I’m going to show you how to make the best soup for leftover turkey! But first, a quick story.
The past two years, my family has supported a local farm and gotten a pasture raised turkey for thanksgiving. The quality of the meat is outstanding, and we just love supporting our farmer friends! The one drawback (or benefit!) is that we don’t really get a choice on the size of our turkey. They grow how they grow, and “small” could be completely different one year to the next depending on the batch. This year, we ended up with a 17-pounder… for four people and a toddler! So, needless to say, we’ve got a LOT of leftover turkey.
How to Keep Your Turkey from Going Bad
When you’ve got a lot of leftovers, the most important thing to do is bag it up, label it, and freeze it. The sooner the better. We just bought a vacuum sealer and that has been a life saver! It will stay in the freezer much longer now and we don’t have to worry about either eating turkey til we drop, or letting all that lovingly raised turkey go to waste!
Other Leftover Ideas
Before we get to this soup, I wanted to share a few other great leftover ideas! Obviously you’ve got your turkey sandwiches, turkey salad, and turkey pot pie (I REALLY wanted to make this one, but just have had the time or energy for pie crust since I’m in the throws of cookie making for Christmas). These are all the things you think to do right after Thanksgiving is over, and you still want a lot of that turkey flavor. I still intend on making some turkey pot pie with my frozen turkey, but that will have to wait for now.
Also, if you love using leftovers in creative ways, be sure to check out my meal planner! It’s got two full weeks of breakfast, lunch, and dinner, all planned out for you. It uses leftovers in creative ways so you don’t have to reinvent the wheel each time to sit down to eat!
The Soup!
Ok, so the soup! I know you’re probably thinking “Oh this is a turkey noodle soup, just like everyone else makes.” NOPE. Chicken noodle/ turkey noodle soup is actually one of my least favorites! I just find it a little bland.
This soup came about after we got home from cutting down our Christmas tree. It was COLDDD, and we needed something to warm our bones! I also am nine months pregnant, and wanted something quick, easy, and tasty. So, soup!
This is a Turkey Sweet Potato Corn Chowder. Yummmmm. It is so so good, and the thing I love about it most is that it really encompasses fall and all the cozy things we love. It’s truly perfect, and one of my favorite recipes to date.
Recipe
Turkey Sweet Potato Corn Chowder
Ingredients
- 1 lb chopped leftover turkey meat – I do 1/2 inch chunks (could be breast, dark meat, you choose. Just make sure there’s no skin or gristle)
- 3-4 small sweet potatoes, chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
- 1 can sweet corn, drained
- 1/2 onion, chopped finely
- 1 tbsp butter
- 3-4 cups bone broth (turkey or chicken). Less if you want more of a chowder, more if you want a soup
- 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 1/2 tsp fresh sage, chopped finely
- 1/2 tsp dried rosemary, chopped finely
- salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- In a medium sauce pot, melt your butter over medium/ high heat. Add in your onions and cook until translucent.
- Add in sweet potatoes and turkey. Saute til meat and potatoes start to get a little brown on the edges.
- Pour in broth, and stir to make sure nothing is stuck on the bottom. Simmer for 5-7 minutes.
- Add in corn, heavy whipping cream, sage, and rosemary. Stir and continue to simmer for 15-20 more minutes. You want to make sure the sweet potatoes are fork tender, and give the flavors a few minutes to get to know each other.
- Add salt and pepper to taste, and serve!
FAQ’s
Can I use frozen leftover turkey? – Of course! Just thaw it before hand, or cut it up small enough so it thaws in the broth.
Do I have to use bone broth? – Nope! Regular broth will do. You could even use water if you didn’t have anything, I just always have a lot of bone broth on hand. Never let a carcass go to waste!
Will this soup freeze well? – I haven’t tested that, but I imagine it would freeze fine! My only concern would be the heavy whipping cream, so perhaps you could prep all the other ingredients and freeze them, and then add the cream when you want to warm it up and serve.
How’d it Taste?
Comment down below, how did you like this Turkey Sweet Potato Corn Chowder? What would you do differently? What is your favorite way to use leftover turkey?
Also, if you share any pictures of your soups on social media, don’t forget to tag me @sweetgumspot on Instagram or Facebook!
Last but not least, if you liked this recipe, check out some of my other favorites, like Chicken and Cabbage Alfredo!