7 Cozy Soups and Stews That Make Leftover Turkey Taste Even Better Than the Main Event

Make the most of your leftover bird with these hearty meals.

By Robin Shreeves
Published November 28, 2025
Overhead view of Turkey and dumplings

Serious Eats / Fred Hardy

I firmly believe that if you're going to roast a turkey for Thanksgiving, you should roast the biggest one you can afford to—because you can turn the leftovers into so many other delicious meals. Start with a classic Thanksgiving leftovers sandwich, then simmer the carcass for broth and repurpose the meat in other dishes. One of the best ways to stretch remaining turkey is to use it in soups and stews, especially as chilly winter weather sets in. Below, you'll find seven options—including turkey and dumplings and an ultra-savory ramen—that will help you make the most of your leftover bird.

Love these recipes? With MyRecipes—your personal home for recipes—easily save and organize your favorites, plus thousands more, in one convenient place.

  • Turkey Tortilla Soup

    A bowl of tortilla soup with toppings such as avocado and tortilla strips

    Serious Eats / J. Kenji Lopez-Alt

    Turn leftover roast turkey into a vibrant and satisfying pot of turkey tortilla soup. A combination of dried, fresh, and canned chiles gives the soup a complex, rounded flavor, and sautéed poblano pepper adds a bright vegetal note. For extra crunch, top it with store-bought or homemade fried tortilla strips.

  • White Chili With Roast Turkey or Chicken

    A bowl of turkey white chili with lime wedges on the side garnished with herbs

    Serious Eats / J. Kenji Lopez-Alt

    Turkey or chicken is the perfect foundation for a rich white bean chili made with three types of peppers: jalapeños, poblanos, and roasted Hatch chiles. If you've got roast turkey meat on hand, the whole dish takes just 15 minutes to prep, and is ready for the table in under an hour.

  • Turkey Chintan Ramen

    Bowl of ramen with turkey slices and green vegetables

    Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

    Make sure you save the carcass and some rendered turkey fat to make this flavorful ramen. A pressure cooker makes a clear, gelatin-rich turkey broth in a fraction of the time it would take on the stovetop, and a blend of soy sauce, tamari, and mirin adds complexity to what would otherwise be an exceedingly simple bowl of ramen.

  • Slow-Cooker Leftover Turkey and Andouille Gumbo

    Bowl of gumbo with white rice and a spoon on a decorative surface

    Serious Eats / Jennifer Olvera

    This turkey gumbo turns leftover meat into a smoky, comforting post-Thanksgiving meal. Throw the ingredients into the slow cooker, then spend the next four hours going about your day while dinner simmers away. Sautéed vegetables and a roux form the foundation for a rich, deep gumbo, and add-ins such as Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and Cajun seasoning give the dish serious oomph.

    Continue to 5 of 7 below

  • Slow-Cooker Leftover Turkey, Lemon, and Couscous Soup

    Bowl of turkey soup with vegetables and herbs on a patterned tablecloth

    Serious Eats / Jennifer Olvera

    Another great slow cooker option is this soup, which combines white and dark meat with oft-bypassed turkey wings. Lemon juice and leftover wine provide a hit of acidity, while fragrant bay leaves, thyme, and a bit of poultry seasoning bring a herbaceous note.

  • Turkey and Dumplings

    Overhead view of Turkey and dumplings

    Serious Eats / Fred Hardy

    This variation on homey chicken and dumplings uses leftover turkey and features light, fluffy biscuit-based dumplings. For extra richness, save some gravy and add it to the broth before you cook the dumplings. Rich, creamy, and comforting, it's the perfect meal to sit down to after a day of cooking and entertaining.

  • Leftover Roast Turkey Soup

    Overhead view of leftover turkey soup

    Serious Eats / Fred Hardy

    Simmering a leftover roast turkey carcass to store-bought or homemade chicken broth adds plenty of rich poultry flavor to this soup, which is flavored with bacon and studded with vegetables you likely already have in the freezer.

Explore more:

More Serious Eats Recipes