Turkey Lentil Soup

Last Updated October 31, 2022. Published October 30, 2022 By Lorie Leave a Comment

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Use up leftover turkey, or even rotisserie chicken in this simple, delicious Turkey Lentil Soup. Full of veggies, flavor and all the comforting goodness you love in a soup. An easy dish to make and perfectly paired with a grilled cheese or crusty bread.

Turkey lentil soup in pot with wooden spoon.

Big soup fan over here. Could live on soup and chili. With the holiday season around the corner, lots of leftover turkey will be on hand and I can only make so many turkey sandwiches.

This turkey lentil soup is a great way to repurpose some of that leftover meat and make it a nutritious, hearty soup that will warm you up!

Why You Will Love This Turkey Lentil Soup:

It's a great way to use up leftover meat.
This soup only requires about 15 minutes to prep.
It easily stores in the freezer.
So cozy and comforting!

Recipe Ingredients:

turkey: choose your own adventure here! Leftover roasted turkey, fried turkey, air fried, you name it, it will work. Just avoid lunchmeat turkey as it will not hold up in this turkey lentil soup. You can toss in some bones for more flavor as well. Feel free to sub in chicken if desired, or you can make this rotisserie chicken noodle soup if that sounds more interesting to you.
veggies: I use a combo of carrots, celery and onion. I also sometimes toss in some baby spinach or kale to add some green to this soup, but that just depends on what I have on hand.
lentils: any dried lentil should work well. The color you use will obviously impact the color of the soup a bit, but not much by any means.
broth: I prefer chicken broth, low or no sodium, but I have made this turkey lentil soup with vegetable broth and enjoyed it as well.
crushed tomatoes: I use the canned, no need to drain any of the liquid
garlic: freshly minced cloves will give the best flavor, but in a pinch, garlic powder can work as well. Use about ½ teaspoon to start and add more to taste.
seasoning: I use dried basil and oregano in this recipe. Italian seasoning is also a great option if you would like to use that instead.
bay leaves: always lots of questions around whether bay leaves are actually necessary. While you can skip them, I prefer the extra layer of flavor.
tomato paste: this thickens up the broth a touch. If you don't have any, it's okay, the broth will just be a little thinner.

Turkey lentil soup in white bowl with spoon and chopped parsley on top.

How to Make This Turkey Lentil Soup:

Since we use pre-cooked or leftover turkey in this lentil soup recipe, prepping it is so simple.

Sauté the carrots, celery and onion in olive oil until the onions become translucent.
Add in all other ingredients and bring to a boil.
Lower heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes, until the lentils are softened.

That is it! It's such a simple way to enjoy a homemade hearty soup.

Cooked carrots, celery and onion in red dutch oven.

Turkey and lentils added to lentil soup pot.

Recipe Tips:

For more flavor, add in some of the turkey bones. If you are coming off of a big dinner with a whole roasted turkey, add in some of the bones to simmer in this turkey lentil soup to give the soup even more amazing flavor.
In a pinch? Use canned, pre-cooked lentils. If you are low on time, you can use canned lentils. I have found them with the cans of beans at the grocery and they have served me well when I have been low on time. You can also use frozen or pre-chopped vegetables.
Add some green. Give this soup a nutritious boost with some chopped spinach or kale. Stir it in a few minutes before serving and allow it to wilt.

Soup pot with cooked turkey lentil soup and wood spoon.

Storing this Turkey Lentil Soup:

This soup will store in the refrigerator for about 3-4 days in an air tight container. It can also very easily be frozen. Freeze in a freezer safe container for 2-3 months. I like to freeze in single servings containers and then pull them out when I want a cozy lunch.