Leftover Turkey Tortilla Soup
After Thanksgiving, enjoy a bowl of leftover turkey tortilla soup loaded with vegetables. While shopping for Thanksgiving, grab some extra veggies and toppings and you’re set for a delicious leftover meal.
Thanksgiving is one of our favorite holidays; we love combining our old favorite recipes (like my husband’s grandmother’s Italian stuffing and my mom’s ginger orange cranberry sauce) with new dishes. On leftover day, we like to change up the flavor and leftover turkey tortilla soup hits the spot.
Leftover turkey simmers in a delicious, creamy soup formed by blending tomatoes, tomatillos, carrot, celery, squash, and mushrooms. The toppings in this soup are essential, adding tons of flavor and texture with smooth avocado, zesty lime, salty cheese, spicy jalapeño, cilantro, and crunchy chips.
Personalize the toppings for each person’s taste. For example, my daughter loves the soup with only avocado and chips added, while my dad loads his soup with as many toppings as the bowl can hold, including quick pickled jalapeños.
Shortcuts
When we’re feeling ambitious, we make our own broth from the turkey carcass using a pressure cooker to cut down on cooking time. Packaged chicken stock also does the trick.
This soup is so tasty, we make it several times a year. When we aren’t up for cooking a whole turkey, we make the soup with rotisserie chicken or turkey breast.
Leftover Turkey Tortilla Soup Recipe
Servings: 12 cups
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 60 minutes
Ingredients
For the Blended Soup Base
1 (28 ounce) can whole or diced tomatoes
4 cups broth (turkey or chicken)
1 pound tomatillos, quartered
1/2 cup onion, quartered
1 cup carrot, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 stalks celery, trimmed and coarsely chopped
2 cups butternut squash, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and cut in half
1/2 cup crimini or small bella mushrooms, trimmed and quartered
For the Soup
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups carrot, finely diced
2 cups butternut squash, cubed
1/4 jalapeño, deseeded and diced
2 cups cooked turkey breast, cubed
1/2 cup tortilla chips, crushed
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
salt and pepper, to taste
Toppings: For 1 Bowl
½ avocado, sliced
¼ lime, cut into wedges
1-2 tablespoons queso fresco or cotija cheese
¼-½ jalapeño, diced (option to deseed to reduce heat)
1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
¼ cup tortilla chips, crushed
salt and pepper, to taste
How to Make Leftover Turkey Tortilla Soup
Prepare Soup Base
Blend the base in two batches. Add 1/2 can of tomatoes and 2 cups broth and blend. Then add 1/2 of the chopped soup base ingredients – tomatillos, onion, carrot, celery, squash, garlic, and mushrooms. Blend until smooth. Transfer to a large bowl. Repeat with remaining soup base ingredients.
Make the Soup
Add oil to a large pot on medium-high heat. Add diced carrots, cubed squash, and jalapeño and sauté for 15-20 minutes, until vegetables soften. Stir occasionally. Add blenderized soup base, crushed tortilla chips, cumin, and chili powder. Bring to a boil then reduce to simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Stir occasionally. Add cubed turkey and simmer another 20 minutes.
After cooking, season with salt and pepper to taste.
Ladle into bowls and top with sliced avocado, lime wedges, crumbled queso fresco or cotija cheese, diced jalapeño, chopped cilantro, and/or crushed tortilla chips.
Leftover Turkey Tortilla Soup
Put a spin on Thanksgiving leftovers with zesty turkey tortilla soup.
Ingredients
For Blended Soup Base
- 1 (28 ounce) can whole or diced tomatoes
- 4 cups broth (turkey or chicken)
- 1 pound tomatillos, quartered
- 1/2 cup onion, quartered
- 1 cup carrot, peeled and coarsely chopped
- 2 stalks celery, trimmed and coarsely chopped
- 2 cups butternut squash, peeled and coarsely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and cut in half
- 1/2 cup crimini or small bella mushrooms, trimmed and quartered
For the Soup
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cups carrot, finely diced
- 2 cups butternut squash, cubed
- 1/4 jalapeño, deseeded and diced
- 2 cups cooked turkey breast, cubed
- 1/2 cup tortilla chips, crushed
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- salt and pepper, to taste
Toppings: For 1 Bowl
- ½ avocado, sliced
- ¼ lime, cut into wedges
- 1-2 tablespoons queso fresco or cotija cheese
- ¼-½ jalapeño, diced
- 1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
- ¼ cup tortilla chips, crushed
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Blend the soup base in two batches. Add 1/2 can of tomatoes and 2 cups broth and blend. Then add 1/2 of the chopped soup base ingredients - tomatillos, onion, carrot, celery, squash, garlic and mushrooms. Blend until smooth. Transfer to a large bowl. Repeat with remaining soup base ingredients.
- Add oil to a large pot on medium-high heat. Add diced carrots, cubed squash and jalapeño and sauté for 15-20 minutes, until vegetables soften. Stir occasionally.
- Add blenderized soup base, crushed tortilla chips, cumin and chili powder. Bring to a boil then reduce to simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Stir occasionally.
- Add cubed turkey and simmer another 20 minutes.
- After cooking, season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Ladle into bowls and top with sliced avocado, lime wedges, crumbled queso fresco or cotija cheese, diced jalapeño, chopped cilantro and/or crushed tortilla chips.
Notes
If you're feeling ambitious, make our own broth from the turkey carcass using a pressure cooker to cut down on cooking time. Packaged chicken stock also does the trick.
If you aren't up for cooking a whole turkey, make the soup with rotisserie chicken or turkey breast.
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