If you have leftover vegetables and turkey from Thanksgiving or Christmas, make the most out of them with this delicious soup recipe. This turkey leek soup is deliciously creamy and made with fresh veggies and seasoned with thyme for a comforting, cozy and filling meal.
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my privacy policy here.
If you've cooked up or bought too much food this Thanksgiving or Christmas, this creamy turkey leek soup is one delicious way to use up the leftovers.
This is a really hearty soup, rich and creamy and seasoned with fresh thyme and full of fresh veggies. Made with cream, it tastes indulgent and has a silky texture. Leftover cooked turkey is stirred into the soup to add some substance.
This is the perfect way to cozy up during the holidays!
Be sure to try my Ground Beef and Tomato Soup and Celery and Carrot Soup too!
Why you will love this recipe!
- Easy: This soup is simple and easy to make all in one pot. Quick to prep with no complicated methods. It makes for a great weeknight dinner.
- Make ahead: If you've got leftover ingredients that you need to use up, a soup is a great way to make the most of them. It keeps well in the fridge and can be frozen too.
- Budget friendly: With a short list of ingredients that you are likely to have on hand already, this is a cheap to make meal that the whole family will love.
Ingredients
- Oil for cooking: Any high heat oil will work well, like canola, vegetable or sunflower.
- Vegetables: Onions, celery, carrots, leeks and garlic.
- Salt and pepper: Added to taste. You may need to add more depending on how salty your stock and turkey are.
- Stock: If you have made some turkey stock from your whole turkey carcass, then that will work great in this recipe. You can also use vegetable or chicken stock, homemade or store bought.
- Cream: Heavy cream, or whipping cream that is 35% fat makes this turkey soup extra special and indulgent.
- Thyme: Thyme and turkey work so great together! Stir in fresh thyme leaves towards the end of cooking, or use dried thyme and add it to the soup when you soften the vegetables.
- Turkey: Use cooked turkey leftovers for this recipe. Shred or roughly chop it before adding the soup.
How to make creamy turkey leek soup
Be sure to scroll down for the full recipe!
- Soften the vegetables (photo 1).
- Add the stock and cream (photo 2).
- Blend smooth, add the cooked turkey and seasonings and warm through to serve (photo 3).
Recipe Variations
This turkey leek soup is easily adaptable to suit your tastes or use what you have in your pantry.
- Different vegetables: You can easily add in other veggies you have to hand, spinach, bell peppers and mushrooms are all great options. You can also add in leftover roasted vegetables if you have some to use up.
- Different herbs: Thyme works great, but you can use any herbs that you have leftover. Rosemary and sage both work great and you can use dried herbs instead of fresh. If using dried, add them in when you cook the vegetables so that they have time to soften and release their flavors.
- Make it healthier: Heavy cream adds a really rich flavor. To reduce calories you can use half and half of milk. You can also omit the dairy if you prefer.
- Make it lower carb: This soup contains around 13g of carbs and is also keto friendly. To reduce the carbs further, you can swap the carrots with broccoli or cauliflower.
- Swap the turkey: Cooked chicken also works great in this soup.
Frequently Asked Questions
I made this recipe with leftover turkey breast that is already cooked, but you can make this with raw chicken or turkey. Start the recipe by cooking it in the pot, then remove it to shred or chop it. Add it back to the soup once blended to warm through. You can also use the same method with ground chicken or turkey.
Because there are quite a few vegetables in this turkey leek soup, once everything is blended together it thickens quite nicely. If your soup is too watery for your tastes, you can add a cornstarch slurry. Mix a tablespoon of cornstarch and tablespoon of water in a small bowl and then stir that into the soup, don't add it straight into the soup as it will clump and get lumpy. Add more if needed.
Similarly, if you find the soup too thick, you can stir in some extra stock, or water, to thin it a little.
Once made, if not eating straight away, let it cool completely and store in an airtight container in the fridge. It will keep well for 3 to 4 days and can be reheated on the stovetop.
Because this soup contains dairy, it can change texture slightly if frozen, but will still be delicious and if you defrost and reheat it properly it's not noticeable. Thaw the soup fully in the fridge overnight, and stir it well before and during reheating.
Recipe Notes and Tips
- Softening the vegetables helps them to become more flavorful. If you need your soup in a hurry, you can boil them in the stock til they are tender.
- If you prefer a chunkier soup, you can skip the blending process, just make sure that the carrots and celery are tender before stirring in the turkey.
- Taste your soup before serving and season with salt and pepper as needed. Depending on what stock you are using, you may not need to add extra.
- If making ahead of time, let the soup cool fully before storing.
More Soup Recipes
- Lentil and Turmeric Soup
- Sausage, Kale and White Bean Soup
- Carrot and Orange Soup
- Mushroom and Leek Soup
I love hearing from you!! If you have tried these turkey leek soup, be sure to scroll down, give them a star rating and let me know what you thought!
For more tasty treats, food inspiration and fun, be sure to follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest – come say hi!
Be sure to keep in touch and sign up to Slow The Cook Down to grab your free e-book ‘Stress Free Recipes Made For Sharing’
Creamy Turkey and Leek Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 2 small onions (diced)
- 2 celery stalks (diced)
- 2 carrots (diced)
- 2 leeks (trimmed and sliced)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 4 garlic cloves (minced)
- 4 cups stock (turkey, chicken or vegetable) (950ml)
- 1 cup heavy or whipping cream (35%) (240ml)
- 3 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
- 4 cups cooked turkey (shredded or chopped) (560g)
Instructions
- Prep and chop your onions, celery, carrots, leeks and garlic.
- Heat the oil in large pot on a medium high heat. Once hot, add the onions, celery, carrots and leeks, and stir in the salt and pepper.
- Cook til the onions are softened, stirring occasionally. Around 10 minutes.
- Once softened, stir in the minced garlic and cook for a couple of minutes.
- Pour in the stock and bring to a boil. Let simmer for 10 minutes til the celery and carrots are tender.
- Take the pot off of the heat and stir in the cream.
- Blend the soup smooth using an immersion or stand blender.
- Stir in the cooked turkey and thyme leaves to heat through.
- Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed.
Notes
- Softening the vegetables helps them to become more flavorful. If you need your soup in a hurry, you can boil them in the stock til they are tender.
- If you prefer a chunkier soup, you can skip the blending process, just make sure that the carrots and celery are tender before stirring in the turkey.
- Taste your soup before serving and season with salt and pepper as needed. Depending on what stock you are using, you may not need to add extra.
- If making ahead of time, let the soup cool fully before storing.
Jasmin says
I made it last night and I loved it. I had only purchased one leek because I hadn't seen your reply but it was still good. I don't think I'd ever cooked with leeks before and I wasn't sure how far up to cut. I used a lot of the green part since I only had one leek. It was really good.
Slow The Cook Down says
So glad you enjoyed it Jasmin! The green part is great to use in soups and stews as they have time to get nice and tender. Thanks for reaching out and letting me know how you liked it 🙂
Jasmin says
Thank you for replying
Ok now in the Creamy leek turkey soup, leeks are not mentioned in the ingredients or directions. I'm assuming that's a mistake.
Slow The Cook Down says
Oh gosh! So sorry I missed those out!! It's two leeks sliced, and they are added in with the onions and carrots to soften. I'm going to update the recipe now to include that, thank you for pointing it out!! Do let me know how you like it!
Jasmin says
Do you think coconut cream would work instead of heavy whipping cream?
Slow The Cook Down says
Hi Jasmine, yes absolutely! It will give it a slightly sweeter flavor but will turn out nice and creamy for sure! Enjoy!