Leftover Turkey Soup
from kristineskitchenblog.comThis turkey soup is one of my favorite ways to use leftover Thanksgiving turkey. It's incredibly easy to make with simple ingredients and such a warm, comforting meal! See the notes below the recipe for substitution options (you can make this recipe year-round with leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken!)
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 263kcal
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion chopped
- 3 ribs celery chopped
- 3 medium carrots sliced ¼-inch thick
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 8 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 cups chopped cooked leftover turkey or leftover cooked chicken
- ¾ cup orzo pasta 4 ounces, see note
Instructions
- In a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, celery and carrots and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables start to soften, about 6 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds.
- Stir in the chicken broth, followed by the chopped rosemary, thyme sprigs, salt, pepper and bay leaves.
- Increase the heat to bring the soup to a simmer. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a low simmer, cover the pot, and cook for 15 minutes.
- Stir in the chopped cooked turkey and orzo pasta. Cover the pot and simmer for 9-11 more minutes, until pasta is cooked to al dente (just tender).
- Remove the thyme stems (most of the leaves will have fallen off in the soup) and bay leaves; discard. Taste soup and season with additional salt and pepper, if needed. Serve and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Ingredient Substitutions:
- Herbs: If you don’t have fresh rosemary and thyme on hand and don’t want to buy them, you can substitute 1/2 teaspoon each of dried rosemary and dried thyme.
- Turkey: You can also make this recipe with leftover cooked chicken or rotisserie chicken.
- Orzo: The orzo pasta can be substituted with another short pasta shape, rice or egg noodles (use approximately 4 ounces of pasta or noodles, or 3/4 cup uncooked rice). Adjust the simmer time as needed to cook the noodles or rice. Alternatively, you can stir cooked rice into the soup along with the turkey.
Nutrition
Calories: 263kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 47mg | Sodium: 410mg | Potassium: 656mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 5233IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 51mg | Iron: 2mg
