Leftover Turkey Soup for the Soul!
This easy Leftover Turkey soup is perfect for a light lunch or dinner after the holiday! It’s our favorite way to use our leftover turkey from Thanksgiving. This recipe is fast, easy, and delicious tasting! Freezable too!
When holiday frenzy and shop till you drop comes into play, not only today but for the entire weekend, no one has the time to cook.
You know what they say, “Soup is good for the soul” and it’s good for our soul if we can make it under 15 minutes! Right?! You know me by now, quick and easy is my motto!
Mom always made a large pot of turkey soup for us to enjoy for days.
To help speed up the time, I prefer using store-bought chicken stock, and nowadays you can even find turkey stock at the supermarket.
How to Make Turkey Soup with Leftover Turkey?
Simple recipe: (*Full recipe card below!)
- First, grab a large soup pot, and sautรฉ some shallots (or onions)ย with someย garlic for 2 minutes.
- Then add in fresh vegetables and cook until softened.
- Pour the broth and water, along with some seasonings, and your leftover shredded turkey meat (either dark or white meat, or both). Cover and bring to a full boil.
- Then simmer for a few minutes longer and it’s ready to serve.
This soup becomes a snap and it’s perfect enough to serve the day after devouring a heavy meal on Thanksgiving.
Prefer to Make Your Own Turkey Stock?
- Start by using the turkey’s carcass, simmer in a large pot in water with fresh vegetables and herbs for about 1 to 2 hours.
- Then remove all the bones and vegetables, strain the broth, and you’ll have your own turkey stock. Great!
QUICK NOTE: Honestly, making homemade turkey stock is very time-consuming, so I prefer the easy way out. It’s just as good – if not better.
Leftover Turkey soup is good for the whole family.
This recipe takes less than 30 minutes to make, it’s very light, tasty, and terrific to eat for a few days after the holiday.
Enjoy!
To Store and Freeze…
- Always wait until the soup cools down completely before transferring it to a sealed container. Then store it in your refrigerator, it will stay fresh for up to 3 days.
- Freezes beautifully for up to 1 month.
Leftover Turkey Soup
Leftover Turkey soup is perfect for a light lunch or dinner after the holiday! It's our favorite way to use our leftover turkey from Thanksgiving. This recipe is fast, easy and delicious tasting! Freezable too!
Ingredients
- 2 to 3 cups leftover Turkey meat
- 32 ounce of chicken stock (or vegetable broth)
- 2 cups water
- 3 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 large shallot- chopped
- 2 garlic cloves
- 3 carrots - chopped
- 3 celery stalks - chopped
- 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley- chopped
- Optional: add some noodles, cooked rice orย quinoa
Instructions
1. In a medium or large soup pot, heat olive oil.
2. Add the chopped shallots (or onion) and garlic cloves. Sauté for 1 minute. Add the vegetables and sauté for 3 minutes, until softened.
3. Add remaining ingredients, including all the liquid, herbs, and seasonings. Cover with a lid. Bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes. QUICK NOTE: here is where you can add in 1 cup of noodles, quinoa, or cooked rice.
4. Remove bay leaves before serving. Serve in individual bowls. Refrigerate in a sealed container, and for up to 3 days.
Serves 6 to 8
Notes
The nutritional value does not include the pasta, quinoa, or rice, if added.
To Store: Always wait until the soup cools down completely before transferring it to a sealed container. Then store it in your refrigerator, it will stay fresh for up to 3 days.
To Freeze: This soup freezes beautifully and for up to 1 month.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6 servingsServing Size:
1 servingAmount Per Serving: Calories: 163Total Fat: 9.7gCarbohydrates: 4.1gFiber: .9gSugar: 2.1gProtein: 14.5g
Have you tried our Leftover Turkey Soup? Let us know and leave a comment!
It makes us happy to hear from you!
Don’t forget to enter your email address in our ‘Subscribe Box’ and get our recipes “FREE” every time we post a new recipe and reminders of some great older ones.
For more delicious ideas, follow us on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook.
Thanks for stopping by…
Happy and Healthy Thanksgiving To Everyone! ๐
xo anna and liz
Sign Up For Our Email List
Something delicious for your inbox! Subscribe and join our email list and get all our recipes FREE!
Hey girls, love, love, love the soup and so did my family. Arianna is the biggest critic and she loved it too:) I will definitely make this again. Thanks, great way to enjoy the left over turkey:)
Hi June! Welcome to our site and thank you for the lovely comment! We are so glad you tried our recipe. Have a great week! xxoo Anna and Liz
There was a lot of talk about turkey soup at my family's house this weekend! Makes me want to curl up with a bowl. Such a classic use of leftovers!
I wish we had leftovers so I could make up this soup girls! We had Thanksgiving at my girlfriend's house which was awesome, but the only bummer was that we didn't get to enjoy any of the Thanksgiving leftovers. Sometimes the leftovers and the sandwiches and soups you make from them are the best part ! Maybe next year. I hope you both had a wonderful Thanksgiving ๐ xoxo, Jackie
Your turkey soup looks perfect for this time of year and nothing looks leftover about it! I adore soups, especially on these cold nights. Very nice! Have a great week!
finger licking good!
I always make a big turkey just so I can have things like this soup! Looks so good! Hope you had a great day!
Leftover turkey is one of my favorite parts of my favorite holiday. This soup provides sound rationale for that sentiment! Thanks for this, wish I had a bowl myself!!