Soups

Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey and Veggie Soup


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This Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey and Veggie Soup is the perfect way to use up all that leftover holiday turkey. Made with fresh veggies, spices and herbs. It’s one super flavorful and comforting soup. Best meal to enjoy after indulging in a Thanksgiving feast. 

Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey and Veggie Soup

Thanksgiving is my absolute favorite holiday. Every year I cook a huge feast and love doing it! Just as much as I love to cook all the food, I love to eat all the food! Don’t we all? The fun doesn’t stop at cooking and eating though. Leftovers make a huge part of all the Thanksgiving fun.

We all love Thanksgiving leftovers in this house. Look forward to them every year. I don’t know what it is about Thanksgiving food, but something about it just tastes even better the next day.

This Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey and Veggie Soup is the perfect way to use up that leftover holiday turkey. Made with fresh veggies, spices and herbs to give it a delicious and flavorful taste. It’s packed with so many nutrients and the perfect light meal to enjoy after a huge feast.

What should I make with my leftover Thanksgiving Turkey?

Having a ton of leftover Thanksgiving turkey is something inevitable. Every year we are left with so many leftovers after the big Holiday. If you were in the kitchen all day cooking up a big feast, the last thing you want is to spend anymore extra time doing the same the day after. This Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey Soup is the perfect way to use up that leftover turkey. It’s super simple and easy to make. You won’t spend hours in the kitchen making yet another meal.

This soup is also very light and flavorful. Perfect to have after eating a huge meal the day before. I love this soup because it’s a great way to detox after a day or two of indulging in all the Holiday feasting.

What you need to make this Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey and Veggie Soup:

Ingredients:

  • Leftover Roasted Turkey
  • Carrots
  • Celery
  • Kale
  • Thyme
  • Sage
  • Rosemary
  • Turmeric
  • Pink Salt
  • Black Pepper
  • Russet Potatoe
  • Yellow Onions
  • Garlic Cloves
  • Parsley
  • Olive Oil
  • Turkey Broth

Equipment:

  • Large Pot
  • Spatula

How to make Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey and Veggie Soup:

  1. Start by removing leftover turkey meat from the carcass. Dice into cubes and measure out 2 cups. Dice onion, carrots, celery, potato and mince garlic. Remove herbs from sprigs and thinly chop them. Remove kale leaves from stem, chop and measure 2 cups. Chop parsley. 
  2. Place a large pot on stovetop and turn heat to medium-high. Drizzle with olive oil and bring to a heat. Toss in onion and galic and sauté until onion is translucent. About 2-3 minutes. Toss in carrots, potato, and celery and continue to sauté until veggies start to soften. About 7-8 minutes. 
  3. As veggies are sautéing, sprinkle in spices and herbs; pink salt, black pepper, ground turmeric, thyme, sage, and rosemary. Stir in cubed turkey making sure it’s well combied with veggies, spices and herbs. 
  4. Pour in turkey broth and water and bring to a boil. Once soup is boiling bring down to a low heat. Add in kale, and parsley. Give soup a stir making sure kale and parsley are submerged into it. 
  5. Cover soup and allow for it to simmer for at least 10-15 minutes. The longer soup simmers, the more flavor it will build up. But don’t simmer for too long because kale will wilt. 
  6. Serve soup while hot. Enjoy! 

Tips and Substitutions:

  1. Use a pot that’s large enough- You want to use a pot that’s at least 5.5 quarts. This will give you enough room to sauté, stir and for broth to simmer. 
  2. Add cooked noodles or rice if you wish- You can add cooked noodles or rice too for more comfort. Add noodles or rice at the very end after you’ve added kale and parsley.
  3. Use cooked leftover chicken- If you don’t have turkey, you can always use leftover roasted chicken.
  4. The longer soup simmers, the more flavor it will build up- But don’t simmer for too long because kale will wilt.

How long does Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey and Veggie Soup last in the fridge?

This soup is super fresh and packed with delicious veggies. It can be kept in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. For best taste, have within 1-2 days.

Can this soup be frozen?

This soup can certainly be frozen. Be sure to use a freezer friendly container. Keep frozen for up to 1-2 months.

Did you like this Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey and Veggie Soup? You may also like these other Fall soup recipes:

Looking for more Thanksgiving inspiration for your feast? Check these other recipes out:

4.5 from 4 votes
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Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey and Veggie Soup

This Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey and Veggie Soup is the perfect way to use up all that leftover holiday turkey. Made with fresh veggies, spices and herbs. It’s one super flavorful and comforting soup. Best meal to enjoy after indulging in a Thanksgiving feast.
Course Soup
Cuisine American
Keyword Turkey and Veggie Soup
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Calories 270 kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 cups left over turkey (cubed)
  • 1 yellow onion
  • 4 carrots
  • 2 celery stalks
  • 1 russet potato
  • 2 thyme sprigs
  • 1 sage sprig
  • 1 rosemary sprig
  • 1 tsp ground turmeric
  • 1 tsp pink salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 1/2 cup parsley
  • 2 cups chopped kale
  • 2 cups turkey broth
  • 2 cups water

Instructions

  1. Start by removing leftover turkey meat from the carcass. Dice into cubes and measure out 2 cups. Dice onion, carrots, celery, potato and mince garlic. Remove herbs from sprigs and thinly chop them. Remove kale leaves from stem, chop and measure 2 cups. Chop parsley. 

  2. Place a large pot on stovetop and turn heat to medium-high. Drizzle with olive oil and bring to a heat. Toss in onion and galic and sauté until onion is translucent. About 2-3 minutes. Toss in carrots, potato, and celery and continue to sauté until veggies start to soften. About 7-8 minutes.

  3. As veggies are sautéing, sprinkle in spices and herbs; pink salt, black pepper, ground turmeric, thyme, sage, and rosemary. Stir in cubed turkey making sure it's well combied with veggies, spices and herbs.

  4. Pour in turkey broth and water and bring to a boil. Once soup is boiling bring down to a low heat. Add in kale, and parsley. Give soup a stir making sure kale and parsley are submerged into it.

  5. Cover soup and allow for it to simmer for at least 10-15 minutes. The longer soup simmers, the more flavor it will build up. But don't simmer for too long because kale will wilt.

  6. Serve soup while hot. Enjoy! 

Recipe Notes

Tips and Substitutions:

  1. Use a pot that’s large enough- You want to use a pot that’s at least 5.5 quarts. This will give you enough room to sauté, stir and for broth to simmer. 
  2. Add cooked noodles or rice if you wish- You can add cooked noodles or rice too for more comfort. Add noodles or rice at the very end after you’ve added kale and parsley.
  3. Use cooked leftover chicken- If you don’t have turkey, you can always use leftover roasted chicken.
  4. The longer soup simmers, the more flavor it will build up- But don’t simmer for too long because kale will wilt.

Nutrition Facts
Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey and Veggie Soup
Amount per Serving
Calories
270
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
10
g
15
%
Saturated Fat
 
2
g
13
%
Trans Fat
 
0.1
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
 
2
g
Monounsaturated Fat
 
5
g
Cholesterol
 
79
mg
26
%
Sodium
 
1166
mg
51
%
Potassium
 
839
mg
24
%
Carbohydrates
 
22
g
7
%
Fiber
 
5
g
21
%
Sugar
 
5
g
6
%
Protein
 
24
g
48
%
Vitamin A
 
14241
IU
285
%
Vitamin C
 
52
mg
63
%
Calcium
 
157
mg
16
%
Iron
 
3
mg
17
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

*Number of total servings in estimated. Actual number of servings may vary depending on your own personal preference in portion sizes.

**Nutritional values shown are general guidelines for 1 serving using the ingredients listed above. These numbers do not reflect and may vary depending on substitutions, additions and/or different brands and/or other ingredients that may be used. 

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**Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links and sponsored content. All the opinions are my own and I only recommend products I use in my own home with my own family. 

*Post updated as of 6/26/20

**Photos updated as of 11/28/2020



22 Comments

  1. Soup sounds like a great suggestion for leftovers. We don’t usually have too much leftovers but we do enjoy turkey throughout the year so I’ll have to remember this recipe.

    1. Thank you Rose! Yes it’s a great soup for the upcoming cold winter days.

  2. Stacey Berube

    This looks very very yummy!

    1. Thank you so much Stacey!

  3. Jenn JG

    5 stars
    Yum this soup sounds delicious! Great way to use the leftovers besides the usual boring ideas!! Going to keep this in mind to try, thanks for sharing!

    1. Thank you Jenn! Glad you liked this idea!

  4. I love Thanksgiving leftovers and I really love soup… so this is perfect!

    1. Thank you Inez! I love both too!!

  5. Meagan

    We love coming up with new ways to use our leftovers and this sounds so good!

    1. Thank you so much Meagan!

  6. 4 stars
    Typically, we don’t like onion, but we can easily take that out. This looks amazing and so detailed!! My mouth is watering just reading this! Going to check out the rest of your recipes!

    1. yes you can omit the onion if you’re not a fan! Thank you so much Jamelyn! that was such a sweet compliment!

  7. This looks like a great recipe!

    1. Thank you so much Rebecca!

  8. What a wonderful idea for leftovers!! I have everything for this in my fridge!

    1. Thank you Pamela! That’s awesome! that rarely ever happens lol

  9. 4 stars
    This looks so yummy and how we love eating leftovers after thanksgiving. Thanks for the recipe gonna try soon.

    1. Thank you Tosha! Hope you enjoy it!

  10. 5 stars
    Yup, it was delicious – SO much healthier than the gravy-based (I kid you not!) soup that certain relatives w/whom we spend Thanksgiving often make! Thanks for your fresh take on this classic dish!

    1. Aww thank you so much Flossie! Adding gravy to soup sounds pretty tasty but yes not so healthy. After a huge Thanksgiving meal I’m ready for something much lighter! Thank you for trying this recipe out and for sharing! 😊

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