I’m as much a fan of the turkey leftovers as I am the freshly prepared meals on Thanksgiving Day! Let’s cook up some Thanksgiving Soups with all those leftovers!
There is always great anticipation for November with the annual traditions Thanksgiving Day and the Thanksgiving meal brings.
Equally fun is the creative use of the leftovers the day after in Thanksgiving soups.
There are SO many recipes I discovered in taking a side trip down the rabbit hole of Thanksgiving soups to see what treasures I could find.
Most folks are looking for nourishing and comforting, and I have found that most Thanksgiving soup recipes fit that description well!
While most recipes for Thanksgiving soup ideas include leftover turkey, some will also include leftover veggies, ham or beef, and even bone broth made from boiling the turkey bones.
My favorite Thanksgiving leftover soup recipes are the ones that include some sort of pasta such as egg noodles, rice, tetrazzini, or orzo.
Some Thanksgiving soups are stews, others chowders with a chili thrown in for good measure.
If you adopt this routine of making Thanksgiving soups with leftovers, the family may look forward to them as a tradition as well.
Thanksgiving turkey soup recipes all photograph well and I know it will be hard to choose, but I am certain you will find many you will enjoy preparing and serving.
Some may be used as appetizers for other meals while others can be paired with a salad creating a full meal.
This list of thirty Thanksgiving soups hold lots to be thankful for with #18 being my new favorite.
May you find lots of love and comfort in making and sharing some of these savory Thanksgiving soup recipes.
Thanksgiving soups are an obvious choice for what to do with leftover turkey.
This recipe is unique in that it uses barley.
Instructions are also included on how to use the turkey carcass for making the bone broth.
More or less barley can be used based on the desired soup thickness.
There are many variations of Thanksgiving soup recipes with each having a unique style, taste, or ingredient.
This recipe uses orzo instead of noodles but still offers the same comforting steamy warmth expected from a bowl of soup on a cool winter day.
A slow cooker is used for several Thanksgiving soup ideas like this Turkey Pie Soup.
Depending on what veggies were served at the Thanksgiving meal, carrots, peas, corn, green beans, and potatoes might be leftovers used in addition to the turkey.
The creamy part comes from the heavy cream added during the last thirty minutes.
A new idea to me is used in this Thanksgiving leftovers soup recipe.
Instead of noodles, giant couscous, also called Israeli couscous, is used, and wow is it fun to enjoy in a soup.
A complimentary recipe for garlic cheesy rye toast is included.
I have found many traditional Thanksgiving turkey soups that mimic chicken noodle soup like this one.
Again, there are many variations so you can select the one that sounds most appealing to you.
Sage and thyme are the favors highlighted here.
When craving a different flavor profile than the usual Thanksgiving soup with leftovers, consider this Southwest soup.
It uses a spicy broth, corn, onions, peppers, and black beans making it more like a tortilla soup.
It can be made on a stovetop, slow cooker, or Instant Pot.
If chowders are more your style, Thanksgiving turkey soup recipes will oblige.
This Turkey Corn Chowder is quick to make and uses both cream-style corn and whole kernel corn for a wonderful texture.
Thanksgiving soups come in quite a wide variety.
This recipe uses white rice along with veggies, seasonings, broth, turkey, and evaporated milk.
In less than an hour, including enough time to cook the rice, it is ready to serve!
My next creative idea on this list of Thanksgiving soup recipes is this one which includes white beans and smoked turkey leg meat, but any cooked turkey meat will work.
Fresh soaked or canned beans are good, along with your preferred rice showing this recipe has lots of flexibility.
Simmer time allows the flavors to blend ever so nicely.
This one of my Thanksgiving soup ideas will warm you to your core, taco soup.
In addition to black beans and corn, it also calls for a can of Rotel, tomato paste, and taco seasoning.
The toppings could be cilantro, onions, sour cream, avocados, tortilla strips, or shredded cheese.
This next Thanksgiving leftovers soup recipe includes homemade dumplings.
Dumplings are like drop biscuits and when mixed into soup make it extra comforting.
This recipe allows for leftover veggies to be added in as well.
This recipe includes instructions on making turkey bone broth in the Instant Pot for four hours and then moving on to the Thanksgiving turkey soup part of the recipe.
It can be made with noodles, brown rice, quinoa noodles, or red potatoes depending on your preference.
It also includes frozen sweet peas and cauliflower rice.
Mushroom lovers will go crazy over this Thanksgiving soup with leftovers recipe.
The creamy part comes from blending potatoes or cashews, not heavy cream.
It also gets its tastiness from the homemade turkey stock made in a slow cooker.
A new flavor appears in this entry of Thanksgiving turkey soup recipes.
Lemon.
That’s right, the hint of lemon along with shredded carrots give it quite an unexpected look and flavor.
A quick-cooking wild rice blend adds another layer of texture.
For a splash of green, throw in some kale or asparagus, too.
Thanksgiving soups this good may become a new tradition in your home.
This recipe includes tomatoes, spinach, orzo, and leftover turkey.
It has a tomato-based broth with some Italian seasonings.
Quick, simple, and different from the others listed so far.
This one might be the easiest of these Thanksgiving soup recipes.
So, if your preferred style is easy, this one is perfect.
Nothing fancy or over the top.
Just the turkey, celery, carrots, onion, noodles, turkey, and bay leaves.
Simmer and enjoy!
Ah, now we are up to turkey chili on my Thanksgiving soup ideas list.
With the name chili, it just instantly seems heartier and more satisfying.
It can be made on the stovetop, slow cooker, or Instant Pot.
It includes tomatoes, garlic, peppers, black beans, and chili seasonings like paprika, chili powder, cumin, and turmeric.
If you enjoy New England clam chowder, this Thanksgiving leftovers soup recipe of New England Turkey Chowder might be right up your alley.
Instead of clams and clam juice, turkey and turkey stock are substituted.
The ingredient list is unique with salt pork, diced potatoes, turkey, and half and half.
When craving Tex-Mex flavors in Thanksgiving turkey soups, this Enchilada Soup comes with cheese, enchilada sauce, diced tomatoes, corn, avocados, and beans.
It is easily spiced up by adding jalapenos, hot sauce, or tomatoes with green chilis.
This turkey Thanksgiving soup with leftovers recipe is a no-nonsense one and similar to one listed earlier.
However, I am including it here because of the extensive variations and FAQ list.
It gives lots of ideas on various carb options along with seasonings, broths, and thickening ideas.
Here we have among our Thanksgiving turkey soup recipes that are oh so delicious, one which uses a quick-cooking wild rice mix for the tasty combination of rice and turkey.
It also includes carrots, celery, onions, green onions, garlic, broth, turkey, milk, and bright seasonings.
Gnocchi shows up in this entry of Thanksgiving soups setting it apart from all the others.
It also has spinach in its thick and creamy broth.
Potato gnocchi is listed on the recipe card, but other varieties could be used along with Italian seasoning.
Thanksgiving soup recipes do not disappoint in giving us new ideas and bowls of pure enjoyment.
This recipe includes tetrazzini, bacon, and peas.
No doubt you are familiar with the turkey tetrazzini casserole, well, this is the soup form.
Creamy broth, seasoned turkey, any veggies, turkey or regular bacon, and whole wheat spaghetti broken in thirds are some of the ingredients.
When time is of the essence, Thanksgiving soup ideas are great choices.
This thirty-minute recipe uses some shortcuts like canned soups for thickening and frozen veggies if fresh are not immediately available.
The pasta of choice here is farfalle which is bow-tie shaped.
Need a gluten-free idea for a Thanksgiving leftovers soup recipe?
Then this is one to consider.
This slow cooker recipe cooks onion, celery, carrots, potatoes, garlic, mushrooms, stock, tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, and seasonings together for hours.
Lots of room for veggies of your choosing.
26. Turkey Gumbo
Turkey Gumbo falls into another level of Thanksgiving turkey soups by bringing together the comfort of turkey with the smoked sausage to create a Southern staple.
It includes turkey, veggies, sausage, okra, stock, and seasonings.
Traditionally it is served over rice.
If wanting a Thanksgiving soup with leftovers that stays to the lighter side of things, this recipe is perfect.
It has a bit of kick with the diced green chiles and the cayenne pepper.
Lots of diced veggies, milk, cheddar cheese, and of course, turkey.
Thanksgiving turkey soup recipes each have broth of some kind, and this Pho recipe broth includes ginger, garlic, anise, cinnamon, cloves, Sriracha, and fish sauce.
Rice noodles, turkey, bean sprouts, and green onion round out the ingredient list.
29. Thai Turkey Soup
The next of my Thanksgiving soups has a Thai influence with a creamy coconut curry flavor.
This is definitely different from the turkey meal the day before.
It includes Thai red curry paste, lime juice, rice noodles, red bell pepper, and coconut milk.
Not spicy, but it certainly could be.
30. Turkey Posole
As my list of Thanksgiving soup recipes comes to an end, this last entry is for turkey posole, a Mexican soup, quite different from the usual fare.
It includes shredded green cabbage, yellow onions, poblano chile peppers, garlic, turkey, cannellini beans, white hominy, chili powder, cumin, and oregano.
An hour to simmer, allowing all the flavors to combine, will result in this fabulous bowl of turkey posole.
This one is highly reviewed!
I never think to make ham and bean soup and the reason is kind of dumb.
I never know what to do with the soup that has gone past its prime and needs to be tossed.
Do you strain it so the broth goes down the disposal and then scrape the big chunks into the trash?
It’s what I do because I don’t want all that heavy liquid in the trash (that can and will leak) and I never put much of anything down the disposal.
Dumb, right?
But this recipe makes me think I can get the lot of us to eat on it for days and have nothing left to toss.
What do you do with your soup that’s ready to throw away?
I picked this one because it doesn’t use barley. It’s not my favorite grain and I don’t even keep it on hand.
This uses up leftover gravy, and you can use fresh or leftover cooked veg.
It’s a great broth-based lovely soup that is great to riff on with your own touches.
The bottom line
Thanksgiving soups can be a highlight of the weekend after Thanksgiving when you are most likely to have leftover turkey on hand.
Check out our other Thanksgiving recipe inspirations below:
- 55 Best Thanksgiving Cookies
- 15 Thanksgiving Cocktails
- 30 Thanksgiving Appetizers
- 30 Thanksgiving Recipes (All Gluten-Free!)
- 25 Thanksgiving Casseroles
- 25 Keto Thanksgiving Recipes
- 28 Tasty Crockpot Thanksgiving Sides
- 15 Thanksgiving Desserts
BEST Thanksgiving Soups
Make use of all those meat leftovers and stir up a couple of luscious Thanksgiving soups!
Ingredients
- Thanksgiving Leftover Recipe: Turkey Barley Soup
- Turkey Orzo Soup
- Slow Cooker Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey Pie Soup
- Leftover Turkey Soup
- Turkey Noodle Soup
- Southwest Leftover Turkey Soup
- Leftover Turkey Corn Chowder
- Turkey & Rice Soup
- Smoked Turkey & White Bean Soup
- Crockpot Turkey Taco Soup
- Creamy Turkey & Dumplings Soup
- Turkey Soup In The Instant Pot
- Creamy Turkey Mushroom Soup
- Creamy Turkey Wild Rice Soup
- Leftover Turkey Soup Recipe With Orzo & Spinach
- Turkey Soup With Celery & Carrots
- Leftover Turkey Chili
- New England Turkey Chowder
- Instant Pot Enchilada Soup
- Turkey Soup With Egg Noodles
- Creamy Wild Rice Turkey Soup
- Creamy Turkey Gnocchi Soup
- One Pot Turkey Tetrazzini Soup
- Turkey Noodle Soup
- Thanksgiving Leftovers: Turkey Stew
- Turkey Gumbo
- Light Turkey Corn Chowder
- Leftover Turkey Pho
- Thai Turkey Soup
- Turkey Posole
- Leftover Ham & Bean Soup
- Soup With Leftover Prime Rib
Instructions
- Scroll for your favorite recipe from our list of Thanksgiving Soups.
- Pick out the ingredients needed for the dish.
- Cook then enjoy immediately.