Leftover Turkey Soup with Melted Parmesan Strips… a Christmas recipe or not??
That’s up to you! Is it too early?
Part of me says HECK YES. But another part of me likes to get some early menu plans in place knowing that I’ll be grateful nearer the time.
Not only is this soup a fantastic way to use up leftover turkey, it’s also quick and easy to make and the recipe can easily be scaled up or down to meet your needs. So it’s a great recipe to have up your sleeve in those post-Christmas days when you have leftovers bulging out of the fridge but want to eat something fresh and warming. And of course, it would work equally well with leftover Thanksgiving turkey. You could even place a dollop of cranberry sauce in the middle of the bowl, under those delicious strips of parmesan – why did I not think of that earlier?!
And of course, if you don’t have any leftover turkey or chicken you can make this anyway. Just add your diced raw chicken to the pan right at the beginning of cooking, along with the carrots and onions.
Here are some of my other soup recipes you might like to try:
- Spiced Lentil and Vegetable Soup
- Pumpkin Soup with Rustic Croutons
- Stilton and Broccoli Soup
- Thai Sweetcorn and Prawn Soup
Enjoy!

Leftover Turkey Soup with Melted Parmesan Strips
Ingredients
For the soup
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- 2 onions (peeled and diced)
- 4 medium carrots (peeled, halved lengthways and cut into thin moons)
- 4 cloves of garlic (crushed)
- ½ teaspoon dried sage
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1.2 litres hot chicken stock
- 200 g kale (tough stalks removed)
- 500 g diced leftover roast turkey or chicken
For the parmesan strips
- 1 block parmesan
To finish
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- Salt to taste
- Parsley
Instructions
For the soup
- Heat the oil in a non-stick pan over a medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, garlic, sage and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the carrots are softened (10-15 minutes).
- Add the hot stock and bring to a simmer. Stir in the kale and cook for three minutes then add the turkey, return to a simmer and cook for a further 2-3 minutes.
For the parmesan strips
- Using a potato peeler, peel strips from the thin edge of the parmesan block. You will need about 18-24 strips.
To finish
- Stir in the lemon juice then add salt to taste.
- Divide between bowls, topping with three or four parmesan strips per bowl. To serve, sprinkle over parsley and cracked black pepper if you wish.
This sounds like the most delicious, hearty soup – I love the colour of it too! Great recipe for now the nights are so cold and miserable.
Hi Helen. Thank you and I totally agree. We NEED soup on cold, miserable nights don’t we! x
What a lovely soup, and what a great way to Love Your Leftovers at Thanksgiving or Christmas. Thank you so much for sharing with the Hearth and Soul Link Party. Pinning, and I’m featuring this post at the party this week. Hope to ‘see’ you there! Have a great week ahead!
Hey April, that’s fantastic! Thank you x
I love leftovers and this looks totally up my street.
Hi Janice. I love leftovers too. They make for a quick, easy meal don’t they! x
Your soup sounds soo good Anna and with the alternative of either chicken or turkey meat it is definitely not just for Christmas! 🙂 Perfect cockles warming fare! x
Thanks Jo:) It’s certainly soup weather at the moment isn’t it! x
This looks totally amazing, so easy to make, perfect with thanksgiving coming around the corner and you get all that left over turkey, nice touch with the kale 🙂
Thanks Albert. I love soup at any time and this recipe is so good to have up your sleeve. I hope you find it useful!