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Not sure what to do with those Christmas or Thanksgiving leftovers? You can’t go wrong with this creamy mushroom kale turkey soup. Many of us have leftover thanksgiving turkey or leftover turkey breast from Christmas, so it’s always worth discovering a new leftover turkey recipe to use it up in a tasty way. And this leftover turkey soup is chock-full of delicious flavours including white wine, garlic, mushrooms, and more.
Holiday leftovers often tend to make an appearance in turkey sandwiches the next day. Who knew post-holiday comfort food could taste so good? It’s an easy soup recipe the whole family will love and it’s hot and hearty for this time of year.
Creamy Mushroom Kale Turkey Soup Ingredients
This smoked turkey soup recipe not only puts your holiday leftovers to good use. It’s a comforting cold weather soup which makes a cozy fall and winter treat, plus it is a great way to use leftover turkey meat.
Chopped leftover turkey (dark meat or light meat) is one of the main ingredients and you can use regular cooked turkey or smoked turkey if you cooked it that way. Even rotisserie chicken would work here.
Kale also goes into the mix although you can swap this for Swiss chard or cabbage if you prefer. Red onion, mushrooms, celery and flour also go into the turkey mushroom soup. In addition you will need cream cheese, butter, garlic, broth, white wine, thyme, and onion powder.
How to Make Leftover Turkey Soup
This is a very easy recipe! Melt the butter in a Dutch oven then add the onion, celery and garlic, and sauté for a few minutes. Add the sliced mushrooms and cook the mixture some more.
Drain off the vegetables and put them back in the pot. Mix in the cream cheese. Blend chicken broth with the flour, salt, pepper, and onion powder, then add this to the vegetable cream cheese mixture.
Add the white wine and turkey and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Finally add the kale and thyme and cook some more and serve garnished with thyme leaves and black pepper.
Ideas for Variations
This leftover turkey soup recipe is one of those great recipes that you will make year after year. It’s a great change from the usual turkey noodle soup. It is easy to change it up a bit. As well as subbing chicken for the turkey and Swiss chard or cabbage for the kale, there are other changes you might want to make. The mushrooms can be swapped for zucchini or broccoli. Mushroom or vegetable broth would work in place of the chicken broth or chicken stock.
You can also add other veggies like green beans, other fresh herbs or even a bay leaf to this creamy mushroom kale turkey soup as well as your Christmas or Thanksgiving leftovers. Wild or white rice could also be added in.
If you want to add anything really dense to the leftover turkey recipe, such as butternut squash or parsnip, either par-boil them in water first else cook the creamy turkey soup for longer so they have time to get tender. This creamy soup has great flavor and sure to become your family’s favorite recipe.
Leftover Turkey Soup FAQs
Since there is turkey in the delicious soup and veggies too, it’s really a meal in one. But to make it a little more filling, some crusty bread on the side always works nicely.
This leftover soup is already made with leftover turkey. Assuming that’s only one or two days old, how long can you keep this turkey soup recipe?
I recommend keeping it in an airtight container and using it up within a day for the best results. Of course, soup recipes are best served fresh as soon as you make it, and it smells so good you’ll want to grab yourself a nice big bowlful right away.
Creamy Mushroom Kale Turkey Soup Recipe
Creamy Mushroom Kale Turkey Soup
Ingredients
- 2 Cups turkey, leftovers, cubed
- 2 Cups kale, baby
- 1 red onion, diced
- 1 Cup mushrooms, baby bella, sliced
- 1 Cup celery, chopped
- 8 Ounces cream cheese, softened
- 6 Cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 2 Tablespoon all purpose flour
- 2 Tablespoon butter
- 3 Cups chicken broth
- ½ Cup white wine
- thyme, fresh
- 1 Teaspoon salt
- ½ Teaspoon black pepper
- ½ Teaspoon onion powder
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven over medium heat, melt the butter.
- Once the butter is melted, Add diced onion, celery, and garlic. Stir and sauté for five minutes. Add mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes. Drain and return veggies to the pot.
- Next, add the cream cheese and stir until completely melted.
- In a separate bowl with a pour spout, Combine chicken broth, flour, salt, pepper, and onion powder. Whisk well, then pour into Dutch oven.
- Next, stir in the Turkey and white wine. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Add the kale and fresh thyme. Stir and cook for 10 minutes.
- Garnish with fresh cracked pepper and thyme leaves.
Nutrition
If you’re looking for a tasty leftover turkey soup recipe to use up those Christmas or Thanksgiving leftovers, I bet you’ll love this creamy mushroom kale turkey soup. It’s the perfect way to put turkey leftovers to good use and the best part is how amazing it tastes. This cozy meal could even become one of your favorite creamy soups. Add this easy turkey soup to your meal plan after Thanksgiving dinner.
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Bella Bucchiotti
Bella Bucchiotti is a Canadian-based syndicated food, travel, and lifestyle writer, photographer, and creator at xoxoBella. She founded xoxoBella in 2015, where she shares her love for food, dogs, sustainability, fitness, crafts, outdoor adventures, travel, and philanthropy to encourage others to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places, and stand for a cause. Bella creates stress-free and family-friendly recipes for weeknight dinners and festive feasts.
I’ve been on a soup kick lately. This soup is like a warm hug in a bowl.
I made this last night and it was so good! So creamy and flavorful! More recipes like this please…🙏😋
I love the rustic flavor coming from the mushroom and the vibrancy from the kale. Great recipe!
This recipe won me over completely! So delicious, definitely making it again.
This looks so delicious 🙂