Are you looking for the best Leftover Turkey Soup Recipe? This Southwest Turkey Soup is just what you need. Made with a creamy, spicy broth, leftover turkey, corn, and black beans, this Creamy Turkey Soup is full of flavor and incredibly simple to make. Directions for the slow cooker, stovetop, and Instant Pot.
![Turkey Soup Bowl filled with a creamy soup with chunks of leftover chicken or turkey, corn, and black beans.](https://amindfullmom.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Turkey-Soup.jpg)
When it comes to Thanksgiving, I am always swimming in leftovers! And while I love Thanksgiving leftovers, I can quickly become sick of eating the same thing over and over again. That's when I turn to this recipe for Leftover Turkey Soup.
Reasons to Love This Southwest Leftover Turkey Soup
- Transforms Leftover Turkey. This hearty turkey soup is a delicious way to transform leftover turkey into something new and delicious that tastes NOTHING like Thanksgiving! After a huge feast, we tend to want something new, right?!
- Amazing Flavor. This Southwest Turkey Soup is creamy, hearty, and slightly spicy. It is full of tender turkey, black beans, peppers, onions, and a rich tomato broth, much like a Chicken Tortilla Soup.
- Easy Recipe. This leftover turkey soup is incredibly easy to make, thanks to the fact we are starting out with leftover turkey. You can let it simmer on the stove, cook it in the slow cooker while you are out shopping, or quickly whip this turkey soup up using the Instant Pot.
- Versatile. You can adapt the spices and ingredients for this turkey soup based on what you have at your house. And you can even use leftover rotisserie chicken in place of the leftover turkey.
Notes on Ingredients
![Leftover Turkey Soup Ingredients for turkey soup labeled on counter.](https://amindfullmom.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Crockpot-Turkey-Soup.jpg)
- Turkey: I prepare this soup using leftover Roasted Turkey or leftover Instant Pot turkey breast.
- Stock: Use low-sodium, store-bought, or homemade chicken stock or turkey stock.
- Taco Seasoning: While you can use store-bought taco seasoning, I always opt for my homemade blend of taco seasoning, to control the sodium content and omit unnecessary additives.
- Beans: I choose to use black beans in this Turkey Soup, but you can certainly use pinto beans or kidney beans.
- Diced Tomatoes with Green Chiles: AKA Rotel tomatoes. Be sure to select mild, not hot Rotel tomatoes or your soup will be really spicy!
- Corn: If you have leftover cooked corn from Thanksgiving, use that! If not, just add frozen corn or drained canned corn to the soup.
- Cream Cheese: The cream cheese gives this soup a creamy finish and helps to tame the spiciness of the soup. Just be sure to use room-temperature cream cheese so that it easily blends into the soup.
recipe modifications
Use Chicken. In place of the turkey, feel free to make this Southwest Soup using leftover rotisserie chicken or leftover shredded chicken.
Keep it Dairy-Free. Omit the cream cheese.
∗ important note about leftover turkey ∗
Whenever using leftover poultry to make a soup or casserole, it is best to use leftover turkey that has been cooked or frozen within 3-4 days after preparation, as leftover turkey should only be stored for 3-4 days after cooking. That means if your leftover turkey is more than 4 days old, you want to toss it--not use it to make this soup!
Tips for Making the Best Leftover Turkey Soup
The following tips are provided to help you achieve perfect results. You will find the detailed instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Saute the peppers and onions. Taking this extra step will really help to add depth of flavor to the turkey soup.
- Use room-temperature cream cheese. In order for the cream cheese to melt evenly into your soup, it needs to be added cubed, and softened. If you tried to add cream cheese directly from the refrigerator, your soup may end up with chunks of cream cheese, instead of a nice creamy, smooth broth.
![Turkey Tortilla Soup Recipe Turkey soup after adding cream cheese in slow cooker.](https://amindfullmom.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Easy-Leftover-Turkey-Soup-Recipe.jpg)
Serving Suggestions
Serve this Turkey Soup just as you would Chicken Tortilla Soup. It is delicious with corn chips, cilantro, diced avocado, and/or shredded cheese. If you happen to have leftover cornbread or corn casserole, that is a natural pairing for the southwestern soup as well.
![Easy Leftover Turkey Soup Bowl of Leftover Turkey Soup with black beans and corn.](https://amindfullmom.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Leftover-Turkey-Soup--1200x675.jpg)
Storage & Reheating Instructions
- Refrigerate: Store cooled leftover turkey soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4 days PAST the time the turkey was cooked (or thawed), not the time you prepared your soup.
- Freeze: I don't recommend freezing this soup due to the addition of cream cheese.
- Reheat: Reheat several portions in the slow cooker on low heat for 1-3 hours OR over low heat in a heavy-duty saucepan on the stove. Alternatively, reheat individual servings in a heat-safe bowl in the microwave for 60-second intervals until warmed through.
More Leftover Turkey Recipes
- Turkey Tetrazzini
- Copycat Panera Turkey Sandwich
- Turkey Club Wrap
- Thanksgiving Egg Rolls
- Instant Pot Turkey Noodle Soup
Need more ideas for how to transform your Thanksgiving Leftovers? Be sure to check out all my recipes for Thanksgiving Leftovers.
If you give this Southwest Turkey Soup a try, be sure to leave a comment and review below.
![Southwest Turkey Soup in blue bowl.](https://amindfullmom.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Southwest-Soup-360x360.jpg)
Southwest Leftover Turkey Soup
Ingredients
- ½ tablespoon olive oil or canola oil
- 1 medium green pepper diced
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken stock or turkey stock
- 2 cups cooked turkey chopped or shredded into bite-size pieces
- 1 cup frozen corn kernels
- 2 (16 oz cans) black beans
- 2 (10.5 oz cans) diced tomatoes with green chiles
- 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
Instructions
Slow Cooker Instructions
- Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Once heated, add in the diced onion and green pepper and saute for 5 minutes, or until the onion is softened.
- Transfer the sauteed onion and peppers to a slow cooker. Stir in the stock, beans, corn, seasonings, turkey, and tomatoes.
- Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6 hours.
- Add in cream cheese and cook on low for 30 minutes. Stir well after 30 minutes. Serve with desired toppings.
Stove Top Directions
- Heat the oil in a large stock pan over medium heat. Add the diced onions and green peppers to the heated oil and saute for about 5 minutes, or until the onion has begun to soften. Stir in the chicken stock, beans, corn, turkey, spices, and tomatoes. Bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Keep in mind you may need to add an additional cup of stock if you notice too much liquid evaporating as the soup cooks. Stir in cream cheese and heat through until creamy and well combined. Serve with desired toppings.
Instant Pot Directions
- Turn the Instant Pot to saute and add oil to heat. Once heated, add the onions and peppers and allow veggies to soften for about 3-5 minutes. Once softened, turn the Instant Pot OFF. Add in the stock and scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the inner pot. Stir in the tomatoes, beans, corn, seasonings, and turkey. Seal the Instant Pot lid and set it to cook on high pressure for 5 minutes. Once the cooking time has elapsed, allow the pressure to release naturally. Once pressure is released, remove the lid and add in cream cheese. Place the lid back on the pressure cooker for 5 minutes (just to heat through). Stir the cubed cream cheese into the soup and serve. See notes for tips for adding cream cheese for smooth results.
Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published in 2017 and updated with new tips in November 2020.
Stephanie
This is delicious! I was searching for recipes to use the turkey stock I made on Thanksgiving and found this. I made the InstantPot version, was quick and easy. Family wanted to save the turkey for another favorite recipe so I picked up some shredded rotisserie chicken for it, and I used a favorite homemade taco seasoning. This is a keeper.
Kristen Chidsey
YAY! So happy you enjoyed, Stephanie! Thanks for sharing.
Y
One of my favorite soups.
Kristen Chidsey
I love hearing this! Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment.
Natasha
Whole family loved it.
Thank you for this recipe.
Kristen Chidsey
THank you for sharing!
Lynn Hartnett
Excellent soup!!! I elected to use the stove top directions and it came together very easily with a great tex-mex flavor. Used left over tortilla chips on the bottom of the bowl before adding soup. Great tasting soup with not a leftover turkey flavor! Thank you!
Jenna
This is my new favorite. Fabulous flavors. Tastes like an enchilada soup but better. Thank you fir the recipe.
Kristen Chidsey
Thanks for taking the time to let me know you enjoyed Jenna! I love hearing that!
Karen
This soup is fantastic! It's a great use of leftover Thanksgiving turkey with an entirely different flavor.
Kristen Chidsey
Thanks for sharing your review Karen! I love hearing you enjoyed!
Jeanne
Absolutely delicious!!!
Kristen Chidsey
Happy you enjoyed!
Maret
Delicious! I made minor changes mostly due to the homemade taco seasoning I had on hand. I sauteed one minced large garlic clove with the onions and peppers. My taco seasoning has no salt (I add salt if needed, and this recipe has plenty of salt in other ingredients). So I used: 1 Tbsp chili powder, 1 ¾ tsp cumin, ½ tsp smoked paprika, and ¼ tsp oregano. I doubt these changes made much difference, but I thought it might be helpful to someone watching their salt intake. The only glitch I encountered was that even after letting the cream cheese sit out on the kitchen counter for hours and cutting it into "strips" when adding to the soup, the cream cheese still did not melt completely into the soup. Being the fall, perhaps the air temperature wasn't quite warm enough! I ended up smashing the remaining chunks against the side of the instant pot. May try melting the cream cheese in the microwave next time....and there will be a next time! Thanks for a keeper recipe.
Ellen
My husband and all my boys absolutely love this soup! My youngest son always is asking me to make that good southwest soup! We live in North Dakota and start making this in the fall. Have used turkey and chicken and really good with either one.
Kristen Chidsey
Awe, I love hearing that! Thanks so much Ellen for taking the time to share.
Kate West
Thank you for a simple and tasty recipe for leftovers! I actually had leftover chicken fajitas that I wasn’t really happy with so I used that as the base for most of the ingredients here. The cream cheese was an excellent addition that really made the difference. I cut it in chunks and stirred and it melted just fine.
Thank you again. I am grateful for clever people like you to put together these wonderful recipes to help a struggling cook like me 🙂
Kristen Chidsey
I love hearing that you were able to repurpose something you didn't care for and turn it into a delicious dinner! Happy to inspire you!
David
Great use of our leftover turkey. The only change I will make the next time is more black beans. Great kick at the end of each spoonful! Went great with a grill cheese sandwich! It’s a keeper.
Kristen Chidsey
Glad to hear you enjoyed David! And a grilled cheese sandwich is always a great addition 🙂
Patricia
Thank you very much for this wonderful recipe! I found you by chance, searching for a turkey leftover recipe. Since I hadn’t planned on it, I made it with some modifications based on what I had on hand, namely I swapped the green bell pepper for a jalapeño and a Fresno chili pepper. Delicious.
Kristen Chidsey
I am so glad you found my site and enjoyed this recipe, Patricia! Thanks for sharing.
Susi
Kristen, I want to try your SW Turkey Soup but may require freezing portions. Can I substitute sour cream instead of the cream cheese for freezing?
Kristen Chidsey
I wouldn't suggest freezing with sour cream either. What I would suggest is to remove portions of the soup to freeze before you add either cream cheese or sour cream. Then add a reduced amount of the cream cheese to the remaining recipe. When you defrost the soup, you can add sour cream or cream cheese before serving. I hope that helps.
Beth H
Hi Kristen,
I love the idea and look of this recipe and can’t wait to try it! I wonder if you think I could use plain Greek yogurt in place of, and in the same quantity as, the cream cheese?
Thanks for any thoughts!
Beth
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Beth! The issue with adding yogurt to the soup is that it may curdle, to prevent this, you'll need to temper the yogurt to avoid curdling. Add a small amount of warm-but-not-boiling soup to a bowl, whisk in the yogurt, then add the mixture back into the soup. Hope that helps.
Beth H
That helps tremendously!!! Thanks for getting back with me and I’m off to give this a try!
Beth H
This turned out great—thanks Kristen! Love this recipe as an alternative to turkey noodle soup for using up leftover turkey!
Karla
This recipe was delicious!!! Super quick and very easy! Thank you so much! I will definitely be making this one again 👍🏼
Kristen Chidsey
I love hearing you enjoyed Karla! Thank you for sharing!
Jacqueline Scott
Most delicious soup I have ever made and super easy.
Kristen Chidsey
I love hearing you enjoyed Jacqueline! Thanks for sharing your review.
Linae Bouche
If you've got leftover turkey, you should have a leftover turkey carcass and should make your own turkey bone broth.
Kristen Chidsey
That is of course a great idea Linae. You can follow my instructions for chicken stock to make turkey broth if you desire.