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When I roast a turkey for Thanksgiving, Christmas or any other reason, I always make sure to get one of the biggest turkeys I can find. It certainly isn’t because I think we will eat that much turkey, but when I am cooking, I am planning for leftovers! I really like Thanksgiving and Christmas, but it’s the leftovers I LOVE! This Hearty Cream of Turkey Soup has become an after Thanksgiving and Christmas Day tradition that we look forward to every year.
Hearty Cream of Turkey Soup is perfect for warming you up after a day out in the cold!
The beauty of this soup is that it is made with items you probably already have in your pantry. After you already loaded up at the store in preparation for the holiday, spent ages in the kitchen prepping and cooking, the last thing you want to do in the days that follow, is cook something complicated or that requires you to dash back to the store again. This Hearty Cream of Turkey Soup also wins for being ready in only 30 minutes.
When you are putting away your leftovers, help yourself out for future meals. Take a few minutes and take the meat off the bone and put it in zip lock freezer bags. This is beneficial for a few reasons.
Hearty Cream of Turkey Soup is full of potatoes, chunks of turkey, and herbs for a satisfying meal. It has become one of our favorite ways to use extra turkey!!
First, if you store meat in the refrigerator on the bone, it dries out quicker and you don’t want that! Second, if you put the meat into freezer bags, in portioned sizes, you know ahead of time what and how much you have set aside for future recipes. Third, if you cut or chop up the meat while putting it into the freezer bags, all you have to do is let it thaw and dump it into whatever recipe you are wanting to make in the future.
This is a simple soup to make. It starts by making a roux, which is a mixture of flour, a fat (like butter or meat drippings) and a liquid like broth or water. You are not browning this roux like you would if you were making something like jambalaya.
That browned roux adds depth of flavor. This lighter colored roux is simply a thickener for your soup. You start by melting butter, adding flour and cooking this as it forms into a thick clump. You will then add a little broth at a time, whisking until smooth after each addition.
Once your roux is smooth and you have incorporated all of your broth, you will then add herbs, vegetables and cut or shredded turkey meat (if you don’t have turkey meat, cooked chicken is a perfect substitution). Stir this to incorporate, then add the milk and simmer on low for 15 minutes or until bubbly and hot. That my friends is Hearty Cream of Turkey Soup. It is that easy!!
Hearty Cream of Turkey Soup
Ingredients
- 1 medium finely chopped onion
- 6 tbsp butter
- 6 tbsp flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground, black pepper
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1-1/2 cups milk
- 4 cups cubed, boiled potatoes
- 3 cups cubed turkey I use 2-4 cups of turkey, it all depends on how much I have on hand.
- 4 cups chicken or turkey broth
- 1 10oz package frozen peas
Instructions
- Peel, cube and boil 4 cups of potatoes. You want them fork tender but NOT falling apart.
- Meanwhile, in a large pot, saute your finely chopped onion in butter. You want this nice and soft.
- Stir in the flour and and seasonings to the onion and butter mixture, gradually add milk, stirring constantly until thickened.
- Add turkey, potatoes and peas, stir gently to incorporate.
- Add broth, stir, then simmer with lid on for about 15 minutes. Makes about 2 quarts. Enjoy!!
This soup is wonderful served with a crusty roll or even in a bread bowl. It is filling an so tasty. I typically like to make a double batch in order to have any leftover for my lunch the next day. If you like this soup, you will probably love my other popular soups like Low Carb Toscana Soup or Cream of Potato and Rosemary Soup. I hope you are enjoying time with family, friends, family and good food! Enjoy!
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