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Light and healthy yet full of flavor, this turkey vegetable soup is a cozy dinner for chilly days! Loaded with flavorful veggies, fresh herbs, diced potatoes, and tender leftover turkey, the simple and hearty dish is a satisfying freezer-friendly meal.
Table of Contents
Looking for even more soup recipes? Try our chicken enchilada soup, Autumn Harvest chicken noodle soup, creamy tomato soup with ground beef and noodles, and Senate bean soup, too!
Why You’ll Love this Easy Turkey Vegetable Soup
- Easy. If you can chop some veggies, then you can make this meal. Throw in some leftover turkey (or rotisserie chicken), and you’ve got a simple and satisfying dish in about 1 hour. I’ve even included slow cooker directions for convenience, too.
- One Pot. The entire meal cooks in one pot, which means fewer dishes to wash at the end.
- Healthy. This soup is full of a variety of vegetables and lean protein, low in fat, and low in calories. Best of all, it tastes delicious and will keep you satisfied.
- Freezer-friendly. Since there’s no dairy, no rice, and no pasta in this soup, it freezes really well. The potatoes can have a slightly mushy texture when thawed, but the quality overall is still excellent. Make it ahead and store it in the fridge or freezer to reheat leftovers for easy meals on your busiest days.
How to Give Vegetable Soup that Depth of Flavor
We’ve tried plenty of bland turkey soup recipes over the years, but there are a few ingredients in this dish that set it apart from the rest. No boring meals allowed!
- Sauteing the vegetables in stages before simmering the pot adds layers of flavor to the soup.
- The fire roasted tomatoes and the bay leaf give it that “simmering all day” flavor, even though the soup cooks quickly on the stovetop.
- Plenty of herbs and spices make the soup more interesting and satisfying. Give it some “zip” with crushed red pepper flakes if you like it hot!
- Apple cider vinegar adds that little something “extra” in the background. The acidic notes brighten up the dish.
What if I don’t have leftover turkey?
If you don’t have leftover Thanksgiving turkey or leftover turkey from another meal, no problem! You have a few options:
- Roast a turkey breast or cook a turkey tenderloin in the Crock Pot to use in this recipe.
- Use 1 lb. of ground turkey that you cook in the pot along with the onion.
- Swap out the turkey and use leftover chicken or the meat from a store-bought rotisserie chicken.
Ingredients
This is just a quick overview of the ingredients that you’ll need for this easy turkey vegetable soup. As always, specific measurements and step-by-step cooking instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.
- Olive oil: to saute the veggies. You can use butter or vegetable oil if you prefer.
- Onion, carrot, potato, garlic, and zucchini: fresh veggies that add nutrition, color, texture, and flavor to the dish.
- Fire roasted diced tomatoes: the fire-roasted variety has even more flavor than regular diced tomatoes, but really any variety will work. Use whatever is available!
- Oregano, thyme, rosemary, crushed red pepper flakes, and bay leaf: herbs and spices that give the turkey soup depth of flavor.
- Low-sodium chicken broth: or sub with vegetable broth or homemade turkey stock that you make with a turkey carcass.
- Frozen corn and frozen cut green beans: the frozen veggies are so convenient and affordable, and eliminate any extra prep work.
- Turkey: use leftover turkey from a previous meal, or see my notes above for other options.
- Apple cider vinegar: a bright, acidic finishing touch. Substitute with fresh lemon juice or another variety of vinegar if you like.
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper: enhance the other ingredients in the dish.
How to Make Turkey Vegetable Soup with Potatoes
This recipe is adapted from my chicken vegetable soup. I’ve included alternate Crock Pot directions for convenience; however, I prefer making this dish in a big Dutch oven on the stovetop. The stovetop method gives you more control over the cooking time and temperature so that you don’t end up with any over-cooked, mushy vegetables or potatoes.
The detailed directions are included in the recipe card below, but here’s the short version:
- Sauté the vegetables in olive oil in a large stock pot or Dutch oven.
- Add broth, herbs, and additional veggies.
- Simmer for about 20 minutes.
- Stir in the zucchini, corn, green beans, and turkey.
- Simmer for about 10-15 more minutes.
- Stir in the vinegar and season with additional salt and pepper, if necessary.
- Ladle into bowls, garnish with fresh herbs, and serve!
Crock Pot Turkey Vegetable Soup
Place all of the ingredients except for the corn, green beans, and turkey in a slow cooker. Gently stir to combine. Cover and cook on LOW for 5-6 hours or on HIGH for 2-3 hours (or until potatoes and other vegetables are tender).
Stir in the frozen corn, green beans, and turkey during the final 30 minutes of cooking time. Remove the bay leaf. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls and serve!
Serving Suggestions
Pair the healthy turkey vegetable soup with any of these easy sides:
- Kale Apple Salad with Bacon, Feta, and Creamy Poppy Seed Dressing, Wedge Salad with Buttermilk Ranch Dressing, Southern Caesar Salad, Green Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette, Mixed Greens with Dijon Vinaigrette, House Salad with Candied Pecans, or Classic Caesar Salad
- One-Bowl Pumpkin Bread, Easy Pumpkin Muffins, or 2-Ingredient Pumpkin Muffins
- Homemade Soft Pretzels
- Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits, 3-Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuits, 4-Ingredient Butter Swim Biscuits, 7UP Biscuits, Sweet Potato Biscuits, Cheese Biscuits, Pumpkin Spice Biscuits, Cheddar Biscuits with Bacon and Chives, Angel Biscuits, or Drop Biscuits
- Cast Iron Cornbread, Sour Cream Cornbread, Fluffy Bakery-Style Corn Muffins, Southern Cornbread, Jiffy Cornbread with Creamed Corn, Sweet Cornbread, Broccoli Cornbread, Pumpkin Cornbread, Cake Mix Cornbread, Skillet Cornbread, Corn Sticks, or Honey Butter Cornbread
- 3-Ingredient Sour Cream Muffins
- Cranberry Orange Bread or One-Bowl Cranberry Orange Muffins
- Cheddar Chive Beer Bread (No Yeast, No Knead) or Honey Beer Bread
- Homemade Crescent Rolls or Soft Dinner Rolls
- A loaf of crusty Dutch Oven Bread, No-Knead Cranberry Walnut Bread, or French Baguette
- Fried Apples or Baked Apple Slices
Preparation and Storage Tips
A pot of homemade turkey vegetable soup is a healthy lunch or dinner to prepare in advance and then stash in your fridge or freezer for busy days. Leftover soup will keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days, or you can freeze it in airtight containers or Ziploc freezer bags for up to 3 months.
Reheat individual portions of leftover soup in the microwave for 1-2 minutes. To reheat larger quantities of soup, place in a saucepan on the stove, cover, and warm over low heat just until the soup reaches the desired temperature.
Leftover Turkey Soup Recipe Variations
- If you don’t have leftover turkey meat, substitute with leftover chicken, rotisserie chicken, or ground turkey (just brown the ground turkey in the pot with the onion).
- Use about twice us much fresh herbs as a substitute for the dried herbs.
- Instead of the Yukon gold potatoes, use red potatoes or Russet potatoes. If using Russet potatoes, you’ll need to peel them before dicing and adding them to the pot.
- Use any vegetables that you prefer. For instance, instead of frozen green beans, use frozen peas. Or swap out the potato and add sliced fresh mushrooms. Diced celery is also great.
- Add about 3-4 cups (half of a head) of coarsely shredded or chopped green cabbage, spinach, or kale.
- For a Southern spin, include okra and butterbeans in your turkey veggie soup.
- Omit the potato if you don’t want a starchy vegetable in the recipe.
- Add cooked rice, pasta, or barley to your soup when it’s done cooking. You might need to add a bit of extra broth to account for the additional ingredients.
Tips for the Best Turkey Vegetable Soup Recipe
- You do not need to thaw the corn and green beans before adding them directly to the soup. They will thaw almost immediately when they hit the hot broth.
- Dried herbs are most convenient, but fresh herbs add great flavor when they’re available. Use about twice as many fresh herbs as dried herbs.
- Don’t forget a side of crusty bread, warm biscuits, or skillet cornbread for dipping in that delicious broth.
- Cider vinegar (or even a squeeze of fresh lemon juice) at the very end is a nice, bright addition.
- Garnish with freshly-grated Parmesan cheese and/or fresh parsley or fresh thyme for a delicious finishing touch.
More Leftover Turkey Soup Recipes to Try
Leftover Turkey Soup with Wild Rice
1 hour hr 15 minutes mins
Quick and Easy Homemade Turkey Noodle Soup
40 minutes mins
Leftover Turkey Chili
1 hour hr 35 minutes mins
Turkey Vegetable Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, diced (about 1 cup)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- Ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 medium carrot, peeled and diced
- 1 cup diced Yukon gold potatoes (about 3 baby gold potatoes or 1 large gold potato)
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can fire roasted diced tomatoes, not drained
- 4 garlic cloves, minced (about 4 teaspoons total)
- ¾ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or more to taste
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth, vegetable broth, or homemade turkey stock
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 1 small zucchini, diced
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 1 cup frozen cut green beans
- 2 cups cooked, diced turkey (or sub with chicken)
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- Optional garnish: grated Parmesan cheese; chopped fresh herbs such as parsley or thyme
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, salt, and black pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, for 7 minutes. Add the carrot and potato; stir and cook for 2 more minutes. Add the tomatoes, garlic, oregano, thyme, rosemary, and red pepper flakes. Stir in the broth and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, covered, for 20 minutes.
- Stir in the zucchini, corn, green beans, and turkey. Cover and cook 10-15 more minutes, until the zucchini is tender.
- Add the vinegar, remove the bay leaf, and taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if desired. Ladle into bowls and garnish with grated Parmesan or chopped fresh herbs.
Notes
- You do not need to thaw the corn and green beans before adding them directly to the soup. They will thaw almost immediately when they hit the hot broth.
- Dried herbs are most convenient, but fresh herbs add great flavor when they’re available. Use about twice as many fresh herbs as dried herbs.
- Don’t forget a side of crusty bread, warm biscuits, or skillet cornbread for dipping in that delicious broth.
- Cider vinegar (or even a squeeze of fresh lemon juice) at the very end is a nice, bright addition.
- Garnish with freshly-grated Parmesan cheese and/or fresh parsley or fresh thyme for a delicious finishing touch.
