Let me guess.
You got really excited to host Thanksgiving dinner this year and you bought a gigantic turkey to feed the crowd…
…and now you have tons of leftover turkey.
Did I get that right?
This happens a lot over the holidays. Our eyes are way bigger than our stomachs and we have a lot of leftover turkey!
I’ll tell you a secret: I’m not a huge turkey fan. My holiday dinner love is mashed potatoes so I usually have a lot of those on my plate – oh and I love gravy!
But turkey? Meh. I definitely go for the dark meat when I have the choice.
Ok so you have a lot of leftover turkey so here is what you do:
- Tell everyone to bring take-out containers so they can bring home some turkey
- Make turkey sandwiches for a week straight until it’s all gone, OR
- Make a big batch of this delicious turkey soup!
This is the easiest soup recipe you could make and you can change it up based on the protein and other veggies you have.
I just happen to be using turkey here, but you can most definitely substitute leftover chicken or white beans or chickpeas for a vegetarian option. It’s also a great recipe to use up any leftover bits and bites of food you have in the fridge so it doesn’t go to waste.
Find the Easy Turkey Soup Recipe below and check out the end of the post to see variations of this that would be delicious!
Easy Turkey Soup Recipe
Equipment
- Medium/Large Soup Pot
- Knife + Cutting Board
- Spoon/Ladle for stirring
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil Avocado oil would work well here too
- 2-3 Carrots Diced
- 2-3 Celery Stalks Diced
- 1 Onion Diced
- 1 cup Swiss Chard, Kale or other Greens Optional
- 1/4 cup Fresh Oregano or 1 tbsp dried
- 6-8 cups Turkey Stock, Veggie Stock, Water or Chicken Stock I used Turkey Bone Broth
- 1-2 cups Turkey (mix of dark and white is nice!) shredded or diced
- 1 cup Rice cooked
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat up a big soup pot and add the olive oil
- Add the carrots, celery and onion and sauté for about 7 minutes or so
- Add the oregano and turkey to the pot and cook for another 3 minutes or so
- Add the stock and bring to a boil, then bring it down to a simmer
- Cook until the veggies are tender, about 10-15 minutes.
- Add the rice and greens and stir again until the greens are wilted
- Taste to adjust the seasoning.
Recipe Variations
There are so many ways to change up this soup to make it work for you and your family! Here are some ideas:
- Use cilantro or parsley to replace the oregano in the recipe. Cilantro and turkey are a match made in heaven!
- Use leftover quinoa or wild rice to replace the regular rice. Small cut pasta like macaroni or ditalini would be a great fit as well.
- Skip the turkey and use chickpeas or navy beans for a vegetarian/vegan option.
- Add garlic and a tsp of ginger for a flavour punch.
Keep this recipe in your back pocket for the season because it truly is a keeper since it can be changed up with many ingredients you likely have in the fridge and cupboard.
When you make it, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram at @lealoucooks
If you want more great recipes like this, try my Soups + Stews Recipe book which has 14 delicious and warming recipes to make all winter long.
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P.P.S. Get more recipe ideas here.
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