‘Soup’er Recipe: Turkey Soup

posted in: 'Soup'er Recipes, Gluten Free | 18

What do you do with leftover turkey after the holidays are over?  Maybe you have more leftovers this year after not having big family/friends gatherings. 

Here are a couple of my favourite leftover recipes.

making turkey soup at craftygardener.ca

First is turkey soup.

  • cooked turkey cut into small pieces
  • cubed 6 medium potatoes
  • 3 stalks of celery
  • 2 carrots, diced
  • 1/2 sweet onion, diced
  • 8 cups of water
  • 1 cup frozen peas and green beans
Better than Bouillion

I found the most delicious stock to use, called Better Than Bouillon. However I have since found out that it is prepared in an environment where it isn’t gluten free. You mix 1 teaspoon with 1 cup of boiling water. You need to try it yourself and see if it fits your gluten free conditions.

You can of course boil the turkey bones for the broth if you want to. 

*** Hint: Waste not want not.

I frequently save the liquid from cooking veggies and potatoes to use as stock for my soups. I also poach chicken in water and save the liquid to use as a base for my chicken soups.

homemade turkey soup at craftygardener.ca

Individual portions of the soup are put into freezer bags and stored in the upright freezer for enjoying later.  There is nothing like a bowl of homemade soup on a chilly day.

homemade turkey soup at craftygardener.ca

I love having meals in the freezer and the next is yummy turkey and potato recipe.

turkey & potatoes for the freezer at craftygardener.ca
  • chopped turkey
  • 1 cup frozen peas and beans
  • mashed potatoes
  • turkey gravy

Divide the turkey and veggies mixture between 4 foil dishes from the dollar store, pour a couple of tablespoons for gravy over mixture. Top with mashed potatoes.   Add the lid and print details on it and pop into the freezer to enjoy later in the winter.

turkey & potato pie for the freezer at craftygardener.ca

When you are ready to cook one, remove the lid and place in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes or till the top of the mashed potatoes browns off.

Slide out onto your plate and enjoy. Yummy!

making turkey casserole at craftygardener.ca

Turkey casserole is made with leftovers from the fridge, including mushrooms, potatoes, tomatoes, green beans and my own white sauce. Mix it all together and pop into the oven. It is just a case of cooking for 20 minutes or so till the soup mixes in with everything else and it is nice and hot as all ingredients were previously cooked.

using up leftover turkey at craftygardener.ca

I also pop portions of cooked turkey and stuffing into freezer bags and it is delicious to take out a couple of months later and enjoy a turkey dinner without all the cooking.

I hope everyone had an enjoyable, if not different scenario for Christmas this year. We are making plans for a family gathering and a big turkey dinner after this most recent lockdown in Ontario is over. But it really isn’t about the turkey, it is about being together,

I’m sure we are all glad to see the end of 2020 and the challenges it has bought the world. Hope and optimistic are very good words for the year ahead, as we all need to find positive things to keep us moving forward.

'Soup'er Sunday recipes at craftygardener.ca

Soup is always in season, find a delicious recipe that just might become your new favourite.

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18 Responses

  1. Kea

    I got around the turkey leftovers by not cooking one. 😀

    I used to do a turkey, but gees, even small ones are too big and I’m actually not that fond of turkey anyway, though I do like chicken. When I was growing up, Mom would make hot turkey sandwiches with the leftovers — her freshly baked bread, homemade gravy, mayo, turkey, garden peas that we blanched, and even home fries. Now THAT was yummy!

    • Linda aka Crafty Gardener

      I only cook a big one as I share it with family. I do freeze lots so we can have turkey dinner throughout the winter. We had turkey and home fires to finish it up last night. Have a great weekend.

  2. Margie

    I would gobble up these tasty leftovers in no time!

  3. Plowing Through Life (Martha)

    These are all delicious! I always make a big batch of soup with leftover turkey. It is wonderful for those cold days. I also put together a turkey pot pie, which is easy to prepare.

    I never thought to use foil dishes that I can just pop into the oven at a later date. What a wonderful idea!

    • Linda aka Crafty Gardener

      I love some of the cooking things from the dollar stores, makes cooking and storage quick and easy without spending lots of money. I do freeze my soup in freezer bags as they lay flat and don’t take up as much room and are so quick to defrost. Hope you are having a good weekend. It’s potato and leek soup cooking in the pot this weekend,.

  4. Beth F

    Oh good. Our Thanksgiving is coming up next month — I’m booking marking this post for our leftovers.

  5. Judee@gluten free A-Z Blog

    Thanks for all the great ideas for leftover turkey- we still have about 6 weeks till Thanksgiving. Your photos are interesting the way you can split them.

    • Linda aka Crafty Gardener

      I use a mosaic program to make my photos Judee, that way I can add a few photos to one image and it doesn’t take up as much room on the website. Have a great weekend. Thanks for stopping by.

  6. Linda

    Great idea’s to use up turkey, it’s great to have home made meals to hand when you don’t feel like cooking. Have a great weekend. 🙂 x

  7. Margy

    Since there are only two of us we decided to go out to Thanksgiving dinner at the hotel. It was a very nice meal but I do miss all the good leftovers. – Margy

  8. Laurie C

    Leftovers are the best part of Thanksgiving! Great idea to freeze meals that you make from the leftovers, because one does get tired of turkey after 2 or 3 days straight of eating it!

  9. Debbie

    these are both great ideas but i for sure would make the soup. that is what i use to do when i hosted thanksgiving!! your soup looks great – lot’s of good veggies. i am not a huge fan of any vegetable cooked, i eat a lot of vegetables but always raw with a little dipping sauce!!!

  10. Myrtle

    The turkey leftover dishes you have made besides the soup are very interesting Linda. My son gave me the chicken and beef Better Than Bouillon last winter, I used them, now to find them here.

    May 2021 put a smile on our faces with hope for a better year once this virus is under control.

    • Crafty Gardener

      I got my bouillon from a local store in Foxboro by me. The owner was the one who got me using it and I love it, find it so much tastier than regular stock cubes. I cook my rice in it and it tastes so much better. I did also see it for sale on amazon.ca.

  11. Deb in Hawaii

    Leftovers always make the best soups. Thanks for sharing with Souper Sundays at Kahakai Kitchen this week!

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