Perfect Leftover Turkey Soup Recipe (Classic +Comforting)

Take advantage of your holiday extras by using your leftover turkey to make this delicious Leftover Turkey Soup! Instead of trying your usual turkey sandwiches, try this healthy, delicious, and comforting soup for a change for an incredibly flavorful combination!

If you are lucky to have leftovers, this is one of the best things to do with them. This soup is filling yet light enough to fully enjoy after a heavy holiday meal! The flavors are robust and comforting for the perfect fall/winter soup.

My recipe includes long white rice to make it filling and a meal on its own, but this soup is so versatile that you can use some egg noodles in it instead.

Regardless of how you go about making this soup, if you follow my instructions you’ll end up with the tastiest and most comforting soup ever!

Want to learn how to make this delicious Leftover Turkey Soup? Then keep on reading!

What is a Leftover Turkey Soup?

Leftover turkey soup recipe is the perfect, most delicious, and comforting soup made with leftover turkey! This is the best soup to make the day after Thanksgiving for a healthy and light combination that’s also filling.

When you make homemade soup with Thanksgiving leftovers, you’ll get a soup that’s low in sodium and calories but still packed with protein and flavor! It’s the perfect way to use your leftovers so trade in those turkey sandwiches for this soup instead!

This soup is so versatile that you can add different pasta noodles and even egg noodles to it, or stick to my original recipe and go for long-grain white rice for the perfect combination.

Trust me, when you try this recipe once you’ll absolutely fall in love with it!

What Makes This Leftover Turkey Soup Special?

There are so many reasons to love this soup, but my recipe makes it extra special and takes it to the next level. Here are all the reasons why it’s better than any other recipe you’ll ever:

Easy to make: The best part about this recipe is that it’s incredibly easy to make, taking minimal effort which is perfect after a long Thanksgiving day.

Budget-friendly: All the ingredients in this recipe are affordable and you probably have them in your pantry already! Plus it uses up all the leftovers to make sure you’re not wasting any food!

Versatile: What’s best is that you can customize this recipe however you like! Maybe instead of long-grain white rice, you prefer egg noodles instead. Then go for it! Or add whichever other veggies you love the most.

Family-favorite: It’s not just you who’ll love this recipe, but your entire family! It’s a soup that kids and adults love alike and feels and tastes comforting and nostalgic.

Comforting: Speaking of family favorites, I just had to add this point separately because if you follow my recipe you’ll also know just how comforting and delicious this soup is. It’s truly one of a kind and I’m sure you’re going to fall in love with it!

What You Need to Make Leftover Turkey Soup at Home

This simple yet delicious leftover turkey soup is about to steal your heart! And the best part is that you only need some pantry-staple ingredients to get going:

• Leftover turkey meat: First of all, of course, we’ll need some leftover cooked turkey meat! This will add the perfect base of flavors and pack the soup with protein!
• Potatoes: You’ll also need some medium potatoes to add flavor and body to the soup, and to get it the right consistency as well cooking the potatoes will thicken the soup base.
• Carrots: For the perfect flavor, we’ll also be using some carrots in our delicious leftover turkey soup.
• Water: We’ll also need some water to boil our potatoes and carrots to get the right consistency of the veggies and the soup itself!
• Bay leaves: Bay leaves add a beautiful and classic aroma to your soup, and help give it that nostalgic feel and taste!
• Chicken bouillon: We’ll also be using some chicken bouillon to get the perfect chicken broth beautiful flavor and richness in your soup. Alternatively, you can make your own turkey stock using the turkey carcass or turkey bone..
• Olive oil: You’ll also need a little olive oil since we’ll be sauteing the shredded carrots along with some spices and seasonings for a one-of-a-kind soup!
• Mrs. Dash seasoning: This delicious seasoning mix makes all the difference and is my secret weapon for making the most delicious dishes ever! It combines lovely herbs, spices, and aromatics such as black pepper, onion powder, celery seed, thyme, garlic, oregano, and even lemon juice powder for the ideal mix.
• Salt: We’ll be using two different types of salt for this recipe, namely garlic salt, and regular sea salt or kosher salt. They both enhance the flavors of the soup in different ways and truly make it the tastiest soup ever!
• Rice: To make the soup filling, heart, and comforting, we’ll also be using some long-grain white rice (you may use brown rice or wild rice) in this soup recipe.
• Parsley: As one of the last steps, we’ll also be adding in some fresh parsley for a stunning presentation and flavor.
• Dill: Similar to the parsley, we’ll also simultaneously add some dill to our tasty soup.

How to Make Leftover Turkey Soup (Step-by-Step)

Making this leftover turkey soup is incredibly easy, making it perfect for the day after Thanksgiving! Here’s what you need to do step by step to make this soup at home:

Start by first of all peeling, and rinsing vegetables: potatoes, and carrots. 

Cube the potatoes after rinsing them once. Rinsing helps to get excess starch from the potatoes which gives incredible results. Then, slice the smaller half of each carrot and grate the larger end. Set aside until ready for use.

Into a large cast iron pot or Dutch oven on a stovetop add water, 3 bay leaves, and ½ tsp. of sea salt. Bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, and add cubed potatoes, and sliced carrots.

Also, add leftover Thanksgiving turkey meat, and chicken bouillon and let it simmer for 10 minutes.

While the soup is simmering sauté the carrots. To do this, heat a small frying pan over medium heat, and add shredded carrots, 1 tbsp. of olive oil, salt, Mrs. Dash seasoning, and garlic salt to it. Sauté for 5 minutes stirring every minute or so.

Now add sauté carrots to the soup, and well-rinsed rice as well, and let it simmer for 10 more minutes. Then add parsley and dill.

Once done, remove the soup pot from the heat and let it rest for 20 minutes before serving. Your delicious Leftover Turkey Soup is ready to be served in bowls for a hearty combination!

How to Store Leftover Turkey Soup

This soup is absolutely perfect with incredible flavors. You can easily store any leftovers you may have in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

You can also freeze this soup in the freezer, but I recommend doing that before adding in any rice or pasta since they can lose their texture. Allow it to thaw in the fridge overnight before warming it up on the stove or in the microwave.

More Soup Recipes You'll Love

• Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
• Instant Pot Beef Stew
• Easy Broccoli and Cheddar Soup
• Instant Pot Chicken Split Pea Soup
• Vegetable Beef and Bean Soup
• The Best Zuppa Toscana Soup with Homemade Sausage
• Red Borscht Soup Recipe

Recipe Card

Perfect Leftover Turkey Soup Recipe (Classic + Comforting)

Valya's Taste of Home

Take advantage of your holiday extras by using your leftover turkey to make this delicious Leftover Turkey Soup! It's heartwarming and truly comforting.

5 from 8 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 25 minutes mins

Course Soup

Cuisine American

Servings 10

Ingredients

  

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Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey Rice Soup Ingredients

• ▢ 12 cups – water
• ▢ 3 - bay leaves
• ▢ 4 - medium potatoes
• ▢ 3 - large carrots
• ▢ 1 lb. – leftover turkey meat (any kind)
• ▢ 1 tbsp. – organic chicken bullion
• ▢ 1 tbsp. – olive oil
• ▢ 1 tsp. – Mrs. Dash seasoning
• ▢ 1 tsp. – garlic salt
• ▢ ½ tsp. – sea salt + ½ tsp. for the soup or to taste
• ▢ ½ cup – long white rice
• ▢ 2 tbsp. - fresh parsley
• ▢ 1 tbs. – frozen fresh dill

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Instructions

 

How to Make Leftover Turkey Soup

• ▢
  Making this leftover turkey soup is incredibly easy, making it perfect for the day after Thanksgiving! Here’s what you need to do step by step to make this soup at home:
• ▢
  Start by first of all peeling, and rinsing potatoes and carrots.
• ▢
  Cube the potatoes after rinsing them once. Rinsing helps to get excess starch from the potatoes which gives incredible results. Then, slice the smaller half of each carrot and grate the larger end. Set aside until ready for use.
• ▢
  Into a large cast iron pot or Dutch oven on a stovetop add water, 3 bay leaves, and ½ tsp. of sea salt. Bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, and add cubed potatoes, and sliced carrots.
• ▢
  Also, add leftover Thanksgiving turkey meat, and chicken bouillon and let it simmer for 10 minutes.
• ▢
  While the soup is simmering sauté the carrots. To do this, heat a small frying pan over medium heat, and add shredded carrots, 1 tbsp. of olive oil, salt, Mrs. Dash seasoning, and garlic salt to it. Sauté for 5 minutes stirring every minute or so.
• ▢
  Now add sauté carrots to the soup, and well-rinsed rice as well, and let it simmer for 10 more minutes. Then add parsley and dill.
• ▢
  Once done, remove the soup pot from the heat and let it rest for 20 minutes before serving. Your delicious Leftover Turkey Soup is ready to be served in bowls for a hearty combination!

Keyword leftover Thanksgiving turkey soup, leftover turkey soup, turkey rice soup

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This recipe was originally posted on November 22, 2017 (original picture below), and updated for a better user experience. The post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure.