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Make an old-fashioned leftover turkey soup with loads of vegetables and savory turkey broth. Use a turkey carcass for richer flavor and add noodles for classic comfort.
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Our Turkey Soup Tradition
Every year, after our Thanksgiving feast, I look forward to turning our turkey leftovers into a warm, comforting turkey soup. My roast turkey breast recipe always leaves us with the perfect base—a flavorful carcass and plenty of leftover meat.
I make my turkey carcass soup a day or two after Thanksgiving, storing the carcass overnight in the fridge so I can take a break from cooking. If I'm short on time, I'll freeze the carcass and turkey meat to make the soup later. This recipe is a breeze to prepare, the soup freezes beautifully, and it always feels like a cozy hug in a bowl.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
This turkey soup is a great way to use up holiday leftovers or meal prep for the week ahead. With options to make turkey soup with the carcass, or shredded leftover turkey and store-bought stock, it’s adaptable to any cooking level. It’s also freezer-friendly, so you can enjoy it later when you need a quick, comforting meal.
Ingredients You’ll Need for Leftover Turkey Soup
- Olive oil: Adds a touch of richness and helps soften the vegetables.
- Onion: Brings sweetness and depth to the soup base.
- Celery: Adds a classic savory flavor and texture.
- Carrots: Provide natural sweetness and color to the soup.
- Garlic: Infuses the soup with warm, aromatic flavor.
- Poultry seasoning: A blend of herbs that enhances the turkey flavor.
- Salt and black pepper: Balance and brighten all the flavors.
- Turkey stock or chicken broth: The flavorful liquid base for the soup.
- Leftover turkey: Tender and full of flavor, the star of the dish.
If you're making turkey carcass soup, you'll also need these ingredients:
- Turkey carcass: The leftover bones and frame of the turkey after most of the meat has been removed. It’s packed with flavor and nutrients, making it the perfect base for a rich, homemade broth.
- Water: Used to simmer and extract the flavors from the carcass.
- Optional aromatics: Onion, celery, carrots, and bay leaf add extra flavor.
How to Make Turkey Soup
Option 1: Turkey Soup Without Carcass
Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and carrots, and cook until softened.
Add garlic, poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper, then sauté until fragrant. Add in chicken broth or homemade turkey stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and let it simmer for 15–20 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Stir in shredded turkey and simmer for 5–10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
Serve warm with your favorite bread or crackers.
Option 2: Turkey Soup With Carcass
Remove any tender meat from the carcass and set it aside for later. Place the carcass in a large pot and cover it with water. You're welcome to add onions, celery, carrots, or aromatics like rosemary, thyme, garlic such as I do with my turkey stock recipe. I don't always do that for turkey soup as you can see in these photos–still tastes like liquid gold.
Simmer the mixture gently for 1–3 hours, skimming off foam as needed. Allow the broth to cool slightly, then strain it through a fine mesh strainer to remove bones and debris.
Your turkey carcass broth is ready to use in your turkey soup! You can transfer it to a food storage container for later use. As it cools in the refrigerator, you can skim and remove the fat that settles on the surface.
Tips for Beginners
- Swap the turkey stock for store-bought chicken broth or homemade turkey stock.
- Short on time to make the soup? Freeze the carcass and leftover turkey by wrapping it in a zip top freezer bag and store for up to 3 months. Make it when you're ready!
- Add rice, noodles, or extra vegetables like zucchini or spinach to make this turkey soup heartier.
- To ensure a clear broth for turkey carcass soup, skim the foam from the surface while simmering the carcass.
Recipe variations
- Turkey Noodle Soup: Add uncooked noodles to the simmering soup and cook until tender, or cook them separately and add when serving. Use egg noodles for a traditional approach, or use your favorite pasta.
- Thicker Soup: Stir a mix of 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 2 tablespoons cold water into the soup and simmer until thickened.
- Vegetable-Packed Soup: Add zucchini, green beans, frozen peas, or spinach. Add delicate veggies like spinach or peas in the last 5 minutes.
- Gluten-Free Option: Use gluten-free noodles or skip them entirely. Check your broth and seasonings are gluten-free.
Serving Ideas
Pair this turkey soup with French bread, kale salad, pull-apart cheese bread, or cornbread. Grab these leftover turkey recipes too!
I hope this recipe becomes as much of a post-Thanksgiving tradition for your family as it is for mine. This soup is the perfect way to make the most of your holiday meal. We also love these recipes using leftover turkey breast!
Don’t forget to leave a comment below and share your favorite add-ins or tips—I’d love to hear from you! Check out my chicken and tortellini soup recipe too!
📖 Recipe
Turkey Soup Recipe
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Video
Note about scaling
When scaling, the light gray ingredient notes after the comma don’t change. Adjust as needed.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1 large Onion, diced (about 2 cups)
- 3 large Celery Ribs, diced (about 1 ½ cups)
- 2 large Carrots, diced (about 2 cups)
- 3 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon Poultry Seasoning
- 1 teaspoon Salt, or more to taste
- ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
- 2 quarts Turkey Stock, or chicken broth
- 1 pound Shredded Turkey, about 4 cups
- Fresh Parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Heat a 4.5 quart soup pot over medium-high heat. Add OLIVE OIL and heat until shimmering.
- Add the ONION, CELERY, and CARROTS. Sauté for 5–7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften.
- Add the GARLIC, POULTRY SEASONING, SALT, and BLACK PEPPER to the pot. Cook for another 1–2 minutes, stirring frequently, until the garlic is fragrant.
- Pour in the TURKEY STOCK and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for 15–20 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
- Stir in the SHREDDED TURKEY and simmer for an additional 5–10 minutes, until the turkey is warmed through.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning with more SALT or BLACK PEPPER, if needed.
- Serve the soup hot, garnished with fresh herbs or a squeeze of lemon juice for added brightness, if desired.
Recipe Notes
Visit the blog post above for step-by-step photos!
- Remove any remaining tender meat from the turkey carcass and set it aside.
- Place the carcass in a large pot and add enough cold water to fully cover it.
- Bring the water to a gentle simmer and cook for 1 to 3 hours, or longer if desired. Skim off any foam or impurities that rise to the surface during cooking.
- Allow the broth to cool until it’s safe to handle. Strain the liquid through a fine mesh strainer to remove the bones and any debris.
- Use the strained broth in place of the turkey stock in the turkey soup recipe above, starting with step one.
- Swap the turkey stock for store-bought chicken broth or homemade turkey stock.
- Short on time to make the soup? Freeze the carcass and leftover turkey by wrapping it in a zip top freezer bag and store for up to 3 months. Make it when you're ready!
- Add rice, noodles, or extra vegetables like zucchini or spinach to make this turkey soup heartier.
Nutrition
Nutrition facts are estimates and may vary based on brands, ingredients, and portions.
Lynn says
I made this soup using the turkey carcass, I didn’t have any poultry seasoning so I just chopped and added some rosemary and thyme, I also popped some orzo in and we loved the soup, I have stored some in the freezer as there is only two of us to have as and when we want it.
Will definitely make this soup again as very easy to do and tasty more so the next day after all the flavours have infused in the broth.
Traci says
Yay!! I couldn't agree more about next-day flavors 🙂 Thank you so much for making my recipe and for taking the time to leave a review and your poultry seasoning workaround. So glad you enjoyed!
Rob Birmingham says
My first attempt at turkey soup from scratch, using the carcass. All I can say is wow ! In the same way that slow roasted meat cannot be duplicated by cooking it fast, the depth of flavor in the stock from boiling the carcass, etc. is unbelievable. I followed the recipe, mostly, adding some broad egg noodles in at the end when simmering the turkey meat. The aroma in the house !!! Liquid gold.
Thanks for sharing, I may have to do this every time I roast a turkey!
Traci says
Wow, I’m so glad your first attempt at turkey soup was such a success! There really is nothing like the depth of flavor from a homemade stock—it’s liquid gold, for sure! Adding those noodles sounds like a perfect touch. Thank you for sharing your experience, and I’m thrilled you enjoyed it! xoxo
Pam Hamrock says
Cannot wait to make this soup, sounds yummy.
Traci says
Yayy!! I'm so glad you're going for it! Please let me know if you have any questions. And let us know your experience. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours! xoxo