Leftover Turkey Soup Recipe (2024)

This leftover turkey soup recipe is a delicious and simple way to use up leftover turkey or rotisserie chicken! It is flavoured with onions, celery, carrots, bay leaves and parsley evoking the memories of homemade soups your granny used to make! It is also extremely speedy, wholesome and satisfying!

If you still have more leftover turkey in your fridge, give my Chicken and Dumpling Soup a try but use your leftover Thanksgiving turkey!

Every year I buy a small turkey for Thanksgiving to make sure I have as little leftovers as possible. My personal preference is for a small turkey as it cooks faster and doesn’t dry out as much.

No matter how small my turkey is, I still end up with leftovers. So this year I decided to finally share a few of my leftover turkey recipes. This simple and delicious turkey soup is top of the list since it’s so easy and requires barely any ingredients.

Turkey leftovers

It’s a bit of a shame that we end up just throwing turkey leftovers in the microwave and recreate a lesser version of our Thanksgiving meal. There is so much space to get creative and find all sorts of ways to make interesting and tasty meals from the leftover meat.

Any recipe that is made with chicken can also be made with turkey, so recipes for leftover chicken and turkey are pretty interchangeable.

While throwing extra turkey into a sandwich or salad may seem like the obvious approach, I don’t think it gets the best from the meat. To keep the turkey as moist as possible, I’m a big believer in cooking it into a pie, soup or stew.

This ensures tender turkey and infuses it with moisture while stretching leftovers out even further. To really take it the distance and beyond a single time of year, try freezing leftover turkey for as long as 6 months for later use (although quality will go down after three!).

Ingredients

I always start my soup base with three main vegetables. Onions, celery and carrots with a choice of herb and this time I went with fresh thyme. I still had some left from the big Thanksgiving dinner. You can use dried thyme just as successfully.

I also add bay leaves and a clove of garlic for an aromatic and delicious soup.

The recipe for this homemade turkey soup recipe is based in the traditional chicken noodle soup but I added a little twist. Besides homemade turkey stock I add leftover turkey pieces and instead of traditional egg noodles I throw in half a cup of giant couscous also known as Israeli couscous or pearl couscous.

Giant couscous is a perfect choice as it has the same taste as pasta, It looks great and it’s so fun to eat! If you can’t find it, regular noodles will work as well.

How to make it

When I say this soups is easy I am not exaggerating in the least! The method is very simple and it only takes about 30-35 minutes to make. The turkey is already cooked and the vegetables and couscous cook fast!

There are a few things I’d like to mention, which make this easy turkey soup recipe extra flavourful. I start by sautéing the vegetables in a mix of olive oil and butter. Do use butter! It adds incredible flavour.

I love using homemade stock that’s been made using leftover turkey carcass and aromatics. You can definitely use already made stock or a stock cube, including chicken stock. Not everything has to be homemade. I often opt for a stock cube myself.

Fresh herbs like thyme or rosemary and bay leaves also contribute to a beautiful aroma and a delicious broth.

Giant couscous only takes 10 minutes to cook just like any pasta, so I throw it in the broth after it just boils. I take the soup off the heat as soon as Israeli couscous is soft.

Sprinkling the turkey soup with some freshly chopped parsley or dill before serving is a real treat!

Serving suggestions

This hearty soup is delicious on its own or with a bread roll. However, if you are up for something more adventurous, try it with garlic cheesy rye toast.

All you have to do is to rub sliced rye, homemade sourdough or any bread of your choice with a clove of garlic sliced in half lengthwise. Sprinkle with your favourite grated cheese and broil in an oven or a toaster oven until melted and golden.

Recipe tips and notes

• I’ve suggested using Israeli (pearl) couscous as the starch in this soup, but pasta is another great option. Choose a short pasta shape such as orzo, macaroni or conchiglie, or even gnocchi!
• To keep it gluten free, use rice. White rice will work just fine but brown rice would add the most flavour and texture. Or try hearty wild rice for a nutty twist!
• To use up leftover roasted vegetables from your turkey dinner, dice to them to be the same size as the other vegetables and add them to your soup with approximately five minutes of cooking time left. This gives just enough time for them to be heated through.
• Even though this is a recipe designed for leftover turkey, the exact same recipe can be used for leftover roast chicken.
• If you don’t like the idea of a soup, how do you feel about a creamy stew, also using up any leftover turkey?

Storage and leftovers

Leftover soup can be kept in a fridge for 3-4 days or can be frozen for up to 3 months, both in an airtight container.

While the microwave is an option, the best way to reheat soup is in a saucepan on a stovetop. Keep the pan lid on to retain moisture and bring the soup to a rolling boil.

Leftovers should only be reheated once. So if you make a large amount to eat over a few days, only heat up what you plan to eat immediately. If freezing, it may be convenient to store in individual portions.

More Thanksgiving leftovers recipes

• Chicken Pot Pie with Roasted Vegetables (Use leftover turkey instead)
• Turkey Marsala Pot Pie
• Salmon Cakes (Use leftover mashed potatoes)
• Hearty Mulligatawny Soup (leftover turkey)