Turkey Curry Soup
Loaded with sweet potato, wild rice, and fresh ginger, this Turkey Curry Soup is my favorite recipe to make when I’ve got Thanksgiving leftovers to use up! It’s a fast and easy recipe that simmers in about 30 minutes. It’s the perfect nourishing meal to enjoy after the holidays!
★★★★★
Erin says: “My turkey was sitting and sitting and sitting forever in the fridge, because I just couldn’t bring myself to have another dinner of Thanksgiving leftovers. When I made this soup, those turkey leftovers disappeared immediately.“
The Soup I Always Make with My Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey
If you haven’t already used up all of your Thanksgiving turkey leftovers, I highly recommend this sweet and spice curried turkey soup. Instead of making turkey sandwiches with all your leftover roast turkey for the next week, throw it into a pot of soup instead!
Soup is a great way to use up leftover turkey without feeling like it’s the same Thanksgiving meal, just presented in a different way. The slightly spicy curry flavor is unique, exciting, and bold. It’s full of vegetables (and a bit of fruit!).
Plus, this soup is a filling meal without being calorie laden for those looking to watch their calorie intake until the next in the line of holiday meals. Soups are a great way to eat healthy without sacrificing flavor or the feeling of satiation!
Enjoy!
-Katie
Ingredients in Turkey Curry Soup
I’ve provided the full list of ingredients with their measurements in the recipe card below, but here are the main items you’ll need on hand.
- Wild Rice — To save time, feel free to buy packets of minute rice that cook in the microwave. Otherwise, follow the package instructions (and plan ahead! wild rice is delicious but it has a longer steam time).
- Aromatics — I always have plenty of carrots, celery, onion, and garlic in my produce drawer this time of year, so I used them to form the flavor base of the soup.
- Fresh Ginger — You can sub the fresh ginger with 1/3 the amount of ground ginger in a pinch, but I love using fresh to really wake up the soup.
- Spices — For a nuanced, not-too-spicy curry flavor, I used allspice, yellow curry power, and a dash of cayenne.
- Brown Sugar — You need a little sweetness to balance out the spiciness!
- Turkey Stock — Chicken stock works great too.
- Shredded or Cubed Turkey — I typically smoke my turkey, but use what you’ve got. Leftover roast chicken works just as well!
- Sweet Potato Puree — I make the puree by peeling and steaming the potatoes until tender, then mashing with a potato masher. Feel free to swap in pumpkin puree or butternut squash puree. The puree makes the soup perfectly sweet and spicy, and it thickens it without having to add tons of cream.
- Half and Half — If needed, you can make your own with equal parts milk and cream. Dairy-free? Try substituting regular coconut milk (the canned variety) for the half and half. Don’t use lite coconut milk!
- Apple — I used a Gala apple and didn’t bother peeling it.
How to Make Turkey Curry Soup
This is such an easy turkey soup recipe. It takes about an hour to make, and it’s delicious as leftovers!
- Cook the wild rice separately. If you add the uncooked rice to the soup, it will soak up most of the extra liquid and you’ll wind up with more of a stew.
- Sauté the aromatics. Just a few minutes are all the onions and celery need to soften and tame their bite.
- Bloom the spices. Adding the spices to the hot oil really wakes up their flavors and makes the soup fragrant.
- Add the remaining ingredients and simmer. The exact simmer time will depend on how finely you diced your veggies, but my soup need about 30 minutes for the carrots to soften.
- Add the half and half last. If you add it at the very beginning, the dairy may split as the soup simmers.
- Garnish with apple before serving. I love the texture and fresh flavor the apple adds!
The above is simply a quick summary of this recipe. Check out the full recipe in the free printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for all the detailed instructions.
Recipe Tips
- When you take the time to make a batch of homemade turkey stock with your leftover turkey carcass, this soup turns out really over-the-top good!
- For extra flavorful wild rice, cook it in turkey stock or chicken stock rather than water.
- If you are really watching your calories, feel free to use fat-free half and half or whole milk instead of regular half and half. It will be less rich, however.
More Recipes Using Leftover Turkey
I have a full guide that shares the many ways you can use leftover turkey — here are some of my favorites.
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Sweet and Spicy Turkey Curry Soup Recipe
Need to use up your leftover Thanksgiving turkey? Make this turkey curry soup that's ready in about an hour and is so easy to make!
Ingredients
- 3 cup shredded turkey (or chicken)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 3 - 4 teaspoons yellow curry powder
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 2 carrots, sliced
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsp fresh ginger, minced
- 2 celery ribs, diced
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cup half and half
- 4 cups broth, chicken or turkey
- 1/2 - 1 cup water, if needed to reach desired consistency
- 1 cup sweet potato puree*
- 1 heaping cup diced gala apple
- 1 cup wild and brown rice blend, uncooked
Instructions
- Cook rice according to package instructions. Set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a large dutch oven. When hot, add onions and celery, sauteing until golden and tender, about 4 minutes.
- Add salt, pepper, allspice, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, curry and cayenne (I only use a couple dashes). Saute for an additional 2 minutes, until fragrant.
- Deglaze the pan with 1/2 cup chicken broth, scraping any browned bits from the bottom. Stir the remaining broth in with the sweet potato puree. Add the carrots, bay leaf, and turkey (or chicken).
- Bring soup to a boil, turning heat to low and simmering until vegetables reach desired tenderness.
- Remove the bay leaf. Stir in the half and half.
- To serve, place a scoop of rice (about 1/3 cup) in a bowl, ladle soup on top, and sprinkle with diced apple.
Notes
*To make the sweet potato puree, I steam the peeled potatoes until tender then puree in a small food processor. Add some of the soup liquid, if necessary, to thin for a smooth puree. Pumpkin puree or butternut squash puree also work great.
To store: Let the soup cool to room temperature, then store airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days.
To freeze: I don’t recommend freezing this soup with the rice in it because the wild rice will become mushy once thawed after freezing. If you would like to freeze this recipe, it is best to cook the rice at a later date when you plan to eat the soup.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 522Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 167mgSodium: 1677mgCarbohydrates: 39gFiber: 6gSugar: 14gProtein: 44g
GoodLifeEats.com offers recipe nutritional information as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although GoodLifeEats.com makes every effort to provide accurate information, these figures are only estimates.
Alicia says
Absolutely delicious!!! It definitely hit the spot and a great use of the turkey. I used pumpkin puree instead due to having it left over 3/4 cup and the flavors were just as nice. I chopped up everything a little finer than picture. A definite keeper for the future. THANKS!
Katie says
Glad you liked it! Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Hawley says
Looks great. How many does it serve? (Or, any idea how many 1-cup servings it makes, for example?)
Katie Goodman says
about 6
Ellen says
I just made this soup and it is excellent. I used a can of coconut milk instead of half and half. Delicious! Thanks!
Erin says
My turkey was sitting and sitting and sitting forever in the fridge, because I just couldn’t bring myself to have another dinner of Thanksgiving leftovers. When I made this soup, those turkey leftovers disappeared immediately.
I made my own curry powder (1 TB ground cumin, 1 TB ground coriander, 1 tsp ground turmeric, 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, 1/4 tsp ground mustard, 1/4 tsp ground ginger, 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg, 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ground cardamom – made enough for 4tsps plus some extra).
I substituted Splenda’s brown sugar blend instead of brown sugar. I didn’t bother with the fresh ginger and cayenne pepper. I substituted almond milk for the half and half, and 4 cups with water with two bouillon cubes in place of the broth (I didn’t have any). I threw in a whole pureed sweet potato and whatever apples I had sitting around the house. I finished the soup with cooked brown rice.
I will definitely make this again! This is a great way to use up chicken and other lean meats that are sitting around in the fridge.
marla says
Love this recipe! Will be linking back to this in my upcoming post 🙂
Katie says
Thanks, Marla! xo