This tasty turkey soup combines onions, celery, carrots, mini penne pasta, and turkey in a lightly seasoned broth with fresh herbs. You can make it with leftover holiday turkey or an already-cooked oven-roasted turkey breast.
Nothing says comfort like a big pot of hot and hearty soup. If you don’t believe me, ask my family. Enjoy this tasty soup with garlic knots, homemade yeast rolls, or sweet potato cornbread.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Marjoram: It is a milder, sweeter, less intense version of oregano. However, you can substitute oregano if needed.
- Chicken broth: Low sodium is best.
- Pasta: Medium pasta such as mini penne, cavatappi, bowtie, or medium shells.
- Turkey: Any cooked turkey will work
- Fresh herbs: such as thyme, rosemary or parsley
How to Make Turkey Soup
Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and carrots and cook until the onion and celery are tender. Reduce the heat to low and add the garlic and marjoram. Cook for one minute while stirring.
Stir in the chicken broth, bay leaf, and pasta. Cook until the carrots and pasta are tender. Stir in the cooked turkey, fresh thyme, and fresh rosemary. Warm for just a couple of minutes before serving.
Preparation Tips
- Peel the carrots so the bright orange color shines through.
- Simmer the pasta until cooked al dente, which means a little firm.
- Fresh herbs are best added towards the end of the recipe. If substituting dried herbs, use one teaspoon for every tablespoon of fresh herbs and add them to the pot with the garlic.
Recipe Variations
- Turn it into turkey and rice soup by omitting the pasta and adding 2 cups of cooked white, brown, or wild rice.
- Switch it up to turkey and potato soup by omitting the pasta and adding 2 cups of diced Yukon gold potatoes.
- Turn it into turkey and bean soup by adding a can of black beans, pinto beans, or kidney beans.
- Make turkey vegetable soup by adding green beans, peas, and cabbage.
More Soup Recipes
Turkey Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion chopped
- 2 ribs celery chopped
- 3 large carrots peeled and chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon dried marjoram or oregano
- 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 bay leaf
- 1½ cups mini penne
- 2½ cups diced cooked turkey
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
- 1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and carrots and cook until the onion and celery are tender.
- Reduce the heat to low and add the garlic and marjoram. Cook for 1 minute while stirring.
- Stir in the chicken broth, bay leaf, and pasta. Cook until the carrots and pasta are tender.
- Stir in the cooked turkey, fresh thyme, and fresh rosemary. Warm for 2-3 minutes before serving
Notes
- Peel the carrots so the bright orange color shines through.
- Simmer the pasta until cooked al dente, which means a little firm.
- Fresh herbs are best added towards the end of the recipe. If substituting dried herbs, use one teaspoon for every tablespoon of fresh herbs and add them to the pot with the garlic.
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