I foresee some leftover turkey in your life soon, and I am here with an easy, tasty option for it. This Turkey Lentil Soup is great the next day, and it's a favorite lunch to reheat and serve. The leftovers just keep getting better in the pot!
The photographs of this soup have most of the broth drained away, because I want you to see the chunks of goodness in this turkey lentil soup. Every November, when I make this soup, using my leftover Thanksgiving turkey, I get mad at myself for waiting all year to make this. It is too good to wait all year!
While I am admittedly a lentil lover (you know this from my famous lentil enchiladas, of course), I really believe this is the lentil soup for people who think they don't like lentils. The lentils just hide in the smoky tomato broth, surrounded by slices of potatoes and turkey pieces.
Think of the lentils here as a bonus secret protein, hidden in a chunky vegetable soup. I am the queen of chunky soups, if you didn't know, and if you find yourself without turkey, try my vegetable bean soup in the crockpot instead!
How to make Turkey Lentil Soup
If it is not leftover Thanksgiving turkey season when you find this recipe, you can absolutely still make this! You just need 1.5 cups of already cooked turkey, so you can use thick-sliced deli turkey that you chop, or poach a turkey tenderloin to shred.
This turkey lentil soup has a tomato-based broth that comes from a large can of fire-roasted tomatoes, plus poultry stock. If you have already used your leftover Thanksgiving turkey carcass to make rich turkey stock, please use that here! If not, use a box of chicken or turkey stock.
This soup relies on a mix of fresh vegetables, pantry spices, a few canned goods, leftover turkey, and a splash of vinegar at the end. Vinegar in soup sounds strange, but the bright acidity wakes up all the flavors of the dish. You can use fresh lemon juice in its place, if you prefer. If you omit the acidity altogether, you might find yourself wanting to add a lot of salt instead. Try the vinegar instead of salt, and thank me later.
The Ingredients
- Olive Oil. We need olive oil to sauté the vegetables in the pan, so it does not need to be extra virgin olive oil. Anything you like to cook with is fine here.
- Onion. One medium yellow or white onion, finely diced. Do not use a sweet onion here.
- Carrots. We need two large carrots, peeled and diced into bite-size pieces.
- Celery. Celery stalks bring such a savory element to any broth soup. Use two stalks, thinly sliced.
- Potatoes. My choice for potatoes is Yukon gold, because their starch content helps them hold together in the cooking process. You can absolutely use Russet potatoes or new potatoes (like in my green beans and potatoes recipe), but they might break down while cooking. This is fine, as the potato starch will slightly thicken the soup. If you want whole, tender slices of potatoes, though, reach for Yukon golds.
- Garlic. Just two cloves of garlic, peeled and minced.
- Smoked Paprika. I will never stop talking about how much smoked paprika brings to a dish! It makes everything taste smoky, almost like bacon! It is so much better than plain paprika!
- Dried Thyme. Whole dried thyme leaves, not ground thyme, which is way too strong. If you want to use fresh thyme, use 10 sprigs. There's no need to chop the fresh thyme--just drop the whole sprigs in the soup pot, and remove them before serving. The leaves will fall off naturally as the soup simmers.
- Lentils. We need 1 cup of brown or green lentils. Rinse them well, pick through and discard any stones or broken lentils.
- Stock. Homemade turkey stock is great here, if you already have the turkey carcass from Thanksgiving. You can look up a recipe for homemade turkey stock using the leftover turkey, or you can do what I do: I add onions, carrots, celery to a large pot with the turkey carcass, cover with water and simmer for 3 hours. I add salt and herbs to taste when the broth is a rich, golden color. However, a box of chicken stock or turkey stock is fine, too! We need 5 cups, so buy two boxes.
- Tomatoes. One 28-ounce can of fire-roasted crushed tomatoes. If you can't find the fire-roasted ones, it's fine to buy the regular crushed tomatoes. I don't like chunks of tomato in my soup, so I always buy crushed tomatoes.
- Turkey. If you have 1.5 cups of leftover Thanksgiving turkey shredded ,that is the best thing to use here! However, if you want this soup and don't have any leftovers, use thick-sliced turkey deli meat and chop it into bite-size pieces. Alternatively, you could poach half of a turkey tenderloin in broth with some onion and herbs, and then shred it.
- Red Wine Vinegar. Two teaspoons of red wine vinegar at the end of the cooking process makes this soup pop without adding lots of extra salt. You can use lemon juice or apple cider vinegar, if that's what you have. If you taste the soup after cooking and think it needs more salt, try adding vinegar first. The acidity balances all of the flavors, and brings a saltiness without salt. Please note that this recipe does contain one teaspoon of salt, however.
- Baby Spinach. It's entirely optional to stir in baby spinach before serving, but I love the pop of green and nutrients, so I always add it, if I have it. Just 2-3 handfuls, about 2 cups of baby spinach leaves.
- For serving: Parmesan cheese and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil on top of each bowl of turkey lentil soup, if you want!
The Instructions
In a large stock pot or enamel-coated cast iron dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery and thinly sliced potatoes to the pot. Cook, while stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent and starting to turn golden brown around the edges.
Add the garlic, smoked paprika and dried thyme, and sauté for 30 seconds.
Next, add the lentils, stock, crushed tomatoes, salt and pepper. Bring this mixture to a simmer, and lower the heat slightly to maintain a gentle simmer. Stir every 5 minutes or so, until the lentils are fully cooked, about 20-25 minutes.
Taste a few lentils and potatoes to make sure they’re cooked, and then stir in the turkey pieces, vinegar, and baby spinach. Cook just until heated through. Serve with Parmesan cheese and an extra drizzle of olive oil.
Storage and Make-Ahead:
- Make-Ahead - You can make this soup up to 4 days ahead of time, and then reheat gently on the stove. I would add the baby spinach the day you plan to serve it, however. I prefer this soup on day 2, once the potatoes have really softened into the soup. Please note that you will probably need to add more broth when re-heating, because the potatoes soak it up as it sits.
- Storage - You can store leftovers for up to 4 days in the fridge, in an airtight container. You can also portion the soup out into freezer safe containers, and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge, and then warm through before serving.
Turkey Lentil Soup FAQ:
Lentils have such a quick cooking time (20-30 minutes, typically), that they do not require soaking time before cooking, in most cases. However, there are some traditional Indian recipes that require soaking lentils, and I urge you to follow those recipes exactly. This particular turkey lentil soup recipe does not require soaking. My yellow moong dal recipe requires a quick soaking, because we want the lentils to melt in the pot. Bottom line: follow your recipe; if it says to soak, do it. If it does not say to soak the lentils, proceed as directed.
Cooked turkey lasts in the fridge for 3-4 days. Be sure your fridge is safely kept at less than 40-degrees Fahrenheit. While freezing turkey can extend its usable period for up to 3 months, it is often dry once defrosted. The broth in this turkey lentil soup prevents it from drying out too much, however.
Turkey Lentil Soup
A rich tomato broth with leftover turkey, lentils and potatoes makes this soup delicious!
Ingredients
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, finely diced
- 2 large carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 stalks of celery, thinly sliced
- 1.5 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced (about 2 medium-large potatoes)
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 cup brown lentils, rinsed and picked through
- 5 cups turkey stock (or chicken stock)
- 28—ounce can of crushed fire-roasted tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 ½ cups chopped leftover cooked turkey
- 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
- 2-3 handfuls of baby spinach
- ⅓ cup Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- In a large stock pot or enamel-coated cast iron dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat.
- Add the onion, carrots, celery and thinly sliced potato pieces to the pot. Cook, while stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent and starting to turn golden brown around the edges.
- Add the garlic, smoked paprika and dried thyme, and sauté for 30 seconds.
- Next, add the lentils, stock, crushed tomatoes, salt and pepper.
- Bring this mixture to a simmer, and lower the heat slightly to maintain a gentle simmer. Stir every 5 minutes or so, until the lentils are fully cooked, about 20-25 minutes.
- Taste a few lentils and potatoes to make sure they’re cooked, and then stir in the turkey pieces, vinegar, and baby spinach. Cook just until heated through.
- Serve with Parmesan cheese on the side and an extra drizzle of olive oil, if desired.
Notes
Turkey Stock: Homemade is is great here, if you already have the turkey carcass from Thanksgiving. However, a box of chicken stock or turkey stock is fine, too! One box only contains 4 cups, so buy two boxes.
Thyme. One-half teaspoon of dried thyme leaves (not ground thyme), or 10 sprigs of fresh thyme.
Tomatoes: One 28-ounce can of fire-roasted crushed tomatoes. If you can't find the fire-roasted ones, it's fine to buy the regular crushed tomatoes.
Turkey: If you have 1.5 cups of leftover Thanksgiving turkey shredded, that is the best thing to use here! However, if you don't have any leftovers, use thick-sliced turkey deli meat and chop it into bite-size pieces. Alternatively, you could poach half of a turkey tenderloin in broth with some onion and herbs, and then shred it.
Red Wine Vinegar: Two teaspoons of red wine vinegar at the end of the cooking process makes this soup pop without adding lots of extra salt. You can use lemon juice or apple cider vinegar, if that's what you have. If you taste the soup after cooking and think it needs more salt, try adding vinegar first. The acidity balances all of the flavors, and brings a saltiness without salt. Please note that this recipe does contain one teaspoon of salt, however.
Baby Spinach: It's entirely optional, but I love it.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 306Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 26mgSodium: 728mgCarbohydrates: 36gFiber: 7gSugar: 8gProtein: 16g
Janet R
This sounds SO good! I'll be making it tomorrow with company visiting. Will the lentils cook completely if I use my slow cooker?
BeanRecipes
I haven't tested it in the slow cooker, but I'm sure they would. Since they only have a stove top cook time of 30-40 minutes, at least 4-6 hours in the slow cooker should work. Let me know 🙂