14 Warming Turkey Soups That Make Leftovers Feel Exciting

Breathe New Life Into That Thanksgiving Bird

Turkey taco soup

The Spruce Eats/Diana Mocanu

Nothing warms up your home like a big pot of soup simmering away on the stove. A nice batch of turkey soup makes the most of leftovers from roasting up a bird, whether for Thanksgiving or a special Sunday meal. And you can turn turkey into a wide range of soup styles, to suit an equal array of flavor preferences. It also freezes well, so even if you don't need to serve a crowd, you don't have to worry about filling the stock pot. Try one, try them all, and don't forget some crusty bread on the side.

  • 01 of 14

    Turkey Noodle Soup

    Turkey Noodle Soup

    The Spruce

    Start with a whole turkey carcass for this hearty, flavorful turkey noodle soup that tastes like comfort in a bowl. As the bones break down, they add a lovely richness to the broth. Wide egg noodles have a nice chewy texture, but you can use your favorite pasta too.

  • 02 of 14

    Slow Cooker Turkey Barley Soup

    Turkey barley soup recipe

    The Spruce Eats / Katarina Zunic

    The slow cooker works great for soup, because it gives all of those beautiful flavors lots of time to get to know each other. This easy recipe also works on the stovetop if you don't have all day, and you can swap out our suggested veggies to suit what you've got in the fridge.

  • 03 of 14

    Turkey Rice Soup with Tomatoes

    Turkey rice soup

    The Spruce

    If you haven't tried turkey with tomatoes, the combination works great in this delicious slow cooker soup. Add rice, bacon, corn, celery, and onion to round things out. You may not need much salt if you use purchased broth, so taste before seasoning.

  • 04 of 14

    Slow Cooker Vegetable and Ground Turkey Soup

    Ground turkey soup recipe

    The Spruce

    Using ground turkey and lots of veggies keeps this slow cooker soup on the leaner side, but still plenty hearty. The recipe calls for beef bouillon, but beef stock would taste even better. Swap out chicken or veggie stock or bouillon if you prefer. Just taste before you season, since salt levels can vary.

    Continue to 5 of 14 below
  • 05 of 14

    Turkey Taco Soup

    Turkey taco soup

    The Spruce Eats/Diana Mocanu

    Give your dinner a South of the border feel with this soup that tastes like turkey tacos in a bowl. Serve it with some tortilla strips on the side or crumble those chips from the bottom of the bag over the top. Bring a bottle of hot sauce to the table, so people can adjust the heat in their serving.

  • 06 of 14

    Slow Cooker Turkey and Rice Soup

    Slow cooker turkey soup recipe

    ​The Spruce Eats / Katarina Zunic

    With lots of soothing flavors, this slow cooker turkey soup will help use up your leftovers in a delicious way. It freezes and reheats well too, so you can enjoy it for lunch for days afterward. Serve with some chopped parsley and Parmesan for sprinkling over the top.

  • 07 of 14

    Turkey Lentil Soup

    Turkey and Lentil Soup

    The Spruce

    Combine two of the best soups out there with this easy turkey and lentil soup. It also works with leftover chicken, if that's what you have on hand. Cremini mushrooms have the most umami flavor, but you can also use baby portobello or button mushrooms for a slightly milder taste.

  • 08 of 14

    Turkey and Sweet Potato Soup

    turkey and sweet potato soup
    The Spruce

    Sweet potatoes give turkey soup a little extra heft and a nice earthy sweetness that just tastes like fall, any time of year. Bacon adds some meatiness and half and half keeps things creamy. If you want to lighten things up, use a light cream or even milk instead.

    Continue to 9 of 14 below
  • 09 of 14

    Turkey Sausage, Broccoli Rabe, and Millet Soup

    Turkey sausage broccoli rabe recipe

    ​The Spruce Eats / Ulyana Verbytska

    For a unique hearty soup, try this one that uses turkey sausage, broccoli rabe, and millet. If you've never cooked with millet before, it has a mild flavor that you can intensify by toasting it first in a dry skillet. The sausage has enough seasoning for the whole soup, so taste before salting.

  • 10 of 14

    Crock Pot Turkey Soup

    Beefy Taco Soup
    This taco soup is a simple recipe for the slow cooker. Diana Rattray

    Use either ground turkey or beef in this Mexican-style soup that has all of the ingredients of your favorite Tex-Mex. You may even have the ingredients in your pantry already, making it a perfect weekday meal. Serve with sour cream, tortilla strips, and shredded cheese on top.

  • 11 of 14

    Thai-Style Wonton Soup

    Chicken Wonton Soup

    Cultura-RM Exclusive-Brett Stevens

     

    For a fun project that tastes better than takeout, use leftover turkey to make this Thai-style wonton soup. Wrapping the wontons yourself is easier than it sounds, and the lemongrass-scented broth tastes luscious. Add a diced red chili to give it some heat.

  • 12 of 14

    Cream of Turkey Soup

    Lower-Fat Cream of Chicken Soup

    Foodcollection RF / Getty Images 

    It doesn't get easier than this soothing creamy soup with just a handful of ingredients. Pair it with sandwiches for a winter lunch or serve it as a first course for an elegant dinner. Or add bacon and chopped turkey meat to give it more heft as a meal in itself.

    Continue to 13 of 14 below
  • 13 of 14

    Creamy Wild Rice Soup

    Cream of Wild Rice Soup

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

    Both turkey broth and chopped turkey meat give this creamy wild rice soup lots of meaty flavor, with a hint of earthiness from nutty wild rice. It also has less cream than the kind you may have eaten growing up, so it makes a nice light supper.

  • 14 of 14

    Quick Curried Soup

    5-Minute Creamy Chicken Curry Soup

    Diana Rattray

     

    While this speedy curried soup calls for chopped chicken, it works well with turkey too. Just pop open some cream of chicken soup, add chopped meat, stock, curry powder, and a few optional spices and toppings, and you've got yourself a meal. Serve with some naan on the side for dipping.