Leftover Turkey Tortilla Soup
When you tire of turkey sandwiches, shred a couple of cups of your leftover bird and make this fabulous Leftover Turkey Tortilla Soup!
Comforting with a nice hit of spices, this homemade turkey soup is a perfect post-Thanksgiving meal!
Leftover Turkey Tortilla Soup
The hubby is happy zapping a plate of holiday leftovers night after night. By day three, I usually whip up a Turkey Tetrazzini, but this year I plan to shake things up. All that’s needed is a cup and a half of shredded turkey (I always add more!), a few items from the market, and some staples from the pantry. It’s an easy peasy recipe because who the heck needs to spend any more time in the kitchen after cooking up a Thanksgiving feast??!
How to Garnish Homemade Turkey Soup
This spicy homemade turkey soup can be modified to your liking. Use half a jalapeno or a can of diced mild green chiles for less heat. If you have some sharp cheddar on hand, don’t bother running to the grocery store for Monterey Jack.
The garnishes are important. I love the crispy fried tortillas. Sprinkle with some salt while they’re hot if you’d like. Avocado chunks are my favorite. One for the soup, one for the cook. My kitchen is usually stocked with Pacific brand chicken broth which is less salty than, let’s say, Swanson’s. So taste before you salt. My batch needed more than the 1/2 teaspoon listed in the recipe, but yours may not need any!
If you have any leftover turkey stock, that would be a fabulous substitution for chicken broth. I hope you’ll add this turkey tortilla soup to your post-holiday menu.
How Long Can You Keep Leftover Turkey?
As long as your roasted turkey has not been sitting at room temperature for more than 2 hours, you can safely keep it in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. If it was left out too long, the chance of food poisoning is much greater and the leftovers should not be saved. If you’d like to freeze leftovers, they’ll keep well for up to 3 months.
How Should You Store Leftover Turkey?
Before the 2 hour mark, the turkey leftovers should be cut into slices or chunks, placed into airtight containers or Ziploc bags with the air removed, and placed in the refrigerator or freezer. Removing air will help prevent any frost or freezer burn.
If saving for soup, shred, or chop the turkey. If saving for sandwiches, go ahead and slice it or save a nice piece of the turkey breast that can be sliced when defrosted.
What Can You Make with Leftover Turkey?
Any recipe calling for chicken can be made with leftover turkey. Think about turkey noodle soup, turkey enchiladas, turkey tetrazzini, turkey pot pie, turkey salad sandwiches, and more. Use the carcass to make turkey broth or stock. What are your favorite recipes for turkey leftovers?
More Recipes for Holiday Leftovers
More recipes utilizing holiday leftovers. Make sure to pin this post so you can have all this delicious inspiration only a click or two away.
- Brie Cranberry Turkey Quesadillas by Food Lust People Love
- Cranberry Chipotle BBQ Chicken Pizza by A Mind “Full” Mom
- Cranberry Pork Tenderloin by The Crumby Cupcake
- Creamed Spinach Turkey Pasta by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
- Turkey Grilled Cheese with Cranberry and Brie by Life Tastes Good
- More Leftover Turkey Recipes from Spend with Pennies
- Plus a terrific recipe for How to Brine a Turkey from Savory Experiments
- Curried Turkey Salad
- Homemade Turkey Tetrazzini
- More Soup Recipes
Turkey Tortilla Soup
An easy recipe which utilizes your leftover Thanksgiving turkey! Adapted from Simply Recipes.
Ingredients
- 6 corn tortillas, stale is best
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 jalapeno, minced
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1 cup frozen corn kernels
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste (varies depending on the saltiness of your broth)
- 1 1/2 cups shredded turkey
- 1 avocado, sliced or chopped
- 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- Chopped cilantro
- Lime, cut into wedges
Instructions
- Cut tortillas in half then slice each into ¼ inch wide strips. Heat oil in stockpot and fry till lightly browned and crisp. Drain on paper towel lined plate.
- Add chopped onions to pan and cook a couple minutes. Add chiles and garlic and cook just a minute more. Add stock, tomatoes, corn, cumin, oregano and salt to taste. Bring to a boil and then lower to a simmer. Cover and cook for 15 minutes, then add chicken and cook till heated through.
- Serve with avocado, cheese, cilantro, tortilla strips and a sprinkle of lime juice if desired.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 592Total Fat: 34gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 25gCholesterol: 75mgSodium: 894mgCarbohydrates: 46gFiber: 10gSugar: 11gProtein: 30g
Lizzy , how’s the Thanksgiving prep so far ? I couldn’t wait to see your Thanksgiving spread ! If you need an extra pair of hands , just call me lol
I would love this soup,Tex-Mex is always a winner! Happy Thanksgiving Week:@)
I have never had a tortilla soup…such a good use of leftover turkey.
Great idea and delicious soup!
love
I definitely need to try this! Looks like it came out perfectly.
This is one of my favourite soups, so hearty and filling. The topping really make it.
Such a eye-catching soup! Love the flavors Liz!
This soup looks wonderful and definitely would highlight another side of turkey!
I could use a big bowl of this soup. And the toppings. I love me a good bowl with toppings.
Of course you fried your own tortilla strips!!! When can I come over for some of your amazing cooking and baking???
Love to be at your house for this shake-up leftover dish. Yummy! (Pinned – as usual.) P.s. Wondering if you saw the thank you on my post to you. (My brownie cutting method has improved thanks to your tips.)
What a delicious-looking soup. Perfect for the cold weather coming our way!
You must have read my mind. I was thinking Tortilla Soup would be perfect to make with the turkey leftovers. I can’t wait to try this!!!!
Tortilla soup is one of my favorites and I can’t wait to try your recipe – all those garnishes are a must!
I love Tortilla soup. What a great idea to make it with the Thanksgiving leftovers.
I’ve seen so many wonderful turkey leftover ideas tonight that I’m beginning to look more forward to the leftover than the Thanksgiving meal. 🙂 Your soup just moved up to the top of the list. Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
looks amazing! cant wait for leftovers now
Tonight I went on the hunt for this recipe that I saw when I scrolled your Facebook page last week. I can already taste this Turkey Tortilla Soup which I’ve got scheduled to make tomorrow. Love that I already have most the ingredients on hand. I imagine the Berg household enjoyed quite the holiday feast (except the dog – poor Izzy). When I was with my family over Thanksgiving, our banter and teasing and chatter back and forth reminded me of my evening at your house with your family. Except, no orange cake!
I stashed the leftover turkey in the freezer waiting for a tasty recipe like this one.
Definitely making this the day after thanksgiving! nothing beats a quick & easy soup recipe -> especially when it’s made with leftovers!
You know dinner is a hit when everyone is quiet around the table and I didn’t hear a peep until all our bowls were empty! Delish!
A cold day calls for this soup! I love everything about it! Making this soon.
This recipe is so good! I made it with chicken and plan to save this for after thanksgiving! I love the idea of making it with leftover turkey. Sounds delicious!
It was so comforting!! Such a huge hit for dinner at my house!