This cozy and comforting Turkey Stew is exactly what you need after Thanksgiving! Convert your leftover turkey into this simple, ready-under-25-minutes chunky stew combined with carrots, celery, tomatoes and potatoes.
Highly recommend serving it with some crusty bread on the side, or dunking the bread right into the stew to soak up the delicious flavors of the broth…yum!
One reader, Sheila, commented: “Yum! There’s so much flavor in this soup! ★★★★★”
One reader, Gina, commented: “Perfect recipe for my leftover turkey. Tasty and fast to prepare.★★★★★”
Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey Stew
When Thanksgiving comes to a wrap, we always have so much leftover turkey we could feed a village.
We will eat it for days with mashed potatoes, stuffing and cranberry sauce (or whatever is left), make turkey salad, sandwiches etc.
And after Day 3, I am so ready for something different… but I am also not ready to throw that dang turkey away because I spent way too much money on it!
Enter…TURKEY STEW, ladies and gentlemen! I sometimes even call it Thanksgiving Stew. This recipe is the perfect way to use up that turkey while enjoying something new, cozy and comforting.
Besides, it’s cold outside and after eating heavy for Thanksgiving, a bowl of cozy warm soup just sounds so good.
So here’s what you can expect from this delicious Leftover Turkey Stew:
- Ready under 25 minutes! I mean who wants to spend too much time in the kitchen after Thanksgiving? Right right?
- So flavorful. I always pack on the flavor. Bland soups are just not worth the time! Expect yummy flavors in this Turkey Stew.
- Perfect use of leftovers. And I am not just talking turkey here. This is also the perfect way to use up leftover veggies and herbs, or even other meats you have lying around!
- It’s good for you! Yes yes yes healthy and yum! It IS possible!
- Cold weather comfort food. It’s chilly outside and sometimes soups just make everything (body, mind, soul) feel better. Want it creamier? This recipe easily becomes a creamy turkey stew with a splash of heavy cream – see the variations below.
Ingredients
Primarily made with pantry friendly ingredients and leftovers, here’s what you will need to make leftover Turkey Stew:
- Leftover cooked turkey: Dice or shred it. Both white and dark meat work well.
- Olive oil: Any neutral cooking oil works for searing the vegetables, so use olive, avocado, canola or vegetable oil, whichever you have on hand.
- Onions: White, yellow or sweet onions all work, diced.
- Garlic: A few fresh cloves, minced, for a savory base.
- Carrots: Slice or dice, just try to keep the pieces the same size.
- Celery: Slice into 1-inch pieces.
- Potatoes: Cube into small 1-inch pieces and keep them the same size so they cook evenly. Red potatoes hold their shape nicely.
- Thyme: If you have fresh thyme use that, if not, dried thyme is fine.
- Bay leaf: Adds a quiet, savory depth to the broth.
- Chicken broth: Or turkey broth, if you have it.
- Diced tomatoes: Drain the liquid from the can first.
- All-purpose flour: Whisked with some of the broth to thicken the stew.
- Chicken bouillon (optional): A little goes a long way if you want even more flavor.
- Salt and black pepper: To open up the flavors! Salt does more than add saltiness – it helps bring everything in the pot together, so don’t skip it.
- Parsley (optional): Chopped, for a fresh garnish.
How to make Turkey Stew
And now that we’ve got the ingredients, let’s make some Turkey Stew!
Quick overview on how to get it ready…it’s truly is so easy. One pot is all you need.
Step 1: Prep the ingredients
Chop and prep all ingredients.
Step 2: build the stew in one pot
Sear ingredients (primarily onions, garlic and vegetables) and then add liquid, herbs and then lastly cooked turkey into a Dutch oven (use one that is 6 qt or larger). You can use a large pot as well.
Step 3: Thicken, Garnish And Serve
Thicken the broth, then garnish and serve!
That’s it!
What we have here: chunky stew combined with potatoes, carrots and tomatoes. It is hearty, warm and the ultimate healthy comfort food.
If you want to further thicken the stew, remove some of the broth into a small bowl and then add flour to the broth in the bowl. Whisk well to remove as much of the flour clumps as possible (see photograph below), then pour the broth back into the pot. Bring it back to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring well, so it can thicken.
If you add flour directly into the stew, it will not dissolve well.
Ways to Serve This Thanksgiving Stew
I love serving this cozy Thanksgiving stew with crusty bread.
Not just on the side, but dunk it in there and let the bread absorb the deliciousness of the soup.
Other ways to serve this stew:
- With other breads, such as Honey Butter Rolls or Cheesy Garlic Rolls
- More veggies on the side, such as Roasted Lemon Garlic Broccoli, Fall Harvest Salad, Kale and Brussels Sprouts Salad, Caramelized Onions Sautéed Green Beans.
- With a sandwich for lunch!
Variations And Modifications
This leftover turkey stew is one of those that is highly versatile! It’s a great way to clean out the fridge!
- Make it creamier: Stir in heavy cream or half and half at the end, once the stew has thickened, for a rich and creamy turkey stew. Start with a small splash, add more to taste, and warm it gently over low heat rather than letting it boil hard.
- Thicken with cornstarch: Use cornstarch instead of flour, at half the amount of flour. For the 1/4 cup of flour in this recipe, that’s 2 tablespoons of cornstarch. Mix it with some cold broth in a small bowl first, then stir it into the stew and bring it to a boil so it thickens.
- Add bacon: For extra flavor, cook chopped bacon at the very beginning, before searing the aromatics, then carry on in the same pot.
- Add other vegetables: Bell peppers, sweet potatoes, broccoli, green beans, corn, peas, leeks, spinach, etc. Sauté sliced leeks along with the onions, and stir in spinach at the very end so it wilts into the hot stew.
- Other herbs to use: Rosemary, parsley, poultry seasoning, etc.
- Other proteins: Feel free to add whatever protein you have on hand, such as ham or chicken.
- Chicken bouillon: Want even more flavor? Add a bit of chicken bouillon. It can be a game changer!
- Slow cooker: Sauté the aromatics first, then add the vegetables, broth, tomatoes and herbs to the slow cooker and cook until the potatoes are tender. Stir in the turkey and your thickener near the end so the turkey doesn’t dry out. Want a full slow cooker recipe? Try this Slow Cooker Chicken Stew.
Tips and Tricks
- Keep the pieces even: Cut the carrots and potatoes small and uniform so everything softens at the same time. If the carrots still feel crunchy, give the stew a few more minutes at a gentle simmer before adding the turkey.
- Sear the aromatics until golden: Take your time here. Golden brown, fragrant onions build the flavor base for the whole stew.
- Do not overcook the turkey: I add the turkey last because it is already cooked and dries out easily.
- Season at the end: Taste first, then add salt a little at a time. A pinch can completely change how the stew tastes.
- Simmer gently: Once the broth comes to a boil, lower the heat to medium-low so the potatoes cook through without falling apart.
- Whisk the flour with hot broth first: Never dump flour straight into the pot, because it won’t dissolve. Stir the mixture back in and let the stew come to a boil so it thickens.
- Loosen it when reheating: The stew keeps thickening as it sits in the fridge, so add a splash of broth when you warm it up.
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! It freezes really well in an airtight container. When you’re ready to eat, move it to the fridge and let it thaw overnight, then heat it up on the stove or in the microwave. If you added cream, the texture can change a bit, so it’s best to stir the cream in fresh after reheating.
Yes! Since ground turkey is raw, sear it after the onions are golden and fragrant. Once it is no longer pink, add the other vegetables, broth, and herbs and continue as written.
Make sure to taste it at the end and add more salt to open up the flavors. You can also add some chicken bouillon make it more flavorful.
Yes! Diced or shredded cooked chicken works just like turkey here, and so does leftover rotisserie chicken. Add it at the same point you would add the turkey so it doesn’t dry out.
Yes! Follow the slow cooker variation above: sauté the aromatics first, let everything cook until the potatoes are tender, then stir in the turkey and thickener near the end.
Stored in an airtight container, it keeps for about 3 to 4 days in the fridge. Reheat it gently on the stove until it’s hot all the way through, adding a splash of broth if it has thickened.
Stir in a splash of cream or half and half after the stew has thickened, then warm it gently over low heat. Avoid boiling it hard once the dairy is in.
ENJOYED THIS RECIPE? Tell us what you think by leaving a rating and review below! 🤍
More Soups and Stews!
- Stovetop Beef Stew
- Beef Noodle Soup
- Ravioli Soup
- Lemon Chicken and Rice Soup
- Creamy Potato Bacon Soup
- Beef Tips and Gravy
- Tomato Basil Soup
- Corn Potato Chowder
- Lemon Broccoli Soup (by Savor the Best)
Leftover Turkey Stew
Ingredients
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1/2 white onion or yellow or sweet onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup carrots sliced
- 1 cup celery sliced
- 6 cups chicken broth or turkey broth
- 16 oz diced tomatoes drained
- 2 red potatoes 1-inch cubed
- 2 sprig fresh thyme or dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 cups turkey cooked, diced
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 – 1 tsp chicken bouillon optional
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- parsley optional, garnish
Instructions
- Prepare/cut all the ingredients.
- Heat Dutch oven or pot (at least 6 qt) under medium heat and add olive oil. Once oil is heated, add onions and garlic. Saute until golden brown and fragrant.
- Add carrot and celery. Saute for one minute. Then add chicken broth, diced tomatoes, potatoes, thyme and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, lower heat to medium low, and cook for 10 minutes or until potatoes are soft.
- Add turkey to stew. Stir to mix well.
- Bring 1 cup of broth from the pot into a cup. Add flour to cup. Use a whisk or a fork to mix flour into the broth until flour is mostly dissolved. Add it back into the stew. Optional: add chicken bouillon.
- Bring heat to medium high, stir to mix well and let stew come to a boil again. Let it cook for a few minutes while soup thickens. Add salt and pepper to taste to open up the flavors.
- Once soup is thickened, remove form heat.
- Garnish with parsley. Serve and enjoy!
I’ve made this with both turkey and chicken and it’s super tasty. One of my favorite soups!
Glad you enjoyed it DJ! Definitely yummy with chicken as well!
I made this without any turkey and used veggie broth to make it vegetarian. So yummy and easy to make.
Yum! Thanks for sharing, Debi!
Yum! There’s so much flavor in this soup!
Thank you! It’s definitely loaded with all the good stuff 🙂
Excited to have leftovers again. We enjoyed this so much last year!
Yay! Great to hear that!
I love a good stew and am always looking for new recipes! This was a hit in our house!
Fantastic! So happy to hear you all loved it!
Loved this soup/stew!! I start craving turkey around October, so I had a couple tenderloins I had roasted, this was the perfect leftover use for it! The whole family loved!
I’m so glad to hear that everyone enjoyed it!
Totally saving this one for turkey day leftovers! Thaks!
That’s great, Michaela!
Perfect recipe for my leftover turkey. Tasty and fast to prepare.
Fantastic! Glad you were able to put your leftovers to good (and tasty) use!
This is a great soup for using up leftover roast chicken or turkey. We love it with smoked turkey!
Yum! Sounds amazing with smoked turkey! Thank you for sharing 🙂
This is such a delicious way to use up all that leftover turkey from Thanksgiving!! Yum!
That’s awesome! I always feel so satisfied when I make a tasty meal out of leftovers 😀
Great use of leftover Turkey. Very yummy. Thank you for sharing.
I’m so glad to hear!
Stews are my favorite in this weather. i generally make chicken stew in this way. Good idea to use leftover turkey for this. Will try it. Thanks.
Chicken works perfectly in this too! I hope you love it!
That’s a warm hug in a bowl. Turkey stew looks comforting and delicious. Love the pics…
Thanks so much!
I was a little disappointed with this recipe because it turned out a bit bland for my taste. Also, I’d suggest cooking the celery and carrots longer because they were too crunchy.
I’m sorry to hear that you were disappointed. If the soup is bland, try adding more salt to open up the flavors. You can also add chicken bouillon to give it more flavor.
going to make this today, but I am going to put it in the crockpot, ill let you know how it all comes out! im thinking I might add some Greek seasoning.
YUM! Yes please let me know how it goes!