Leftover Turkey Soup
Leftover Turkey Soup is an EASY dinner, made with vegetables sautéed in butter and spices, then simmered in a savory broth with potatoes, fresh herbs, and leftover turkey meat, ready in 30 minutes!
Leftover Turkey Soup is my favorite way to use up leftovers after Thanksgiving or Christmas, because it’s hearty and has a ton of veggies. Personally, I like the idea of something a little more wholesome after a big holiday, without sacrificing flavor.
I make an effort not to let leftovers go to waste, and this soup is how I’m using the rest of my Thanksgiving Roasted Spatchcock Turkey. For more ideas, check out my Leftover Turkey Pot Pie Casserole.
This soup would also work with leftovers from my Dutch Oven Whole Chicken!
Table of contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Perfect for Thanksgiving Leftovers – This soup is warm and cozy, and perfect for the day after a big meal like Thanksgiving dinner. Plus, you won’t feel like you’re eating the same meal over and over again.
Loaded with Veggies – After the holidays, I lean to the healthier side, while still having something hearty, satisfying, and wholesome. And most importantly, not heavy.
Quick and Easy – This recipe uses cooked turkey and pre-cut veggies to make this the easiest thing you’ll make all week!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Turkey. This is the best way to use up leftover turkey from thanksgiving, because it’s not heavy like Thanksgiving dinner, but it’s still hearty and satisfying.
I like to use turkey breast, because simmering it in broth helps keep it from drying out. But you can use light or dark meat for this recipe.
Butter. I use a little bit of unsalted butter to add flavor to the soup.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil. This helps keep the butter from burning while the vegetables saute.
Onion and Celery Ribs. This is the ultimate savory combination for soup recipes, adding a really nice flavor.
Carrots. This helps add some natural sweetness, that balances out the savory notes. Add the carrots with the celery and onion.
Garlic. I am a big garlic lover, so I like to throw in anywhere from 4-6 garlic cloves when I make soup. You can use more or less depending on your preference.
Cabbage. Two options here: You can cut up your own green cabbage into small pieces, or you can use a bag of pre-shredded coleslaw mix.
The mix can have other veggies in it, too. It doesn’t matter. I’ve also used broccoli slaw, just to add vegetables and fiber to the soup.
Chicken Broth. I recommend using either vegetable broth, chicken broth, or chicken stock. Chicken stock will have the best flavor. I use low sodium broth to keep the salt level down.
If you saved the turkey carcass (bones), you can also make homemade turkey stock pretty easily. Just add the bones to a slow cooker, fill with water, and cook on low for 12 hours. Strain the broth before storing it and discard the bones.
Potatoes. Use either white potatoes or Yukon gold potatoes, because they are a good mixture of waxy and starchy, and will hold together well. I don’t peel them, just wash them really well.
Spices. We’re making this easy with just some Italian seasoning, bay leaves, kosher salt, and black pepper. The bay leaf gives you the flavor that’s similar to chicken soup.
Kitchen Tools
For this recipe, you’ll need a medium sized dutch oven or soup pot.
How to Make Leftover Turkey Soup
In a dutch oven over medium-high heat, add the butter and olive oil. Once the butter starts melting, add the carrots, onion, and celery. Saute until the onions start to turn translucent, about 5 minutes, stirring often.
Push the vegetables to one side and add the garlic, letting it cook for about 30 seconds, until it becomes fragrant.
Add the Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper, then stir everything together and add in the cabbage mix.
Cook the cabbage mix down, stirring often, for about 5 minutes. Add in the potatoes, turkey meat, broth, and bay leaves. Stir everything together.
Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
Simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring often, until the potatoes are fork-tender.
Stir in fresh parsley, discard the bay leaves, and serve.
Recipe Variations
- Make this spicy with some red pepper flakes, hot sauce, or cayenne pepper. You can also try adding chopped poblano peppers or jalapeno peppers.
- If you don’t have leftovers, you can also make this using a shredded rotisserie chicken.
- Cook some gluten free macaroni or rotini on the side. Then add some to the bowl, and spoon the soup on top. This prevents the pasta from over-cooking, making turkey noodle soup!
- Swap the potatoes with white or wild rice for a turkey rice soup.
- Try adding crushed tomatoes and tomato paste for a tomato based broth.
- Add some half and half at the end for a creamy soup.
Recipe Tip! If you want to make this even easier, throw everything but the turkey in the slow cooker and cook on high for 3-4 hours, until the cabbage and onions are soft. Add the turkey in for the last 15-20 minutes, just to heat up.
Frequently Asked Questions
It’s important to remember that leftovers only have a 3-4 day shelf life after storing them in the refrigerator. I recommend either making this soup within the next day or two, or freezing the turkey until you’re ready to cook with it.
Recipe Tip! I like to add about 10 cups of broth, giving the soup a thinner texture. You can use 6-8 cups if you want a thicker and heartier soup (closer to a stew).
More Homemade Soup Recipes
- Creamy Sweet Potato Soup
- Easy Black Bean Soup
- Cabbage Chicken Soup
- Sausage and Potato Soup
- Tuscan White Bean Soup
Storage
Refrigerate leftover soup for 2-3 days in an airtight container.
Freeze leftover turkey soup for 2-3 months in a freezer-safe container.
Cooking Tips
- Saute the vegetables in the butter until they’re cooked down a bit and fragrant. This helps build flavor in the soup, rather than just boiling everything together.
- Try to cut the veggies to about the same size, so they all finish cooking at the same time.
- How large your potato pieces are will impact how long they take to cook. I make smaller cubes so they finish faster. You can even use frozen breakfast potatoes to make this even easier!
- Season with salt and pepper at the end. How much you need can depend on how you prepared the turkey initially. If you salt brined it, you may want to leave the salt out of the soup until you can taste it at the end.
Tried this recipe? ⭐ Leave a review and share what worked best for you—your tips help other home cooks get the same delicious results!
Leftover Turkey Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium Vidalia onion, chopped
- 3 medium carrots, peeled, chopped
- 2 medium celery ribs, chopped
- 4 medium garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 16 ounces shredded cabbage or coleslaw mix
- 8-10 cups chicken or vegetable broth, gluten free, low sodium
- 4 cups cooked turkey meat, boneless, skinless, cut into small pieces
- 1 pound white or gold potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2 whole bay leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
Equipment
- 1 medium dutch oven or soup pot
Instructions
- In a dutch oven over medium-high heat, add the butter and olive oil. Once the butter starts melting, add the carrots, onion, and celery. Saute until the onions start to turn translucent, about 5 minutes, stirring often.
- Push the vegetables to one side and add the garlic, letting it cook for about 30 seconds, until it becomes fragrant. Add the Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper, then stir everything together and add in the cabbage mix.
- Cook the cabbage mix down, stirring often, for about 5 minutes. Add in the potatoes, turkey meat, broth, and bay leaves. Stir everything together. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
- Simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring often, until the potatoes are fork-tender. Stir in fresh parsley, discard the bay leaves, and serve.
Notes
- Saute the vegetables in the butter until they’re cooked down a bit and fragrant. This helps build flavor in the soup, rather than just boiling everything together.
- Try to cut the veggies to about the same size, so they all finish cooking at the same time.
- How large your potato pieces are will impact how long they take to cook. I make smaller cubes so they finish faster. You can even use frozen breakfast potatoes to make this even easier!
- Season with salt and pepper at the end. How much you need can depend on how you prepared the turkey initially. If you salt brined it, you may want to leave the salt out of the soup until you can taste it at the end.
- I like to add about 10 cups of broth, giving the soup a thinner texture. You can use 6-8 cups if you want a thicker and heartier soup (closer to a stew).
Nutrition
We are a participant in both the RewardStyle and Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, which are affiliate advertising programs designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com and through RewardStyle.
