Turn those leftovers into a wholesome heart soup!
In this easy soup recipe, leftover turkey and mixed vegetables are cooked in a seasoned broth with tender pasta for cozy goodness in every spoonful!

Make Turkey Vegetable Soup with Your Leftover Turkey Because…
- It’s one of my favorite ways to use leftover turkey from the holiday feast.
- Cooked in a single pot, turkey vegetable soup is easy to make
- It’s made in just one pot, so cleanup is a cinch.
- Keep the pasta on the side and this recipe will freeze and reheat well.
- It’s so cozy to enjoy on a cold day. Serve with a side of crusty bread for the perfect meal!

Ingredient Tips and Swaps For Turkey Vegetable Soup
- Turkey: Use cooked turkey in this recipe. I chop leftover Thanksgiving turkey and freeze it in small 2 to 3 cup portions for recipes.
- Turkey Swap: Use cooked or rotisserie chicken or brown 1 pound of ground turkey.
- Vegetables: Onion and celery flavor the broth in this soup while mixed vegetables add color and variety.
- Use leftovers: Replace the frozen mixed vegetables with leftover cooked or roasted vegetables, from carrots or green beans to sweet potatoes. Add cooked vegetables during the last 5 minutes of cooking time.
- Pasta: Use any shape; we prefer small to medium shapes. Try elbow or shell macaroni noodles, Gemelli, or rotini.
- Broth: This rich, tomato-ey broth is flavorful and easy to make. Use my DIY Italian herb mix. If you’ve got a carcass (and a little bit of time), this recipe is great with homemade broth.
Variations
- Budget stretcher: Stretch the soup further by adding two cups of extra broth and 1 can of drained and rinsed beans. Try kidney beans, cannellini beans, or garbanzo beans.
- Swap the spices: Swap the Italian seasoning for homemade taco seasoning and add Rotel tomatoes instead of diced tomatoes for a little spicy kick.



How to Make Turkey Vegetable Soup
Pro tip: One of my favorite tips for broth-based soups is to add a touch of flour. Flour thickens the broth ever so slightly for a more silky texture.
- Soften onion, celery, and garlic in a Dutch oven. Stir in flour and seasoning.
- Add broth, tomatoes, and turkey and bring to a boil.
- Simmer uncovered, and then add mixed vegetables and pasta.
Cook until the pasta is tender, and season before serving.
Meal Prep and Planned Leftovers
The pasta will absorb broth if leftovers are stored. If you’re planning for leftovers, cook the pasta separately and add a spoonful to each serving bowl.

Storing Leftover Soup
- Keep turkey vegetable soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days and reheat it on the stove.
- To freeze the soup, transfer it to zippered bags and freeze for up to 4 months. Reheat over medium heat, adding freshly cooked noodles, pasta, or rice before serving.
Holly’s Pro Tip
If you’ve cooked the pasta in the soup and want to store or freeze leftovers, strain the broth into a separate container. Storing or freezing the “goodies” and the broth separately ensures the pasta doesn’t become mushy by soaking up the broth.
Love Your Leftover Turkey!
Did you enjoy my Turkey Vegetable Soup? Be sure to leave a comment or rating below.

Turkey Vegetable Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 large onion diced
- 4 ribs celery sliced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 6 cups chicken broth low sodium
- 14.5 ounces canned petite diced tomatoes 1 can, with juices
- 3 cups cooked chopped turkey or shredded turkey
- 2 cups frozen mixed vegetables thawed, or leftover cooked vegetables
- 6 ounces medium pasta
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven or large pot, cook onion, celery, and garlic in olive oil and butter over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until softened.
- Stir in flour and Italian seasoning. Cook 2 minutes.
- Add broth, tomatoes, and turkey. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer uncovered for 20-25 minutes.
- Stir in mixed vegetables and pasta*. Cook 10-15 minutes or until pasta is tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
- Pasta: If you plan to have leftovers, cook the pasta on the side and add to each bowl before serving. Store the pasta separately.
- If you’ve cooked the pasta in the soup and want to store or freeze leftovers, strain the broth into a separate container. Storing or freezing the “goodies” and the broth separately ensures the pasta doesn’t become mushy by soaking up the broth.
- Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 4 months.
- * If using leftover cooked vegetables, add during the last 5 minutes of cooking time.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
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Great, easy to follow recipes, that don’t break the bank.
So glad you loved it Low.
I loved this soup and will be making it again. Do you think it would be possible to substitute the pasta with rice?
Yes, I think that would work just fine! You can either cook the rice on the side (for planned leftovers) and add it to each bowl, or cook it in the soup.
very interesting
Hello! I can’t wait to try this recipe! I just had a question, is it okay to leave out the tomatoes? Will it affect the flavor too much or is there something else I can do to replace them? I just don’t like tomato very much, both the flavor and texture
You can leave the tomatoes out in this recipe. Enjoy!
I feel stupid asking this but do you drain the tomatoes???? Also, is the nutritional in based on servings or the whole pot???
Hi Carrie, for this recipe we add the tomatoes, juice and all, to the soup. And the nutritional value is per serving!
Can u do this in a slow cooker
Sure you can! I would suggest following the direction for my slow cooker chicken noodle soup recipe and cooking the noodles on the side.
The turkey soup was excellent! I will make it again.
So happy to hear that Linda!
Can you freeze the leftovers for this turkey noodle soup.
This recipe freezes well. If you are going to freeze it, leave out the noodles and add them when you reheat the soup!
This is my second try..my question keeps getting deleted…? What is the green stuff in the soup is it basi? Also, are those white onion or cabbage in the soup? I’d like to make this but I can’t seem to get an answer to my questions!
Comments are manually approved so I am able to answer your questions. :) I’ve answered your questions below.
What is the green stuff in the soup..basil? Is it diced onions or cabbage in the photos?
The white things are onions as listed in the recipe. The green is just a pinch parsley for garnish or appearance. I hope that helps.
Can you use the left over juices from the turkey instead of chicken broth or boullion and can you use the diced tomatoes with the oregeno in them already instead of plain diced tomatoes
Both of those substitutions sound delicious Francis, let us know how it turns out!