Leftover Turkey Tortellini Soup

Name: Leftover Turkey Tortellini Soup
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 2 tbsp canola oil; 1 medium yellow onion (diced); 2 medium carrots (diced); 5 oz spinach (chopped); 4 garlic cloves (pressed or minced); 14.5 oz fire roasted diced tomatoes; 2 cups diced cooked turkey meat; 3 tbsp tomato paste; 3 cups chicken broth; 9 oz four cheese tortellini; 6 minced fresh basil leaves; salt; 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

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Simple tortellini soup is a great way to use up some leftover holiday turkey. This tomato based soup is an easy, 30-minute soup loaded with veggies, turkey, and cheese tortellini.

If you are looking for more recipes to use leftover turkey, check out our Turkey Enchiladas and Turkey Sliders.

top closeup of a bowl of turkey tortellini soup.

Leftover Turkey Soup

The more turkey you have left from the holidays, the more easy meals you can make over the next few days following the holiday.

Of course, it’s easy to just make yourself another plate of turkeys, stuffing, and mashed potatoes, but why not make something new and tasty? Make some comforting potato cakes out of leftover mashed potatoes or sweet potatoes.

It’s easy and delicious to use stuffing in breakfast casseroles, breakfast muffins, hushpuppies, or waffles.

Cranberry sauce is great to bake into cookies, cookie bars, doughnuts, and pastries. It’s also great to add a little touch of sweetness to grilled cheeses and other sandwiches.

Turkey is another leftover holiday dish that has endless possibilities for reinvention. You can use leftover turkey in breakfast recipes, lunch, and dinner dishes. One of my favorite things to make with turkey is an easy soup.

Day after Thanksgiving is tough. Besides the Black Friday shopping, there is still a lot of cleaning and getting the house ready for the next holiday. Easy soup is the way to go.

scooping out some tortellini soup from white bowl.

Step-by-Step Instructions:

If using leftover turkey, this soup becomes incredibly simple and fast to make. The whole thing will take you less than 30 minutes.

Sauté onions and carrots first, to caramelize them for more flavor.

Add spinach and garlic and cook until spinach is wilted. Add diced turkey meat and sauté.

Pour the entire can on fire roasted diced tomatoes into the pot. Stir in tomato puree and bring to simmer.

Add broth, stir, and bring everything to simmer.

Season and add tortellini. Cook until tortellini is just done.

Stir in minced basil and enjoy some delicious soup.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Can I use leftover carrots in this soup?

Yes, absolutely. Since carrots are already cooked, they don’t need much cook time. Don’t add carrots to the pot until right before adding broth. You can also use leftover green beans and other vegetables if you wish.

Can I make this soup creamy?

This turkey soup will be delicious made creamy. Simple add 1/4 cup of heavy whipping cream at the same time as basil and stir well. Cook for just a couple of minutes and you have a creamy turkey tortellini soup. If you wish, add some shaved or grated parmesan cheese as well.

side view of white bowl with turkey tortellini soup.

Some leftover turkey recipes:

Turkey Cranberry Brie Grilled Cheese

Leftover Turkey Noodles

Turkey Salad

Cranberry Asiago Turkey Sliders