Today’s Creamy Leftover Turkey Mushroom Soup is the perfect post-holiday comfort food!
Check out this Creamy Leftover Turkey Mushroom Soup recipe I threw together this weekend, using leftover Thanksgiving turkey + a few odds and ends from my fridge. Turkey mushroom soup is just what I wanted to pair with a crusty loaf of bread on a chilly fall day — and it had some great flavor, because turkey and mushrooms pair together so well.
Next time I might actually double the mushrooms to bulk things up a bit because I tend to like my soup very full of stuff, but that’s really the only thing I’d change about this comforting cold weather soup recipe.
You could make your own pot of soup a little creamier with some half-and-half. Milk, though, is what I had on hand here, so milk is what I used, and it worked out quite nicely. All the random ingredients in my fridge worked together here — and what’s most fun about Thanksgiving leftovers is that they give you some leeway to experiment. Play with your food, why don’t you! 🙂
Creamy Leftover Turkey Mushroom Soup
Ingredients
2 Tbsp butter, divided
1/2 of a medium yellow onion, chopped small
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
1 rib celery, chopped
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 Tbsp minced garlic (about six cloves)
3 Tbsp flour
Sea salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
6 cups turkey broth
2 cups chopped cooked turkey
1 bay leaf
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp smoked paprika
1.5 cups whole milk
Directions
Chop vegetables and turkey.
Heat 1 Tbsp butter in a Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat until melted, then swirl to coat the bottom of the pot. Add onion, carrots, and celery and saute for eight minutes, stirring occasionally, until veggies are softened.
Stir in 1 Tbsp butter, mushrooms, and garlic. Continue to saute over medium heat for another five minutes, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are softened and browned.
Stir in the flour, sea salt, and pepper and continue to cook for another one minute, stirring often.
Gradually stir in the broth. Add the turkey, bay leaf, thyme, and smoked paprika, then bring the pot to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove and discard the bay leaf. Stir in milk until heated through, about 5 minutes, then serve.
Note: You can optionally top your soup with chopped green onion as shown here — and can double the mushrooms, if you want an extra mushroom-y punch!
Post-holiday comfort food, check!
This simple leftover turkey soup recipe is packed full of flavor. And turkey. And mushrooms! Creamy leftover turkey mushroom soup is a deliciously different way to take advantage of your Thanksgiving turkey, and a comforting recipe for any too-cold day in late fall. Smoked paprika, garlic, and thyme add a bit of underlying warmth, but other than that you don’t need much seasoning to flavor a big old pot of turkey & mushroom soup.
Creamy Leftover Turkey Mushroom Soup, printable recipe
Creamy Leftover Turkey Mushroom Soup
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp butter divided
- 1/2 medium yellow onion chopped small
- 2 medium carrots peeled and diced
- 1 rib of celery chopped
- 8 oz mushrooms sliced
- 1 Tbsp minced garlic about six cloves
- 3 Tbsp flour
- Sea salt to taste
- Black pepper to taste
- 6 cups turkey broth
- 2 cups chopped cooked turkey
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1.5 cups whole milk
Instructions
- Chop vegetables and turkey.
- Heat 1 Tbsp butter in a Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat until melted, then swirl to coat the bottom of the pot. Add onion, carrots, and celery and saute for eight minutes, stirring occasionally, until veggies are softened.
- Stir in 1 Tbsp butter, mushrooms, and garlic. Continue to saute over medium heat for another five minutes, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are softened and browned.
- Stir in the flour, sea salt, and pepper and continue to cook for another one minute, stirring often.
- Gradually stir in the broth.
- Add the turkey, bay leaf, thyme, and smoked paprika, then bring the pot to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove and discard the bay leaf. Stir in milk until heated through, about 5 minutes, then serve.
Notes
More leftover turkey recipes?
If your family is anything like mine, you likely tend to end up with more leftover turkey than one recipe can handle. That’s a feature, not a bug: There are sooo many things you can do with leftover turkey, from the easy sandwiches and quesadillas, to the more involved soups, chilis, and hand pies. Check out five great recipe ideas for leftover Thanksgiving turkey, or try cooking up a batch of white turkey chili.
What do you like to make with your own Thanksgiving leftovers?
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