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This easy to make Turkey Vegetable Soup is perfect for curling up with on a chilly day! Loaded with fresh veggies, shredded turkey, and herbaceous flavor, you really can’t go wrong with this delicious (and pretty nutritious) autumnal soup.
Turkey Vegetable Soup
If you’re anything like me, you’re going to have lots of turkey left over this holiday season!
The week after Thanksgiving is probably when I get the most creative in the kitchen, since I have so many leftovers to play around with! Turkey is easy to shred and use in so many dishes, just like this veggie-packed soup.
Speaking of the week after Thanksgiving, it’s the best time to eat lighter foods! On turkey day itself, I like to go all in on the heavy side dishes and second servings of dessert. It definitely feels nice to eat lighter fare the next day, which is the best time to make this medley of fresh veggies, shredded turkey, and rich broth.
You can omit the noodles if you want to keep this recipe low-carb, but I like the addition of them for the texture of each bite. If you choose to skip out on the shell pasta, I recommend doubling down on the veggies to make sure every ladle-full is rich with ingredients and not too brothy.
Ingredients for turkey vegetable soup
- Olive oil – Avocado oil also works.
- Onion – I use a white onion, but you can use yellow instead.
- Garlic – Fresh or pre-minced will both get the job done.
- Herbs – You’ll need a bay leaf, dried thyme, dried sage, and dried oregano.
- Seasonings – Keep things simple with a sprinkle of kosher salt and some freshly cracked black pepper.
- Chicken broth – For the best results, use some Homemade Chicken Broth, or if you have turkey broth, that works too.
- Veggies – The autumnal bouquet of veggies you’ll need are carrots, celery, and butternut squash.
- Pasta – I like the consistency of shell pasta in this soup.
- Turkey – Shred up that leftover turkey!
- Kale – Rinse it, chop it, and toss it in.
Ingredient substitutions
Vegetables. Definitely substitute whatever hearty vegetables in this soup that you like. I would stick to heartier vegetables like squashes and root vegetables because they won’t break down as much — meaning, they won’t turn to mush. Sweet potato and parsnips would be a great addition or substitute!
Leafy greens. You can use your favorite type of kale in this soup. Lacinato kale works well in this as well as baby spinach or another dense, leafy green. I would stay away from lettuce.
Helpful tips
- You’ll want to use short cut pasta shapes in this recipe as opposed to long pasta. Shells work well and so do elbows, orzo, and macaroni. Cooking time will vary and you will want to cook the pasta until just tender; you don’t want them overcooked and mushy!
- If you plan on freezing this soup, before the pasta is completely done cooking (still hard when you take a bite), portion out what you would like to freeze. This ensures that when you reheat the soup, the pasta isn’t overcooked and mushy. Continue cooking the rest of the soup that you aren’t freezing.
Storage instructions
How long will turkey vegetable soup stay fresh? In an airtight container, this soup will stay fresh in the fridge for up to 5 days. I recommend reheating this soup right back on the stove top, not the microwave. If you need more liquid, add more broth or water. Your pasta will be slightly bloated due to it sitting in liquid for an extended period of time.
Gobble gobble!
Leftover Turkey and Dumpling Soup
Leftover Thanksgiving Pull Apart Sandwiches
Turkey Vegetable Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ white onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried sage
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 8 cups (1893 ml) chicken broth
- 3 carrots, peeled and sliced
- 3 celery stalks, sliced
- 2 cups (280 g) 1-inch pieces of butternut squash
- 8 ounces (227 g) shell pasta
- 2 cups (199 g) shredded turkey
- 2 cups (134 g) chopped kale
Instructions
- Add the olive oil to a deep soup pot then add the onion and cook until it becomes translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic, Bay leaf, salt, thyme, sage, oregano and pepper and stir and cook until the garlic becomes fragrant, about 2 minutes.
- Pour in the chicken broth and bring it to a boil over high heat then reduce the heat to low medium and add the carrots, celery and butternut squash and let it simmer for 30 to 45 minutes or until the squash is tender.
- Bring the heat back up to high and let the broth boil before adding the pasta and cooking for four to five minutes or until tender then remove the pot from the heat and stir in the Turkey and the chopped kale.
- Cover with the lid and let it sit for about 10 minutes before serving with freshly minced parsley for garnish of desired.
