons of leftover turkey for maximum flavor.

• Why We Love Turkey Soup
• Substitutions
• How to make Turkey Soup
• Storage
• How can I thicken my Turkey Soup?
• Turkey Soup Recipe FAQs
• Other healthy soup recipes:
• Turkey Soup Recipe (Easy)

This turkey soup is cozy, easy to make, and delicious! It can also be paleo/whole30 friendly, or gluten free depending on what add-ins you use. There’s a long list of substitutions below!

If you’re looking for how to cook your turkey – this Crockpot Turkey Breast is the best! (And if you’re still planning your Thanksgiving menu – check out these Healthy Thanksgiving Recipes!)

Why We Love Turkey Soup

We love easy soup because it’s so delicious – but it’s also great for other reasons.. here’s why we love it so much:

• Easy to make: This recipe is done in under 30 minutes. Other than chopping some veggies, it requires little to no effort!
• Loaded with veggies: We love sneaking veggies in soup (like this Healthy Broccoli Soup or Chicken Pot Pie Soup Recipe)
• Budget friendly: This recipe is made with basic affordable ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry/fridge and it uses up all those leftovers. No more lame Thanksgiving turkey sandwiches or tossing turkey after a few days – this totally transforms it!

This soup is so simple to make. Especially if you’re enjoying this after a holiday.. you’re probably tired from all the cooking/hosting/traveling you did – which means you probably don’t want to spend ANY more time in the kitchen.

All you have to do is chop some veggies + the leftover turkey, sauté, and toss in to the instant pot, slow cooker or on the stove! It really doesn’t get any easier. Here’s what you’ll need to make leftover turkey soup recipe.

Ingredients

To make this leftover turkey soup recipe you’ll need:

• olive oil
• onion, garlic, carrots, celery
• salt and pepper
• turkey broth – it’s so much better if you can make it from scratch!
• cooked turkey
• pasta or rice

Substitutions

Meat: You can make this with leftover chicken instead of turkey meat if you’d like. We also have a Chicken Wild Rice Soup recipe!

Can you make a creamy turkey soup? Sure! Stir in 1/4 cup heavy cream or coconut cream once it has cooked to make this recipe a creamy soup.

Oil: Avocado oil or vegetable oil can be used in place of olive oil.

Turkey Noodle Soup Recipe: Just add cooked noodles to the soup when you’re ready to serve turkey noodle soup. Or try this Turkey Noodle Soup

Keto Turkey Soup: If you are strict keto, cut the amount of carrots in half for this recipe and serve with zucchini noodles.

Spicy Turkey Soup: If you want some spice, add 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes to the soup as it’s cooking

Broth: We used homemade turkey broth in this recipe, but you can use chicken stock, veggie stock, or whatever broth you have on hand.

Add ins: Quinoa, pasta, brown rice, or noodles all work in this recipe. You can also add zucchini noodles

Wild Rice: If you like wild rice, try our Turkey Wild Rice Soup!

Zucchini Noodles: For best results, I recommend adding the zucchini noodles to the bowl instead of adding them to the slow cooker pot. This way your zucchini noodles/spinach won’t get soggy if you eat leftovers. You can also sub pasta for zucchini noodles.

Veggies: You can add peas, potatoes, or even spinach to this recipe!

Herbs: I like to add in a little chopped fresh rosemary and a bay leaf to this recipe – but you can use whatever herbs you like!

Low Sodium: If you’re watching your salt intake – omit the salt from the recipe or add it at the end to taste… Also, make sure to check your canned beans/broth. Look for low or no salt added beans/broth.

How to make Turkey Soup

Making leftover turkey soup is very simple. Pictured below are stovetop instructions, but you can easily do this in the crockpot or instant pot (see below in the recipe for crockpot turkey soup and instant pot turkey soup instructions)

1. Chop your veggies + leftover turkey meat.
2. Sauté onion + garlic, then celery + carrots until soft. Add in spices, cooked turkey meat + broth.
3. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer on medium heat for 20 minutes.
4. When you’re ready to serve, serve over cooked rice, noodles, or zucchini noodles.

SO cozy.

This soup is easily customizable. Feel free to get creative with your add ins, and see below for some of the things we’ve tried.

Storage

Storing: Leftover turkey soup is good for 3-4 days in the refrigerator. As the soup sits in the refrigerator, the rice/pasta will absorb the broth/liquid and become thicker. Don’t worry! Just add more broth when you’re ready to eat your leftovers.

Freezing: You can freeze this soup recipe for up to 3 months. We like these containers for freezing. If you need more tips on freezing food, check out this post on how to freeze soup!

Reheating: You can reheat this soup in the crockpot, microwave, or on the stove. Pasta, rice or zucchini noodles will absorb some of the liquid overnight so you can just add some broth when reheating or enjoy it thicker.

We hope you love this simple leftover turkey soup recipe. It’s great for after the holidays – or really ANY time you have turkey leftovers you have to use up! If you like this recipe, you’ll also love our Turkey Pot Pie Soup!

How can I thicken my Turkey Soup?

Thickening soup is easy to do. Put a tablespoon of cornstarch in a small bowl. Whisk in 3-4 tablespoons of broth.

Once combined, add the mixture to the pot and stir over low heat. However – we don’t recommend trying to thicken this soup. It’s meant to be a broth-based soup, not a thick soup.

Turkey Soup Recipe FAQs

**How do you make Turkey Soup from leftover turkey?

Making soup with left over turkey soup is so easy to do! Sauté your veggies in olive oil, add in cooked, chopped turkey and broth. Bring to a boil and add in cooked past or rice.

What are the benefits of turkey soup?

The benefits of turkey soup are that it’s a delicious, healthy dinner! Most turkey soup recipes are loaded with veggies and a great way to use up extra thanksgiving turkey. Soup also rehydrates the turkey so even if your turkey was over cooked, it will still be delicious!

How long can you keep a turkey carcass before making soup?

You can keep a turkey carcass for 3 days at most before making soup. Make sure to pull all the meat off of it. Here’s a tutorial for how to make turkey broth.

How do you make bland turkey soup taste better?

The best way to make bland turkey soup better is to add add a bay leaf and parmesan cheese rind while cooking. Let them simmer in the pot and then remove when it’s done cooking and discard. You can also add a pinch of salt to help amp up the flavor.

Looking for other healthy crockpot recipes? Check out these Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes!

Turkey Soup Recipe (Easy)

Leftover Turkey Soup is a simple, healthy soup you can make in your instant pot, slow cooker or on the stove! A yummy, easy turkey soup everyone will love! This is the perfect leftover turkey recipe!

Prep Time : 10 minutes

Cook Time : 30 minutes

Serves : 6 people

(hover over # to adjust)

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup onion diced finely
• 1 tablespoon garlic minced
• 1/2 cup celery diced finely
• 2 cups carrots cut in small circles
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon dried parsley
• 4 cups leftover turkey cut in small cubes (about 1 lb)
• 8 cups low/no sodium broth make bone broth from your leftover turkey bones!
• 2 cups cooked rice OR pasta optional -zoodles work too!

Stovetop Instructions

• Chop vegetables + turkey.
• In a large pot, heat olive oil.
• Sauté onions + garlic until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add celery + carrots. Sauté for an additional 5 minutes.
• Add remaining ingredients to the pan. Bring to a boil, then reduce to medium heat and cover. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• While soup cooks, cook rice or grains to your liking. (spiralize zucchini noodles if paleo/whole30/keto)
• Stir in cooked rice & enjoy!

Instant Pot Instructions:

• Chop vegetables + turkey.
• Set instant pot to saute, 10 minutes.
• Sauté onions and garlic until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add celery and carrots. Sauté for an additional 5 minutes.
• Add remaining ingredients to the pot. Cover and set to sealing, High Pressure, for 8 minutes.
• While the soup cooks, cook rice or grains to your liking or spiralize zucchini into noodles.
• While soup cooks, cook rice or grains to your liking. (spiralize zucchini noodles if paleo/whole30/keto)
• Once cooked, quick release pressure. Stir in cooked rice & enjoy!

Slow Cooker Instructions

• Chop vegetables + turkey.
• Optional, but recommended: In a large pot, heat olive oil. Sauté onions, garlic + celery until translucent, about 5 minutes.
• Add cooked veggies to the crockpot. Add remaining ingredients to the crockpot + stir.
• Cover and cook for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low.
• While soup cooks, cook rice or grains to your liking or spiralize zucchini into noodles.
• Stir in cooked rice & enjoy!

Substituions for this turkey soup recipe:

Can you make a creamy turkey soup? Sure! Stir in 1/4 cup heavy cream or coconut cream once it has cooked to make this recipe a creamy soup.

Turkey Noodle Soup Recipe: Just add cooked noodles to the soup when you’re ready to serve for turkey noodle soup

Spicy Turkey Soup: If you want some spice, add 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes to the soup as it’s cooking

Broth: We used homemade bone broth in this recipe, but you can use chicken stock or whatever broth you have on hand.

Add ins: Quinoa, Brown Rice or Noodles all work in this recipe. You can also add zucchini noodles

Zucchini Noodles: For best results, I recommend adding the zucchini noodles to the bowl instead of adding to the slow cooker pot. This way your zucchini noodles/spinach won’t get soggy if you eat leftovers. You can also sub pasta for zucchini noodles.

Veggies: You can add peas, potatoes or even spinach to this recipe!

Herbs – I like to add in a little chopped fresh rosemary and a bay leaf to this recipe – but you can use whatever herbs you like!

Serving: 2cups (nutrition facts calculated with zucchini noodles) | Calories: 229kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 102mg | Sodium: 231mg | Potassium: 426mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 7203IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 1mg