Food and Recipes Dish Soup 9 Day-After-Thanksgiving Turkey Soup Ideas That Make Use of Leftovers By Kaitlyn Yarborough Kaitlyn Yarborough Part of the Southern Living team since 2017, Kaitlyn Yarborough is a Georgia native living in Austin, Texas, who covers a wide variety of topics for both the magazine and website, focusing on culture and lifestyle content, as well as travel in the South.She earned a B.A. in Journalism at the University of Georgia. She hopes to inspire your travel bucket list with her features on road trips through Texas Hill Country, bourbon tours in Kentucky, and the best beach getaways on the Gulf Coast. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on August 10, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Greg DuPree The day after Thanksgiving, we're often left nursing a post-feast food coma and housing a refrigerator laden with leftovers. Piling up a plate of casseroles and topping it all with gravy sounds like a tasty plan, but our favorite way of whittling down the Tupperware tower is transforming the Thanksgiving meal into dishes that are delicious in a new form (like a classic leftover turkey sandwich made with mayo and all the fixings). But if you really want to make the most of your leftover Thanksgiving turkey, you need a good turkey soup recipe. From Gumbo-style turkey stew to turkey chili and more, these turkey soup ideas offer big batches of comforting, crowd-feeding suppers that'll give you a little more time to recover from the holiday—that is, until it's time to start decorating the Christmas tree. 01 of 09 Turkey Tortellini Soup with Greens Greg DuPree Recipe: Turkey Tortellini Soup with Greens This leftover soup uses two parts of the Thanksgiving turkey: leftover meat and turkey stock made from the Thanksgiving centerpiece itself. Fill your family with its comforting mixture of fragrant broth, turkey, veggies, and tortellini. Serve with shaved Parmesan and a glass of white wine. 02 of 09 Slow-Cooker White Chili with Turkey Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Slow-Cooker White Chili with Turkey Consider dinner covered by this slow-cooker white chili. Head out the door on Black Friday and come back hours later to a satisfying meal. Cornmeal helps thicken the mixture and adds a hint of toasty corn flavor. 03 of 09 Leftover Turkey Rice Soup Photographer: Antonis Achilleos, Prop Stylist: Claire Spollen Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer Recipe: Leftover Turkey Rice Soup In addition to the turkey, you can also make use of leftover veggies and herbs from Thanksgiving in this nourishing rice soup. This hearty soup uses dry sherry for a little sweetness, and cremini mushrooms for earthy, savory notes. You can use turkey broth or chicken, depending on what you have on hand. 04 of 09 Slow-Cooker Turkey Chili with Quinoa Photo: Hector Sanchez Recipe: Slow Cooker Turkey Chili with Quinoa Want something healthy and hearty after all that Thanksgiving feasting? This spicy slow-cooker recipe has you covered. Swap in shredded leftover turkey instead of the ground turkey. 05 of 09 Slow-Cooker Turkey and Dumplings Soup Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Melissa Gray; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Slow-Cooker Turkey and Dumplings Soup With this recipe, you can turn leftover turkey and just 10 minutes of hands-on time into a delicious dumpling dinner. First, chicken broth, turkey, vegetables and herbs cook on low for six or seven hours. Then the dumplings are spooned into the simmering broth—add a splash of leftover gravy for an even richer meal. 06 of 09 Italian-Style Turkey Meatball Soup Photo: Hector Sanchez Recipe: Italian-Style Turkey Meatball Soup Unless you're hosting an unconventional Thanksgiving meal that features turkey meatballs, swap in your leftover turkey instead. It'll pair just as deliciously with this simple Italian-style soup recipe. At the last moment, stir in any baby greens you have on hand and top with cheese. 07 of 09 Tortilla Turkey Soup Iain Bagwell Recipe: Tortilla Turkey Soup Forget the bland, the boring, the day-after slump. This tortilla soup, Thanksgiving edition, transforms your turkey into a zingy, Mexican-inspired dinner. This recipe feels light and healthy, too. 08 of 09 Fiesta Turkey Soup Southern Living Recipe: Fiesta Turkey Soup You'll happily throw a fiesta after tasting this 30-minute soup. It's the definition of quick-fix, using leftovers, canned ingredients, and hard-working spices. The zingy Green Chile Biscuit recipe requires just four ingredients. 09 of 09 Gumbo-Style Turkey Soup Greg DuPree Recipe: Gumbo-Style Turkey Soup It doesn't get much cozier than gumbo. Spend your post-Thanksgiving, football-watching weekend chowing down on this roasted turkey rendition. This soup feeds eight, making it the perfect meal for lingering house guests. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit