Turkey Soup: A Thanksgiving Leftover Favorite

Make this Turkey Soup when you need a bowl of comfort that is so satisfying and delicious. Whether you’re using up leftover Thanksgiving turkey or preparing it from scratch, this turkey soup is packed with flavor, vegetables, and the kind of ingredients that make you feel fantastic. You can use what you have on hand to make the perfect soup!

A Note from Teri

In keeping with tip to tail, I absolutely delight in making my annual homemade turkey soup. This soup that my family has been waiting for all year is the reason I do two Thanksgiving turkeys and all those confit turkey legs. I place all the bones and carcasses (picked clean) in a large pot, cover with water, and add goodies like onions, carrots, and cilantro then gently cook for several hours before the arduous task of draining, straining, and removing. Delicious and worth the wait. I sometimes make a turkey in February, because I long for this soup. But if I’m having a group of friends over and happen to roast couple of chickens, this soup is delightful made with them instead.

This turkey soup recipe is the kind that simmers in your kitchen all afternoon and makes the house smell amazing. It doesn’t take much work to make, but it’s the kind of food that feeds the soul. It is the absolute perfect meal for the day after Thanksgiving. Save your turkey carcass and leftovers to make this recipe. Serve it with some stuffing or mashed potatoes for the best Thanksgiving leftover twist.

Make some turkey sandwiches to serve with your soup for the most delightful combination.

How to Serve Your Turkey Soup

This turkey soup is great on it’s own. It’s packed with protein from the broth and chicken breast, vegetables, and a bit of rice for the perfect luscious soup.

Serve it alongside other Thanksgiving leftovers like mashed potatoes, Roy’s stuffing, or my mom’s stuffing. If you made some green beans for your meal, add those to the soup as well. If you want to thicken it up a bit, add some leftover gravy to the soup. For a bit of comfort on the side, grab some leftover corn souffle or gluten-free corn souffle.

Ingredients for A Homemade Turkey Soup Recipe

• Turkey Carcasses, picked clean, along with any leftover roast turkey bones, including Turkey Confit legs, saving and separating all the any desirable meat for the soup 
• Carrots  
• Celery stalks
• Onion
• Cilantro
• Kosher salt and black pepper
• Chicken breast, bone-in and skin-on
• White rice
• Real maple syrup 
• Crushed tomatoes
• Chopped parsley

Variations

I use white rice in this recipe, but you can certainly use any kind of rice. A wild rice blend or brown rice will work as well. For a turkey noodle soup, you can use egg noodles.

This leftover turkey soup can be totally customized with what you have on hand. Use any of your leftovers to bulk up your soup. If you have any leftover aromatics or herbs, like cloves garlic, fresh thyme, rosemary, bay leaf or or sage leaves, add those to simmer in your broth. With leftover lemons, you could add a bit of lemon juice to brighten up your soup as well.

For a spicy soup, add a bit of red pepper flakes to taste. If you want it creamier, you could thicken the broth with some all purpose flour or add a splash of heavy cream. For a bit more greens, kale or spinach would be great additions.

How to Make Turkey Soup

Make the Turkey Stock

In a very large stock pot or dutch oven, over medium-high heat, combine the turkey bone leftovers, 2 whole carrots, 3 celery stalks, ½ an onion and just enough water to cover everything. Add 1 tablespoon salt, stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about three hours. Add the chicken breast and poach for 15 – 20 more minutes. Turn off the heat.

Remove the chicken breast and shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Set aside. Begin to empty the large pieces out of the pot. Then strain, drain, retain: strain everything that remains, leaving just the beautiful liquid. 

Add Rice and Vegetables

Add the golden turkey liquid back into the stock pot over medium heat. Then add the rice and cook for 10 minutes. Stir in the remaining carrots, remaining celery, remaining onions, cooking for 10 more minutes or until the rice is fully cooked. For a more caramelized flavor, you could saute the vegetables in olive oil prior to adding the stock back into the pot.

Add the crushed tomatoes, remaining ½ teaspoon salt, the maple syrup, roasted turkey meat, and shredded chicken, stir to combine. Turn off heat. Serve topped with parsley and enjoy!

How to Store & Freeze Your Soup

Allow the soup to cool to room temperature, then transfer it to an airtight container. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.

For longer storage, freeze the soup in portions. Make sure to let it cool completely before transferring to freezer-safe bags or containers. It will stay fresh for up to 3 months. To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge and warm on the stovetop.

Let me know if you try this recipe, or if you have your own turkey soup variations to share. I’d love to hear how you make this your own!

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