Turkey Soup

This Turkey Soup recipe is easy to make from scratch with leftover turkey, flavorful broth, and vegetables! Add-on options include rice, potatoes, pasta, and lots of vegetables!

Turkey Soup

When the holidays are over, this Turkey Soup is the first thing that I make! (I usually make it when it’s still Thanksgiving day. 😂) This soup freezes so well, I make it with leftover chicken or turkey and keep it in my freezer all year round!

---

Turkey Soup

prep time: 10 MINUTES ; cook time: 35 MINUTES ; total time: 45 MINUTES
SERVINGS: 6 SERVINGS 

This Turkey Soup recipe is easy to make with leftover turkey, flavorful broth, and vegetables! Add on options include rice, potatoes, pasta, and lots of vegetables!

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 2 ribs celery, diced
• 1 cup carrots, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce
• 8 cups chicken broth, can sub turkey broth or stock
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 cups leftover turkey, diced/shredded
• 1 cup bowtie pasta, uncooked

Seasonings

• 1 teaspoon EACH: dried basil, oregano, parsley, mustard powder
• ¼ teaspoon EACH: ground sage, pepper

Instructions

1. Melt butter in a large (4.5 quart) soup pot over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, and celery and soften for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, bay leaf, and seasonings. Stir to combine.
2. (Pro Tip: Add a Parmesan rind or any leftover turkey bones to the soup for even more flavor!)
3. Add the chicken broth and bring the soup to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and add the diced turkey.
4. Simmer gently, uncovered, for 15 minutes.
5. Boil the pasta separately until al dente. Drain and add directly to serving bowls. Ladle the soup on top. (Don’t add the pasta directly to the soup pot, it’ll absorb a lot of broth and become mushy during storage.)
6. See blog post for how to incorporate tortellini and other kinds of pasta as well as rice and potatoes!

Notes

Pro Tips:

• This is even better if made with homemade stock – it’s the perfect way to utilize leftover turkey!
• You can also add leftover bones/wings, etc. to the broth in this soup for more flavor, then remove prior to serving. Feel free to add some leftover gravy as well!
• Add a Parmesan rind to the broth while it simmers for even more savory flavor!
• Sometimes I’ll add cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup to this (about 10 oz.) It adds nice depth of flavor. You can use a can for convenience purposes as well. If the broth becomes too salty, I’ll add a little milk, cream, or water.
• The hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and mustard powder are flavor enhancers in this soup that can’t be tasted outright. The hot sauce doesn’t make it spicy. I use Frank’s Hot Sauce.
• Important: The pasta is added to serving bowls in this recipe instead of the soup pot. If pasta is stored with leftover soup, it absorbs a great deal of broth and becomes mushy. The same goes for rice.
• Top this soup with Ranch Oyster Crackers for even more flavor, or pair this with my crusty, airy, No Knead Bread for dipping!

Crock Pot Method:

• Melt the butter in the Crock Pot. Add the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic and toss to coat.
• Add the seasonings, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, bay leaf, turkey, and broth.
• Cook on low for 6 hours.
• Cook pasta separately and add it to serving bowls. Ladle the soup on top and serve!

Storage:

• Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. This soup makes an excellent freezer meal. Just be sure not to store this soup with rice/pasta as it will absorb all of the broth.

Nutritional information is an estimate and is per serving. This recipe makes 6 servings. (Each serving is about 1.5 cups.)

Nutrition

• Calories: 242kcal, Carbohydrates: 13g, Protein: 24g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 100mg, Sodium: 1410mg, Potassium: 352mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 3729IU, Vitamin C: 4mg, Calcium: 44mg, Iron: 1mg