Thanksgiving Leftover Soup
intro
Turn leftover Thanksgiving turkey, veggies, stuffing, and gravy into a rich, cozy, low-waste hearty soup that tastes like a warm hug from the holiday.
Ingredients
Steps
Prep Leftover Components
Set the maple cutting board on the counter in its fixed position. Use the 7-inch santoku knife to cut any large pieces of leftover roasted turkey, carrot, celery, and potato into uniform 2cm bite-sized pieces, then crumble the leftover herb stuffing into coarse crumbs. Dice the small yellow onion into 1cm pieces. Place each prepped ingredient into separate clear glass prep bowls; all leftover ingredients are already fully cooked, so no pre-cooking is required at this stage.
Toast Quick Croutons
Place the 6-quart stainless steel stock pot over medium heat (350°F / 175°C) and melt 1/2 tablespoon of unsalted butter in the bottom. Add the cubed leftover dinner rolls, tossing frequently with the beech wood slotted spoon for 3-4 minutes, until the cubes are deep golden brown and crisp on all edges, with a nutty browned butter aroma. Pour the toasted croutons into a small clear prep bowl and set aside for garnish.
Sauté Aromatic Base
Add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of butter to the same stock pot (no need to wipe out residual browned butter crumbs, as they add deep, nutty flavor). Toss in the diced yellow onion, cooking for 3 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally with the beech wood soup ladle, until the onion is soft and translucent with no browned edges. Add the fresh thyme sprigs and stir for 30 seconds, until a bright herby aroma is released.
Combine Broth and Gravy
Hold the clear glass 1L measuring cup and pour the 4 cups of low-sodium chicken broth into the pot, then stir in the 1/2 cup of leftover gravy until the gravy fully dissolves into the broth, creating a smooth, pale golden base. Increase heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a gentle rolling simmer (small steady bubbles breaking at the surface, not a violent hard boil), which takes approximately 4 minutes.
Add Leftover Solids
Once the broth reaches a steady gentle simmer, add the prepped shredded turkey, diced leftover roasted vegetables, and crumbled stuffing to the pot. Stir gently with the soup ladle to fully combine all ingredients, then reduce heat to medium-low (300°F / 150°C). Let the soup simmer uncovered for 10 minutes to allow flavors to meld; do not let the soup come to a hard boil, as high heat will make the turkey meat tough and stringy.
Finish and Season
After 10 minutes of simmering, stir in the frozen green peas—they will cook fully in 60 seconds from the residual heat of the soup, staying bright green and sweet. Taste a small spoonful of the soup, then season sparingly with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, remembering that leftover turkey, gravy, and broth often contain significant sodium. Fish out the woody thyme stems from the pot and discard before serving.
Ladle into Bowls
Place one off-white ceramic wide-rim soup bowl on the counter in front of the pot. Use the beech wood soup ladle to scoop the hot soup, pouring it carefully into the bowl until it is filled 2cm below the rim. Top each serving with a small handful of the toasted leftover roll croutons and a light sprinkle of fresh parsley (if available) before serving hot.
Tips
2.Adjust consistency easily: If your soup is too thick for your preference, stir in extra chicken broth 1/4 cup at a time until you reach your desired texture. If it is too thin, either let it simmer for 2-3 extra minutes to reduce, or mash a few of the soft cooked potato chunks against the side of the pot to naturally thicken the broth without adding cream or flour.
3.Adapt for missing leftovers: If you don’t have leftover stuffing, swap in 1/2 cup of cooked egg noodles or white rice for the same hearty texture, and add a pinch of dried sage and rosemary to mimic the classic herby Thanksgiving flavor profile.
OMG this was the perfect way to use up all our Thanksgiving leftovers this year! I had so much turkey, a little bit of mashed potatoes, even half a container of leftover gravy that I didn’t know what to do with, and this soup came together in literally 20 minutes? My kids gobbled it up so fast I barely got a second bowl. 10/10 will be making this every post-Thanksgiving from now on.
Super easy recipe even for someone who burns toast half the time lmao. I only had leftover turkey and canned corn after my friend’s potluck Friendsgiving, so I tossed in a couple handfuls of frozen veggies too and it still slapped. Way better than eating cold turkey sandwiches for 4 days straight like I did last year.
I made this last night and it was so tasty, but wait—does this have any gluten in it if I use homemade gravy? I have celiac so I have to be super careful, I didn’t even think to check ingredients until after I ate two bowls, ha. It’s so good I want to make a big batch for my meal prep this week if it works for my diet.
Game changer. I hosted 12 people for Thanksgiving this year and had tupperwares stacked to the top of my fridge, I thought I’d be eating leftovers for two weeks. Made a big pot of this soup and brought half to my neighbor who just had a baby, she said it was the best thing she’d eaten all week. SO good.
25 minute cook time is no joke! I got home from work yesterday, dumped all my leftovers in a pot, and had dinner on the table before my roommate even finished ordering takeout. Tasted like Thanksgiving in a bowl, no exaggeration. Only note is I added a little extra black pepper and a pinch of thyme to punch up the flavor a bit.
My son is going through that super picky phase where he refuses to eat anything that isn’t chicken nuggets, so I was shocked when he asked for a second helping of this soup! I blended half of it so it was a little smoother for him, left the other half chunky for my husband and me. Total win for family dinner.
Wait, can you freeze this? I made way too big of a batch and I don’t want it to go to waste before I can eat it all. I’m already sick of leftovers as is, ha.
I added a handful of leftover stuffing croutons on top of my bowl and oh my GOD, that crunch took this to a whole other level. Don’t skip the topping, people! It’s the little touch that makes it feel special, not just a random mishmash of leftovers.
Made this on my camp stove over the weekend after we got home from our Thanksgiving trip! It was so easy to throw together even with my tiny camp kitchen, and it warmed us right up after a cold hike. Who says you can’t have cozy post-holiday food in the woods?
Swapped the little bit of cream the recipe mentions for oat milk and it was still so rich and creamy! I was worried it would taste watery but the leftover mashed potatoes did all the heavy lifting thickening it up. 10/10 for dietary flexibility.
Brought this to my office potluck the Monday after Thanksgiving and everyone was begging for the recipe! People went back for thirds, even the guy who never eats anything brought from home. So easy to make in a big batch for a crowd, no fancy ingredients needed.
This was the first soup I ever made from scratch and it turned out perfect! I was so nervous I’d mess it up but the steps are so straightforward, I didn’t even have to look up how to sauté veggies halfway through. Definitely adding this to my regular rotation even when it’s not post-Thanksgiving, I’ll just use deli turkey if I have to!