Wondering what to do with the leftover turkey? Look no further!
Table of Contents
🗝️ Key takeaways
- Tuscan turkey soup repurposes leftover Thanksgiving turkey into a delicious soup the whole family will love.
- Enjoy a large, steaming-hot bowl of hearty soup on a cold day—alongside a chunk of rustic, crusty bread, of course.
- Simmer Tuscan turkey soup on the stovetop or cook it low-and-slow in a crock pot. The choice is yours!
Leftover turkey, plenty of veggies, and creamy white beans in a savory chicken broth—that's what I call food for the soul.
The best part is that this flavorful Tuscan turkey soup is an easy, one-pot meal, ready within 30 minutes!
🧾 Ingredients
This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the green recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.
📖 Variations
- You can absolutely make this with chicken when the holiday season is over.
- Save the carcass of your Thanksgiving turkey and use it to make homemade turkey stock—use it in place of the chicken stock.
- You can also simply buy chicken stock from the grocery store or make your own with a leftover rotisserie chicken.
- Use baby carrots instead of large carrots to make prep even easier.
- If you’re not a fan of kale, use baby spinach instead.
- Don’t have cannellini beans? Great Northern beans, red kidney beans, black beans, and pinto beans work fine, too!
- If you have fresh veggies to use up, add chopped onions and peppers to your stock. Otherwise, frozen are just as good—and easier.
- Cut off the parmesan cheese rind and simmer it in the soup for another layer of savory flavor! Discard the rind before serving.
- Try garnishing with Italian seasoning, sea salt, black pepper, fresh parsley, or fresh basil—the possibilities are endless!
🔪 Instructions
This is an overview of the instructions. Full instructions are in the green recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Add the chicken stock, potatoes, carrots, and garlic to a large pot.
- Simmer the vegetables on medium heat until tender.
- Add the beans, kale, pepper mix, and turkey to the pot and simmer.
- Serve the soup with grated parmesan and baguette bread.
🥫 How to store leftovers
Good soup makes great leftovers—that's another thing I love about it. Wait until the Tuscan turkey soup has fully cooled before transferring it to an airtight container.
Then, refrigerate for up to five days. You can also freeze soup in an airtight container for up to three months.
Thaw frozen soup overnight in the fridge or in the microwave on defrost before reheating. Then, warm the Tuscan soup in the microwave or on the stovetop until hot.
💭 Things to know
Expert Tip: Don’t simmer the kale for longer than 2 or 3 minutes before serving—no one wants slimy kale! At this point, all you have to do is heat up the beans, peppers, kale, and turkey, anyway.
- You don't have to remove the skin from the potatoes as long as you're using waxy potatoes with a soft peel, like Yukon golds.
- Have very picky eaters? Scoop out the cooked veggies with a slotted spoon and blend until smooth. Stir the mixture back in, and your kiddos won't even know they're getting all that veggie goodness in each bite!
- For a slight kick, serve the soup with a dash of red pepper flakes or your favorite hot sauce.
- Separate leftover turkey soup into individual portions for a quick lunch the next day!
- Freezing your soup? Great! Just make sure you don’t fill your containers all the way up to the tippy top. Since liquid expands in the freezer, you need to leave an inch or so of space.
👩🍳 FAQs
Firm, thin-skinned potatoes like Yukon gold potatoes or red potatoes work best in soups. I don’t recommend using Russet potatoes because they break down too quickly and get mushy.
Absolutely—leftover rotisserie chicken or shredded chicken breasts are great substitutes for turkey in soup. Just make sure the meat you use is fully cooked before you add it to the soup.
Nope. The similarities between this Tuscan turkey soup and Zuppa Toscana are potatoes, kale, and broth. Zuppa Toscana is made with sausage and heavy cream, so it's a bit different.
It sure is! This Tuscan turkey soup recipe doesn’t contain pasta or all-purpose flour to thicken the broth—no gluten here! If you’re really sensitive to gluten, make sure you buy ingredients that are certified gluten-free.
📚 Related recipes
- Stuffed Pepper Soup has hearty, tasty flavors and zingy Rotel tomatoes. Make this easy and healthy soup recipe on the stove or in a crock pot!
- Light and delicious! This WW 0-Point Cabbage Soup is filling without being heavy and only 40 calories a serving.
- Copycat Black Bean Soup brings back the discontinued Panera Bread favorite, full of your favorite Tex-Mex flavors and a thick, cozy broth.
🍽️ Serve with...
Soup and fresh bread are a match made in heaven! Try my easy Homemade Baguette recipe for a chewy, crusty bread that’s ready in only 30 minutes.
Soup also isn't complete without a crisp side salad. Southern Cucumber Salad is made with crunchy cucumbers, zesty onions, and a tangy vinegar dressing. It's both healthy and refreshing after all those hearty winter meals!
Get a headstart on Christmas desserts with Pecan Cranberry Cookies. They’re the perfect combination of sweet, tart, and savory. Don’t forget to freeze some for your next holiday cookie tray.
🫶 Restless Chipotle recommends
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A heavy stockpot is a must for soup! I love enamel over cast iron - and all the colors this one comes in.
📞 The last word
I always am kinda sick of turkey by the weekend so I make soup in the biggest quantity possible and freeze it in meal-sized portions. I appreciate a good leftover turkey soup SO much more in January than I do the weekend after Thanksgiving!
Creamed turkey sandwiches are another favorite with leftover turkey.
If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need.
If you love this recipe please comment below and give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 Recipe
Tuscan Turkey Soup
Print Pin Recipe Save Recipe Rate RecipeIngredients
- 32 ounces chicken stock, more if needed
- 1 pound carrots, peeled and sliced
- 1 pound potatoes, baby yukon gold or other thin skinned variety cut in fourths
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups cooked turkey, or chicken
- 15 ounces cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 8 ounces onions and peppers, frozen mix
- 1 cup baby kale, salad mix
- 8 slices baguette, toasted
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
Instructions
Stovetop
- Add the chicken stock, potatoes, carrots, and garlic to a large stockpot.
- Simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 10 -15 minutes.
- Add the turkey, cannellini beans, baby kale salad, and onion & pepper mix.
- Bring to a simmer and allow to simmer until the ingredients are heated through and kale is wilted but not slimy.
- Ladle into bowls and float a baguette slice on each.
- Sprinkle with the Parmesan and serve.
Slow Cooker
- Add all of the ingredients except the baguette and Parmesan the slow cooker.
- Cook on low for 4 to 6 hours.
- Ladle into bowls and float a baguette slice on each.
- Sprinkle with the Parmesan and serve.
Notes
- You don't have to remove the skin from the potatoes as long as you're using waxy potatoes with a soft peel, like Yukon golds.
- Have very picky eaters? Scoop out the cooked veggies with a slotted spoon and blend until smooth. Stir the mixture back in, and your kiddos won't even know they're getting all that veggie goodness in each bite!
- For a slight kick, serve the soup with a dash of red pepper flakes or your favorite hot sauce.
- Separate leftover turkey soup into individual portions for a quick lunch the next day!
- Freezing your soup? Great! Just make sure you don’t fill your containers all the way up to the tippy top. Since liquid expands in the freezer, you need to leave an inch or so of space.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.
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