Leftover Turkey Soup - The Recipe Rebel (2024)

Easy Leftover Turkey Soup is warm and comforting. With tender turkey, loads of vegetables, and a great mix of savory seasonings, it’s the perfect way to feed the whole family during the busy holidays!

This homemade Turkey Soup recipe is the perfect answer to what feels like a mountain of leftover turkey meat after Thanksgiving!

It’s quick, easy, and perfect for the chilly time of year during the holidays.

This turkey soup recipe includes a variety of vegetables, making it as healthy as it is delicious.

It’s a broth-based soup, thickened with a roux for a filling and satisfying meal.

So if you roasted up a Dry Brine Turkey or took the easy way and cooked up this Crockpot Turkey, this is one of the best ways to use up those leftovers!

​If you need some other ways of using up leftover turkey, try myCreamy Turkey Shepherd’s Pie,One Pot Turkey Tetrazzini Recipe,Turkey Pot Pie, or thisBaked Tortellini with Turkey and Vegetables!

Ingredients Needed:

• Oil:I like using canola oil, but olive oil or another kind of neutral-flavored oil will also work to sauté the vegetables.
• Vegetables:I use a classic mirepoix of carrots, celery, and onion for a great flavor base.
• Seasonings:salt, dried parsley, freshly minced garlic, dried thyme, paprika, and black pepper give an aromatic flavor to the soup.
• Turkey Stock:make myhomemade turkey stockfor the best flavor (this is a great way to use that carcass!). You can use chicken stock, chicken broth, or vegetable broth instead if you prefer.
• Potatoes:Yukon gold potatoes are my favorite for this soup, but Russet potatoes and Red potatoes would work well too.
• Turkey:any kind of cooked turkey will work well, but this is the perfect recipe for using up all your leftover turkey from your Thanksgiving dinner! If you don’t have leftover turkey, you can easily use leftover Shredded Chicken instead.
• Salted Butter:melted salted butter will be the base of your roux for a sauce to thicken the soup. Salted butter will enhance the flavor of the soup better than unsalted butter.
• Flour:useall-purpose flour to make a roux with melted butter for thickening the soup.
• Milk:any kind of milk will work well here to make your roux into a thick sauce. You can also use cream for a richer flavor.

How to Make Delicious Turkey Soup

This recipe is easy and so hearty! Full instructions are included in the recipe card below.

1. Sauté the vegetables: Sauté the onion, carrots, and celery just until beginning to soften.
2. Add seasonings: Stir in the garlic, salt, parsley, thyme, pepper, and paprika and cook.

3. Add stock: Add the stock and deglaze the pot.
4. Stir in potatoes: Add the potatoes and simmer until the potatoes are tender.

5. Make thickened milk: Make the roux, add the milk and thicken in the microwave (it’s easy to do!)
6. Add turkey and thicken the soup: When the potatoes are tender, stir in the cooked turkey and the thickened milk. Serve.

Turkey Soup FAQs

Turkey Vegetable Soup Variations

• Mix up the seasonings.Feel free to adjust the spices and seasonings according to your liking. Add a bay leaf or some fresh herbs to infuse even more flavor into the dish.
• Use rice instead of potatoes.Swap the potatoes for ½ -¾ cup white rice or a hearty wild rice blend to make a turkey rice soup. If you use instant rice, you only need to add it to the pot for the last 5-10 minutes of cooking. If you’re using long-grain rice, you will likely want to add it at the beginning of the cooking time, and you may need to add additional liquid.

Serving Suggestions

This leftover Turkey Soup recipe is filling all on its own, but you can add some sides to make it a fuller meal if you like!

We love having homemade bread with all our meals. Try a butteryBrioche Bun,Homemade Crescent Rolls,No Knead Artisan Bread, or theseHomemade Breadsticks.

This meal would also work well withAir Fryer Broccoli,Green Beans with Bacon, or someRoasted Green Beanson the side for extra nutrition!

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