This Turkey Soup recipe is easy to make from scratch with leftover turkey, flavorful broth, and vegetables! Add-on options include rice, potatoes, pasta, and lots of vegetables!

Be sure to try my Chicken and Wild Rice Soup and Chicken and Dumplings next!

Turkey Soup in a green soup pot with a ladle on the side.

Turkey Soup

When the holidays are over, this Turkey Soup is the first thing that I make! (I usually make it when it’s still Thanksgiving day. 😂) This soup freezes so well, I make it with leftover chicken or turkey and keep it in my freezer all year round!

I love getting creative with the different add-on options (pasta, rice, tortellini, potatoes, and lots of vegetable options)-I’ll tell you how each can be added below! Don’t miss my PRO tips as well! 

Feel free to make this with homemade stock instead of chicken broth!

How to Make It

See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.

Soften the mirepoix (onions, carrots, celery) in butter.  Add the garlic, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, bay leaf, and seasonings. 

Mirepoix in a pot before and after cooking with a bay leaf and seasonings being added.

Add the chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Add the turkey. Simmer gently for 20 minutes. 

Adding broth and turkey to a soup pot to make turkey soup.

Cook the pasta separately and add it directly to serving bowls. Ladle the soup on top. If you don’t anticipate leftovers, cooked pasta can be added right to the soup pot.

A colander with cooked bowtie noodles next to a pot with turkey soup.

Crock Pot Method

  • Melt the butter in the Crock Pot. Add the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic and toss to coat.
  • Add the seasonings, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, turkey, and broth.
  • Cook on low for 6 hours. Cook pasta separately and add it to serving bowls. Ladle the soup on top and serve!

Pro Tips

  • This is even better if made with homemade stock – it’s the perfect way to utilize leftover turkey!
  • You can also add leftover bones/wings, etc. to the broth in this soup for more flavor, then remove prior to serving. Feel free to add some leftover gravy as well! 
  • Add a Parmesan rind to the broth while it simmers for even more savory flavor!
  • Sometimes I’ll add  cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup to this (about 10 oz.) It adds nice depth of flavor. You can use a can for convenience purposes as well. If the broth becomes too salty, I’ll add a little milk, cream, or water. 
  • The hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and mustard powder are flavor enhancers in this soup that can’t be tasted outright. The hot sauce doesn’t make it spicy. I use Frank’s Hot Sauce. 
  • Important: The pasta is added to serving bowls in this recipe instead of the soup pot. If pasta is stored with leftover soup, it absorbs a great deal of broth and becomes mushy. The same goes for rice.
  • Top this soup with Ranch Oyster Crackers for even more flavor, or pair this with my crusty, airy, No Knead Bread for dipping!

A soup pot filled with Turkey Soup with vegetables, bowtie pasta, and a ladle on the side.

What to Add to Turkey Soup

This recipe outlines how to add bow tie pasta, but there are lots of add-on options that are great in this soup. Here is how to incorporate each option:

Tortellini:

  • This is one of my favorites, I use Rana 5-cheese tortellini, but any variety is really good . I boil the tortellini on the side and add it directly to serving bowls. It only needs 4 minutes of cooking time! (You can also boil it in the microwave!)

Rice:

  • Chicken and Rice Soup is a classic. I use 2 + 1/4 cups of cooked rice. I cook the rice on the side and add it right to serving bowls to make sure that rice doesn’t absorb all of the broth when I store leftovers.

Pasta:

  • Orzo, acini de pepe, elbows, shells, ditalini, and orecchiette are all small pastas that make a great addition to this soup. (I would use 3/4 cup dry pasta.) I recommend boiling it separately and adding directly to serving bowls, as pasta will absorb the broth during storage.

Potatoes:

  • Red potatoes are always a great candidate for soup because they hold up the best. Yukon golds are also creamy and delicious in this soup. Dice them up and give them about 20 minutes of simmering time in the soup, or until they are fork tender. Be careful not to overcook them as they can become crumbling and fall apart, especially if you plan on freezing leftovers.
  • (Be sure to try my creamy chicken potato soup next!)

Vegetables:

  • 1 cup of frozen vegetables can be added during the last 10-15 minutes. (I like using corn, green beans, peas, etc.) Squash and zucchini can be added at this time too.
  • Spinach and kale can be added during the last 3-5 minutes.

Storage

  • Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. This soup makes an excellent freezer meal. Just be sure not to store this soup with pasta/rice, as it will absorb all of the broth.

A bowl of Turkey Soup with vegetables and bowtie pasta with a spoon on the side.

Tools For This Recipe

(Amazon affiliate links)- Check out all of my kitchen essentials here.

  • 4.5 Quart Dutch Oven– This is the one I use that’s pictured in this recipe.
  • Food Storage Containers– These are what I use to freeze this in bulk!
  • Better Than Bouillon– This is what I always use for broth in my recipes. It takes very little space and makes it easy to measure out customized amounts of broth.
  • Silicone Spatula– To “clean” the pot throughout cooking, which incorporates flavor into the broth. It’s nice and gentle on the surface of your cookware. 
  • Measuring Spoons– I have these magnetic ones which stay nice and organized in my utensil drawer.
  • Pinch Bowls– For measuring seasonings, etc. ahead of time.
  • Soup Ladle
  • 16 oz. storage containers. I use these to store/freeze my soups. They have 8 oz. sizes as well. They’re stackable, leak proof, and dishwasher/microwave safe.

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Turkey Soup in a green soup pot with vegetables, turkey, and pasta.

Turkey Soup

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
5 from 33 ratings
Servings: 6 servings
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This Turkey Soup recipe is easy to make with leftover turkey, flavorful broth, and vegetables! Add on options include rice, potatoes, pasta, and lots of vegetables!

Ingredients

US Customary - Metric
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 small yellow onion, diced
  • 2 ribs celery, diced
  • 1 cup carrots, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon hot sauce
  • 8 cups chicken broth, can sub turkey broth or stock
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 3 cups leftover turkey, diced/shredded
  • 1 cup bowtie pasta, uncooked

Seasonings

  • 1 teaspoon EACH: dried basil, oregano, parsley, mustard powder
  • ¼ teaspoon EACH: ground sage, pepper

Instructions

  • Melt butter in a large (4.5 quart) soup pot over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, and celery and soften for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, bay leaf, and seasonings. Stir to combine.
  • (Pro Tip: Add a Parmesan rind or any leftover turkey bones to the soup for even more flavor!)
  • Add the chicken broth and bring the soup to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and add the diced turkey.
  • Simmer gently, uncovered, for 15 minutes.
  • Boil the pasta separately until al dente. Drain and add directly to serving bowls. Ladle the soup on top. (Don’t add the pasta directly to the soup pot, it’ll absorb a lot of broth and become mushy during storage.)
  • See blog post for how to incorporate tortellini and other kinds of pasta as well as rice and potatoes!

Notes

Pro Tips:
  • This is even better if made with homemade stock - it's the perfect way to utilize leftover turkey!
  • You can also add leftover bones/wings, etc. to the broth in this soup for more flavor, then remove prior to serving. Feel free to add some leftover gravy as well! 
  • Add a Parmesan rind to the broth while it simmers for even more savory flavor!
  • Sometimes I'll add  cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup to this (about 10 oz.) It adds nice depth of flavor. You can use a can for convenience purposes as well. If the broth becomes too salty, I'll add a little milk, cream, or water. 
  • The hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and mustard powder are flavor enhancers in this soup that can't be tasted outright. The hot sauce doesn't make it spicy. I use Frank's Hot Sauce. 
  • Important: The pasta is added to serving bowls in this recipe instead of the soup pot. If pasta is stored with leftover soup, it absorbs a great deal of broth and becomes mushy. The same goes for rice.
  • Top this soup with Ranch Oyster Crackers for even more flavor, or pair this with my crusty, airy, No Knead Bread for dipping!
Crock Pot Method:
  • Melt the butter in the Crock Pot. Add the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic and toss to coat.
  • Add the seasonings, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, bay leaf, turkey, and broth.
  • Cook on low for 6 hours.
  • Cook pasta separately and add it to serving bowls. Ladle the soup on top and serve!
Storage:
  • Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. This soup makes an excellent freezer meal. Just be sure not to store this soup with rice/pasta as it will absorb all of the broth.
Nutritional information is an estimate and is per serving. This recipe makes 6 servings. (Each serving is about 1.5 cups.)

Nutrition

Calories: 242kcal, Carbohydrates: 13g, Protein: 24g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 100mg, Sodium: 1410mg, Potassium: 352mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 3729IU, Vitamin C: 4mg, Calcium: 44mg, Iron: 1mg
Did you try this recipe?Mention @TheCozyCook on Instagram or tag #thecozycook!
Course: Soup
Cuisine: American
Author: Stephanie