My cookbook is here! 
This soup takes me back to my childhood. Put all that leftover turkey to good use with this creamy and delicious recipe.
This soup takes me back to when I worked at my father restaurant/diner. The soups were so satisfying and yummy. We ate a cup with practically every meal. One of my favorites was this Cream of Turkey the chef made right around Thanksgiving and Christmas time.
This recipe is a keeper because it comes together super quick and definitely delivers on that cream of turkey vibe. No more making dry and tasteless leftover turkey sandwiches – this soup is the best way to use up the meat!
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Cream of Turkey Soup
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup butter, or olive oil
- 1 small sweet onion,, diced
- 4 celery stalks,, diced
- 2 medium large carrots,, diced
- 3 cloves garlic,, minced
- 1/4 cup flour
- 5 cups low sodium turkey or chicken broth
- 2 cups milk, or half + half
- 1 cup dry orzo
- 3/4 tsp paprika
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper, (optional)
- 1-2 tsp Italian herb blend
- salt and pepper , to taste
- 4 cups leftover turkey,, chopped
Instructions
- In a large pot, melt your butter on medium heat and saute the onions, carrots, celery until soften, but not brown. Stir in the garlic for 30 seconds.
- Sprinkle over the flour and mix well to form 'paste'.
- Gradually add in 2 cups of the broth and the milk, while stirring constantly so the mixture stays thick. Add in the remaining 3 cups broth, orzo, seasonings and turkey pieces. Bring back to a boil then reduce the heat to a simmer. Half cover the pot and allow to cook for another 10 minutes (stirring occasionally), or until the pasta is cooked al dente.
Came together quick and was delicious!!
Thank you for the kind feedback Joyce!
Wonderful recipe. I followed it exactly and it turned out great! I used smoked turkey which gave it a bit of a smokey flavor. I highly recommend it!
Thanks AJ, I’m so glad you liked it!
Hi Stella. In my part of the world we don’t have copious amounts of leftover roast turkey, but I still would love to give this recipe a try. I have uncooked chops of turkey breast. How should I modify the recipe if I want to use them?
YUM! Made this last night after following your recipe, came out great! Will make this again!
Hi Kathy, Thank you for trying this soup out – its one of my faves!
Can this be made without orzo or rice with the same ingredient amounts?
This soup is the best and the easiest to make, my wife wasn’t feeling good so I found this recipe followed the directions, it came out perfect everyone loved it it’s a keeper.
I have a frozen turkey breast and I need to make dinner. So I took out the one pot, put the breast, carrots celery and onion in with water and thyme. Set it for broth. From here I will follow the recipe. I am expecting a flavorful soup. Thanks for the inspiration!
made a huge batch of this to use up some frozen turkey / bone broth i had in the freezer and boy what a fantastic recipe!
if you’re like me and are just trying to clear out your freezer in a pinch, i highly recommend thawing the meat first and revitalizing it a bit by throwing it in the oven or frying it in some butter before tossing it in the soup. Was still phenominal but the meat was still dry since i chucked it in the pot straight from the freezer. (entirely my fault but a warning to those who are about to do the same!)
Does this soup freeze well?