My savory Turkey Soup with leftover turkey is a delicious and easy way to use up extra turkey from a holiday feast or even from a turkey breast. It is packed with many different hearty and comforting ingredients you might have had around a holiday table. But even if you didn’t have some of these for a celebration even, you can make this soup and I will tell you how to make it with just the leftover turkey itself. Save this to Pinterest so you can make it!
When I was younger, we would all go over to my grandma’s the day after Thanksgiving – even if we had just been there for the holiday – to eat the leftovers. Many of my family members still did this until we let go of her house in 2024 and lost her this year. But my entire life, the day after Thanksgiving leftovers at grandma’s house has really a time honored tradition in our family. Although, a few years ago I decided I didn’t want another turkey sandwich or just to heat up my leftovers. Instead I decided to make this
The inspiration
As you know I’m a big soup person. I love making soups because not only do they taste delicious, but they’re also easy, usually lower in calories and a great way to incorporate your daily dose of vegetables. Instead of eating turkey sandwiches on repeat, I decided to make Turkey Soup with leftover turkey one year and it was a big hit. The inspiration for this recipe came from a cooking show. The cook ( I don’t remember who) was making dinner on a Friday night from the week’s meatloaf leftovers. That sounded like a great idea to me and I loved that she used up food that might have gone to waste. That one idea led me to create this recipe.
The turkey soup with leftover turkey I’m sharing with you is honestly more of a guide for you to follow. The final taste will depend on your turkey seasonings and the mashed potatoes you use (or if you use them at all). But, this is one of the most flavorful soups I’ve ever created and I really think you will enjoy all the flavors as well.
***Originally posted in 2020. updated 2025.
Make Turkey Soup with leftover turkey throughout the year
When I originally made my turkey soup with leftover turkey, I did not wait until Thanksgiving because I wanted it to be done early for the website. However, I also wanted to show how easily it could be made year-round if you were making just a simple turkey breast.
I made a large turkey breast in the slow cooker. I used the following dried herbs to season the turkey before adding it to the slow cooker: basil, oregano, bay leaf, Italian seasoning, rosemary, garlic salt and pepper. It was cooked with a cup of chicken broth for added flavor. Lastly, I also added a few sprigs of oregano, rosemary and thyme. I can never get enough for fresh herbs. We ate this for dinner one night with mashed potatoes and then made the soup the next night.
Ingredients in my Turkey Soup with leftover turkey
The main ingredients in this recipe features leftover turkey, onion, garlic, chicken stock, green beans, corn, some fresh herbs and mashed potatoes. Since mashed potatoes are a common holiday side dish I really wanted to make sure I used them in the recipe and to help flavor the broth. However, if you do not have mashed potatoes, you can use heavy cream in place of them to get the broth just as creamy. Or you can just leave them out and leave the cream out and have more of a standard turkey soup with leftovers and clear broth.
If you do want to use mashed potatoes for this recipe but do not have them, you can try my creamy Golden Mashed Potatoes {HERE}. Or you can use pre-made mashed potatoes from the store. Just do not use the Instant mashed potatoes made from powder.
Make it in the Dutch oven or slow cooker
I like to make this recipe for Turkey Soup with leftover turkey in the Dutch oven. It takes about one hour to make it and let it simmer. However, you can also make it in the slow cooker. It is a nice hands-off approach if you are tired of cooking.
Adding to the recipe
Feel free to add other vegetables as you like. Carrots would be great as would celery or even peas. However, if you do want peas, add them about 2 minutes before the soup is done cooking. Broccoli, spinach and kale would also work well.
Saving and reheating leftovers
The turkey soup with leftover turkey makes a very large pot of soup. To save any leftovers, add them to an air tight container in the refrigerator. You can reheat on the stove on low for 30 minutes or in the microwaved for 3 minutes. You might need to add more chicken stock when reheating.
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Thank you so much for stopping by friends! I hope that you will come back to visit us again here at Sugar Maple Farmhouse! You can find the full recipe for my turkey soup with leftovers below. Happy eating.
Turkey Soup with Leftover Turkey
Equipment
- Dutch oven or slow cooker
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 large white onion, diced
- 3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
- 32 oz + 1 cup chicken stock
- 4 cups or more of leftover turkey
- 2 cups mashed potatoes OR 1 cup of heavy cream If you do not have mashed potatoes or do not want to use them heavy cream can be substituted.
- 1-2 cups green beans, cut to about 2 inches long
- 1 cup corn
- 2 Tbsp. fresh oregano leaves, chopped
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 1 Tbsp. dried oregano
- 1 Tbsp. dried basil
- 1 Tbsp. garlic salt
- 1 Tbsp. pepper
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- Additional salt and pepper to taste
- Topping Options: Pepper, breadcrumbs, additional fresh herbs or cheese.
Instructions
To make the Turkey Soup with leftover turkey in the Slow Cooker
- Add the extra virgin olive oil to the slow cooker if it has a sauté setting and heat it. Then add the onions and garlic, stirring continuously until they are soft. About 4-5 minutes. **If you do not have a sauté setting on the slow cooker do this part in a pan on the stove.**
- Next add in the chicken stock, turkey and all of the other ingredients except the mashed potatoes/heavy cream. Set the slow cooker on low and cook for 6 hours.
- One hour before the soup is done, mix in the mashed potatoes or heavy cream. Recover and continue to cook.
- When the soup is done, serve immediately and top with extra fresh herbs, cheese or breadcrumbs. Additional salt and pepper to taste.
Instructions for making the soup in the Dutch oven
- Add olive oil to Dutch Oven and heat through. Once the oil is warm add the diced onions and garlic. Mix continuously until they are translucent.
- Add in the chicken stock and bring everything to a light boil. Then turn the heat to a simmer.
- Add in the leftover turkey, mashed potatoes/heavy cream, green beans, corn, the fresh herbs and the dried herbs. Simmer everything together for 40 minutes.
- When the time is up, remove from heat and serve immediately. Top with bread crumbs, fresh herbs, sea salt and freshly ground pepper if desired
- ****If you are adding anything like peas, spinach and kale, add them about 2 minutes before the soup is done cooking. The kale and spinach will color the soup so you just want them to become limp before serving.***
Your turkey sound sounds really delicious. I love a good soup, especially in this colder weather.
Now this is how you do leftovers! I can’t wait to make these. We always have leftovers, and I never know what to do with them.
Why have I never thought of making turkey soup? Like my brain thought of chicken soup but not turkey soup! This is the perfect leftover option!
This is a great idea for the leftover turkey. My husband would love this soup.
This looks so good. It would be perfect for leftover turkey from Thanksgiving too. I’ll be trying this with our leftovers for sure.
This looks like Heaven! I’m totally making this!
Wow this soup looks so good. Turkey soup needs to be in my cookbook!
Now this is a delicious way to use leftover turkey. This soup is just loaded with flavor. I so want a bowl right now.
Sounds so relaxing,I love soups so much. Especially when it has meat on it. Thanks!
This looks delicious!! I need to make this for dinner to warm up after a long day at work!
I love this with the green beans! What a delightful way to use of that leftover turkey!
I am drooling over this soup! I love hearty and delicious soups like this! I will make it tonight!
Wow, this is a super tasty soup, I’m so excited to try it. BTW, thanks for sharing!
Oh my gosh, that looks amazing and perfect for the fall season!
I love recipes that use up leftover turkey! Soup would be great, especially because the more you reheat the turkey, the tougher it gets. This looks delicious!
This is such a healthy recipe! I love soups but never tried The Turkey Soup. This is easy to follow so I’ll definitely give your recipe a try 🙂
I am definitely saving this recipe! This will be perfect for me for Thanksgiving because I’m on a Paleo diet.
Thanks for this soup idea! Will have to use it for Thanksgiving Turkey leftovers!
I was just wondering what I was going to do with our leftover turkey. This recipe sounds delicious!!! My family loves soups and I have all the ingredients, yay!
Give me any soup, especially homemade, any time.
This looks delicious! I’ll definitely be making this with leftover Turkey this year. Thank you for sharing!
It is good to have some ideas for how to use up those Thanksgiving leftovers – this sounds great!
Turkey soup has always been my favorite to have after Thanksgiving
This looks like a good way to use up turkey and veggies. Sounds like an easy recipe and a great fall dish for this cooler weather.
Great recipe! I have so much left over turkey and was looking for something to do with it!
I never know what to make with leftover turkey. Thank you for sharing. Definitely making this recipe.
I need to make this for sure. We do have leftover turkey and I don’t want it to go to waste.
This looks amazing, can’t wait to try it!
What a perfect time to read this recipe. I bet this would do wonders with leftover turkey..
I luv to eat soup and no just when I’m sick. I especially love to eat it when it’s particularly cold outside. Plus this sounds amazing! I’ll have to try it out!
This is such a great use of Thanksgiving leftovers!
This is perfect for all the leftovers. It is also perfect for this cold day that we are having.
The pictures of your soup recipe just show how fresh and wholesome this soup is! All the veggies are from your own farm!
Yum. This soup would be a perfect way to use up that last bit of turkey. I love soup especially when it’s cold outside.
Wow! This looks absolutely delicious and tasty! I would really love to try this recipe!
Looks delicious and a great way to use up all those turkey leftovers.
YUM we do this too such a great idea and way to use the whole turkey!
This was so delicious! A perfect post-Thanksgiving warm soup. My kids and family members loved it!
Such a great use of leftovers – can’t wait to try!
I pinned this one for next year as this is a fabulous and delicious way to reuses those leftovers. My husband would love this too! Thank you!
This is a wonderful way to use your leftovers and make a great homemade soup. That is so good and delious too.
That’s a nice looking soup, looks like it would go easy on your stomach which is good around the holidays!
What a wonderful way to use up those Thanksgiving day leftovers. I love the addition of the stuffing on top.
Perfect for left over turkey and so cozy!!!
I haven’t yet tried any Turkey dishes! The soup looks so good 😍. I can try making this at home for me and my family ❤️.
This soup is so rich and flavorful! Love the idea to use turkey!
I’ve never had turkey soup before. That looks good. Would be perfect on this rainy day.