• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • About
    • Privacy Policy, Disclosures & Disclaimers
    • Contact / PRs / Review Policy / Link Policy
  • Recipe Index
  • Ingredients
  • As Seen
  • Credit Crunch Munch
  • Extra Veg
  • Work With Me
Fuss Free Flavours

Fuss Free Flavours

Easy recipes you will make again | Travel | Reviews

  • Home
  • All Recipes
    • Quick & Easy
    • Recipes by Course
      • Breakfast & Brunch Recipes
      • Main Meal
      • Side Dishes
      • Drinks
      • Starters & Light Bites
      • Desserts & Puddings
      • Baking
        • Biscuits and cookies
        • Bread Recipes
        • Cake
        • Cupcakes
        • Muffins
        • Pie
      • Soup
      • Salad
      • Dips, Dressings, & Sauces
      • Easy Jam, Jelly & Preserve Recipes
    • Recipes by Cuisine
      • American
      • Chinese
      • French
      • Italian
      • Other Cuisines
      • Vegetarian Recipes
      • Vegan Recipes
  • Recipes by Main Ingredient
    • Beef
    • Poultry
    • Pork
    • Lamb
    • Game
    • Fish & Seafood
    • Beans & Lentils
    • Pasta
    • Grains & Rice
    • Fruit
    • Vegetables
    • Dairy
    • Booze
  • Travel
    • Rest of Europe
    • French
    • Rest of the world
    • Food Origins and Stories
You are here: Home / Recipes / Recipes by Course / Soup Recipes / Easy Leftover Turkey Lentil Soup

Easy Leftover Turkey Lentil Soup

Published on October 18, 2021 by Helen Best-Shaw 18 Comments
Last Updated on November 2, 2021

Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe

Turkey and lentil soup is comforting, lightly spiced, easy to make and ready in less than half an hour. There’s no need to blend it. Nourishing and delicious, this soup is a great way to use up leftover turkey from a roast.

Colourful bowls of turkey and red lentil soup, laid out ready to eat.

Everything You Need To Know

  • Leftover turkey lentil soup
  • Why make this recipe!
  • Turkey lentil soup ingredients
  • How to make turkey lentil soup
  • Serving suggestion
  • Storage
  • Hints, tips & variations
  • FAQs
  • More leftover turkey recipes
  • Red lentil recipes
  • Turkey and Lentil Soup
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • Notes

Leftover turkey lentil soup

Turkey soup is a classic for the last of the leftovers, after Christmas or Thanksgiving. This effortless recipe is adaptable, quick and easy to make, as well as delicious. You don’t even need a blender to make it!

It is very easy to vary the spices to suit all tastes, so this leftover turkey and lentil soup is a real crowd pleaser. Packed with protein, it’s perfect for a warm up after a walk on a cold day. You can also fill a flask with it for a winter picnic.

I usually cook for two (did you know that the most common number of people in a household in the UK is 2?) but as this soup keeps and freeze so well, I’ve doubled it up to make enough for a generous bowl for lunch for two days.

I love soup. It is a lunch time staple for us, winter and summer. A great way to get all the healthy stuff into a quick lunch dish, it also keeps you feeling satisfied through to dinner time.

Some of my favourites are leftover salad soup, easy gazpacho (made with canned tomatoes), slow cooked root vegetable soup, and roasted tomato & lentil soup. Meaty soups can be easy too, especially when you have some scraps to use up, and this turkey lentil soup is as frugal as it is tempting.

Let me show you how to make the most of the last of the leftover turkey, with some hints and tips, and one of my favourite cheat ingredient substitutions. You’ll be roasting turkey just for the excuse to make another batch of this soup!

Why make this recipe!

  • It is so easy and quick to make that you don’t even need a blender.
  • This soup is fast – ready to serve in less than 30 minutes.
  • It uses everyday ingredients along with that leftover turkey (or of course chicken). It doesn’t even matter if the vegetables are getting a bit past their best!
  • The soup freezes well, so it is perfect for batch cooking!

Turkey lentil soup ingredients

Ingredients for turkey lentil soup, gathered and ready for use: red lentils, coconut milk, leftover roast turkey, celery, carrot, onion, garlic, stock and spices.

This easy soup uses simple, everyday ingredients: 

  • Carrots – Packed full of vitamins C, K, E, beta-carotene (for vitamin A), fibre, potassium, folates and manganese, carrots are a nutritional powerhouse. They are also super affordable, available throughout the year, and keep well in the salad crisper. 
  • Garlic & Onion – We always keep a stash on hand. Store in a cool, dark cupboard or, failing that, in the salad drawer. 
  • Celery – Along with carrot and onion, celery is the third ingredient of the Italian soffritto, or French mirepoix. It is one of those chef’s secrets that makes all the difference to the final dish, contributing to the whole, but not detectable as a standout flavour. I don’t especially like celery but miss the depth it adds to soups and stews when it is absent. However, if you are allergic, the recipe will work just fine if you leave it out.

Helen’s Fuss Free Tip

You can buy bags of finely chopped frozen celery, onion and carrots which take much of the work out of making this soup. Look for it with the frozen vegetables at the store it will be called soffritto, mirepoix, vegetable base mix or similar. Simply pour into a hot pan and fry from frozen. In terms of convenience it is worth every penny!

A bowl of frozen soffrito mix, which can be used instead of fresh vegetables
  • Red Lentils – Delicious, packed with protein, fast to cook and super affordable, red lentils make a full-bodied, creamy-textured soup that doesn’t need blending. I love lentils!
  • Warming Spices – I have used a dash of cumin and some turmeric for its rich golden colour. You could, however, also use curry powder or a dash of chilli for some extra heat.
  • Coconut milk or milk /cream – this adds a touch of richness. I’ve used a dash of coconut milk but dairy cream is fine.

Helen’s Fuss Free Tip

You can use canned coconut milk here, or half the quantity of coconut cream. Once opened store, in a covered container in the fridge and use within 3 days. Both will freeze well for another recipe.

I prefer to use powdered coconut milk, as I find it helps to cut down on waste and mess. It is widely available, and you can make up the exact quantity you need to the exact strength you want.

  • Leftover Cooked Turkey – Chopped or shredded, white or brown meat, it doesn’t matter which you use in this soup. You can also use leftover chicken.
  • Stock/Broth – Homemade turkey stock is ideal here – (make it as you would make chicken stock). Otherwise a good quality stock concentrate is perfect.

Olive Oil – Preferably extra virgin, which is non refined and packed with omega 3 oils. 

Optional (not pictured)

  • Lemon – I often add a squeeze of lemon juice to soup, as it lifts, lightens, brightens and focusses all the favours. Generally a squeeze of lemon is a great way to revive any dull dish.
  • Chopped herbs – parsley and coriander / cilantro would work well here.
  • Pumpkin or other seeds – to garnish

How to make turkey lentil soup

Before you start, read my step-by-step instructions, with photos, hints and tips so you can make this perfectly from scratch every time.

Scroll down for the recipe card with quantities and more tips at the bottom of the page.

Finely diced vegetables, ready to make the soffrito: celery, onion, garlic and carrot.

Step One – Peel and dice the onion, celery, garlic and carrots into small pieces.

Celery, carrot and onion in a saucepan, ready to make a soffrito base for soup. Coated in the olive oil, they are starting to cook.

Step Two – Heat the olive oil in a saucepan or casserole dish/Dutch oven. Add the chopped onion, celery and carrot. Sauté over medium heat for a couple of minutes.

(If you are using a frozen sofritto mix, you will need about a cup. Let it cook for a little longer.)

Add the garlic and season with pepper and salt. Then cook for another minute or so.

Garlic cooks faster than the other vegetables so add it last to ensure it won’t burn.

The spices have been added to the sautéed vegetables, giving them a golden colour.

Step Three – Add the spices, and gently cook them for a minute or so. You want to release the flavour from the spices, but not burn them. 

Two images: the left-hand image shows the turkey, lentils, stock and coconut milk freshly added to the pan. The right hand image shows them well mixed in.

Step Four – Add the lentils, milk, stock or broth, and the shredded turkey. Give it all a good stir, put the lid on and let it simmer for 20 minutes, or until the lentils are soft and mushy.

Step Five – Adjust the texture to suit your taste. If you prefer the soup smoother, mash with a potato masher, or fully or partially blend with a stick blender to the texture you want. You can add some more stock or water to thin the soup if you prefer.  

The cooked soup with a ladleful shown in close up, to show the texture of the lentils and other ingredients.

Step Six (optional) – Add some chopped herbs, and a squeeze of lemon juice to taste.

Finally, serve your leftover turkey and lentil soup! If you like, you can garnish it with chopped herbs and some pumpkin seeds, and add a blob of natural yogurt or a swirl of cream.

A warming bowl of turkey lentil soup held between two hands. On the table, another bowl of soup, seasoning and spoons.

Serving suggestion

This leftover turkey lentil soup is delicious with homemade bread and butter. Try it served with soft yogurt bread, quick no yeast bread, self raising flour bread and homemade butter.

Storage

Keep leftovers in a covered container in the fridge for 3 days, or freeze.

Defrost overnight in the fridge, or for a few hours on the countertop, and then reheat in a saucepan on the stove top or in the microwave.

Hints, tips & variations

  • Turkey lentil soup freezes very well. Simply pour into leakproof containers and then allow it to cool before freezing. Alternatively, it will store for three days in the fridge.
  • Vary the spicing to suit your taste. Try a hint of mace or curry powder as you prefer.
  • You can substitute cooked canned or pouched lentils for dried ones, or use green lentils or (soaked) yellow split peas instead of the red lentils.
  • If you can’t eat celery, you could use leeks, or fennel.

FAQs

Can I make in the crock pot / slow cooker?

Yes – simply fry off the vegetables and spices, then put it all in a slow cooker along with the other ingredients, making sure that the stock is hot. Cook on high for 4-5 hours, or low for 8-10.

Do I need to wash / rinse the lentils?

I rarely bother, but if your lentils are very dusty (depending on the brand) you might want to. With a decent brand the dust will be crushed up lentils so is seems a waste to rinse it away.

Do I need to soak lentils?

You don’t need to soak red lentils, which makes them very much more convenient than many dried pulses.

Are lentils good for you?

Full of protein with negligible levels of fat, lentils make a great addition to your diet. Not only that, but many would now argue they’re a better choice for the planet than many of the alternatives. Enjoy them with a clear conscience.

A bowl of golden yellow turkey and lentil soup, colourfully garnished with parsley and a little red chilli.

More leftover turkey recipes

Spice up your leftovers from a festive roast with these easy recipes.

  • Leftover Turkey Curry – a classic no fuss easy British style turkey curry.
  • Turkey fajitas – lightly spiced, sizzling hot, ready in less than 30 minutes and perfect for feeding a crowd.
  • Leftover Turkey Pasta Bake – this creamy pasta bake is packed with turkey, cheese, ham and mushrooms
  • Turkey Biryani – A classic spiced rice one pot that is so easy to make.

Red lentil recipes

I love red lentils because they’re delicious, easy and a great source of protein and iron. They last for ages, are relatively cheap, cook quickly and are perfect for bulking out another dish.

  • Red lentil dal – supremely comforting this dal is like a hug in a bowl!
  • Lentil Loaf – adaptable and packed with veggies.
  • Carrot & Lentil Soup – Quick easy, vegan, gluten free and perfect for batch cooking and filling the freezer.
  • Tomato & Lentil Soup – Minimal ingredients and effort but maximum taste in this delicious creamy textured soup.
Tried this recipe?If you try this recipe please tag #FussFreeFlavours on Instagram or Twitter. It is amazing for me when for me when you make one of my recipes and I really do love to see them. You can also share it on my Facebook page. Please pin this recipe to Pinterest too! Thanks for reading Fuss Free Flavours!
A bowl of golden yellow turkey and lentil soup, colourfully garnished with parsley and a little red chilli.
Print Recipe
BookmarkSaved!
5 from 19 votes

Turkey and Lentil Soup

Turkey and lentil soup is comforting, lightly spiced, easy to make and ready in less than half an hour. There's no need to blend it. Nourishing and delicious, this soup is a great way to use up leftover turkey from a roast.
Servings: 4
Author: Helen Best-Shaw
Prep Time5 mins
Cook Time25 mins
Prevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp olive oil (for frying)
  • 1 small onion
  • 1 celery stalks
  • 1 medium carrot
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 tsp ground turmeric
  • ½ tsp cumin
  • 4 cups (1 litre) turkey or chicken stock
  • ½ cup (120 ml) coconut milk
  • ¾ cup 150 g dried red lentils
  • ¾ cup 125 g leftover roast turkey,
  • salt and pepper (optional)

To Garnish / Optional

  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp cream / yogurt
  • toasted pumpkin seeds
  • chopped herbs

Instructions

  • Peel and dice the onion, celery, garlic and carrots into small pieces. (or use a cup of frozen sofritto mix)
    1 small onion, 1 celery stalks, 1 medium carrot
  • Heat the olive oil in a saucepan or casserole dish/Dutch oven. Add the chopped onion, carrot and celery. Sauté gently over a medium heat for about two minutes.
    1 small onion, 1 celery stalks, 1 medium carrot
  • Add the garlic and continue to cook for a further three minutes or so, until the onion is translucent and just starting to turn golden, and the fragrances are released. 
    2 cloves garlic
  • Add the spices and cook gently for a further a minute or so. You want to release the flavour, but not burn the spices. 
    1 tsp ground turmeric, ½ tsp cumin
  • Add the lentils, milk, stock or broth, and the shredded turkey. Give it all a good stir, put the lid on and let it simmer for 20 minutes, or until the lentils are soft and mushy.
    4 cups (1 litre) turkey or chicken stock, ½ cup (120 ml) coconut milk, ¾ cup 150 g dried red lentils, ¾ cup 125 g leftover roast turkey,
  • Adjust the texture as you prefer. If you like your soup smoother, mash with a potato masher, or blend to the texture you want. You can add more stock or water to thin the soup if you choose. 
  • Add some chopped herbs, and a squeeze of lemon juice to taste.
  • If you like, you can garnish your turkey lentil soup with chopped herbs and some pumpkin seeds, and finish with a blob of natural yogurt or a swirl of cream.

Notes

  • Turkey lentil soup freezes very well. Simply pour into leakproof containers and then allow it to cool before freezing. Alternatively, it will store for three days in the fridge.
  • Vary the spicing to suit your taste. Try a hint of mace or curry powder as you prefer.
  • You can substitute cooked canned or pouched lentils for dried ones, or use green lentils or (soaked) yellow split peas instead of the red lentils.
  • If you can’t eat celery, you could use leeks, or fennel if you can eat it.
Nutritional Information 
  • This recipe is 11 Weight Watchers Smart Points per portion 
• Please note that the nutrition information provided below is approximate and meant as a guideline only.
• Unless stated otherwise cup conversions have been made with an online tool. For accuracy please check with your favoured conversion tool. We recommend buying inexpensive digital kitchen scales.
Nutrition Facts
Turkey and Lentil Soup
Amount Per Serving
Calories 350 Calories from Fat 117
% Daily Value*
Fat 13g20%
Saturated Fat 7g44%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 4g
Cholesterol 21mg7%
Sodium 898mg39%
Potassium 855mg24%
Carbohydrates 36g12%
Fiber 11g46%
Sugar 7g8%
Protein 23g46%
Vitamin A 2617IU52%
Vitamin C 7mg8%
Calcium 55mg6%
Iron 5mg28%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Course: Soup
Cuisine: American, British
Keyword: Leftover Turkey Soup, Turkey Lentil Soup
Delicious Recipes Emailed To You!Get easy, tasty recipes for FREE when you subscribe! Click to Subscribe Now!!

Related Posts

  • An easy, comforting indulgent recipe for a creamed pea soup - using store cupboard peas
    Creamed Pea Soup with leftover turkey
  • Easy Celery and Lentil Soup
  • Vibrant yellows and red from the peppers really make this leftover turkey fajita mix look delicious. It's been garnished with some coriander for a splash of green.
    Leftover Roast Turkey Fajitas
  • Top down picture of 2 turkey tacos on plates, with toppings alongside.
    Easy Leftover Turkey Tacos

Filed Under: American, Autumn, Beans & Lentils, British, Christmas, Poultry, Recipes, Soup Recipes, Winter Ingredients: Red Lentils, Turkey, Vegetables

Previous Post: « Wholemeal Self-Raising Flour Bread
Next Post: Slow Cooker Lamb Curry »

Reader Interactions

Comments

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




  1. Lynn Polito

    5 stars
    Fantastic! A flavorful, cozy soup!

    Reply
  2. Aimee

    5 stars
    So delicious. I love all the spices in this soup, it’s perfect for fall.

    Reply
  3. Cindy

    5 stars
    Oh this was so tasty! Thanks for the great recipe

    Reply
  4. Kim

    5 stars
    I had a bag of lentils that needed to be used up so this was perfect! This soup was so delicious and perfect for a cold night.

    Reply
  5. Anne

    5 stars
    This looks like perfect fall comfort food!

    Reply
  6. Sachi

    5 stars
    What a great recipe. I love this combination of turkey and lentils!

    Reply
  7. Kathy Hester

    5 stars
    This is perfect timing – it’s finally soup weather where I live and I’ve been looking for a great lentil soup recipe.

    Reply
  8. laura

    5 stars
    An absolutely perfect way to use up Thanksgiving leftovers!!

    Reply
  9. Donna

    5 stars
    Love this quick and easy meal, always love a good recipe to help me use up leftovers!

    Reply
  10. Linda

    5 stars
    Oh yum! This turkey lentil soup is so comforting and perfect for cold fall weather

    Reply
  11. Mandy Applegate

    5 stars
    This is going to be great for all the leftover turkey that’s always around after Christmas!

    Reply
  12. Jennifer

    5 stars
    Thick, hearty, and full of goodness – this is soup as it should be! I’ll be making this often – it’s delish!

    Reply
  13. Megan

    5 stars
    Yes! Lentils are so underrated. This soup is great, and so easy!

    Reply
  14. Lauren

    5 stars
    Lentils don’t get nearly as much love as they should. I love lentil soup and I especially love adding them to this turkey soup. So delicious!

    Reply
  15. sarah

    5 stars
    What a perfect & healthy recipe for using up leftover turkey after the holidays. love the idea!

    Reply
  16. Alejandra

    5 stars
    Such a great idea for using up leftover turkey! This soup looks so healthy and tasty, my favourite type of fall meal :)

    Reply
  17. Becky

    5 stars
    I always have so much turkey leftover. And my husband hates turkey casseroles, so I never know what to make with leftover turkey. He is going to love this!

    Reply
  18. Sherry Ronning

    5 stars
    I can’t wait to use my leftover turkey to make this soup. I have been looking for a new soup recipe and can’t wait to try yours.

    Reply

Primary Sidebar

About Me

Headshot of Helen Best-Shaw, Food Blogger at Fuss Free Flavours I'm Helen, full time freelance food writer, photographer and blogger. On this site you will find my fuss-free recipes, travel and reviews. Learn more here
Twitter Logo, bluw circle with a white bird Facebook logo, blue square with a white F inside You Tube Logo, a red box with the words You Tube on the inside Pinterest Logo, a red circle with white P on the inside Instagram Logo, a rainbow box with a square and circle inside of it Flipboard Logo - Red square with a white F on the inside

Press/As Seen On

Image-1

Subscribe

Footer

Latest Posts

Best Easy Fudge Recipes

Best Easy Fudge Recipes

Easy Parsnip & Apple Soup

Easy Parsnip & Apple Soup

Easy Slow Cooker Fudge

Easy Slow Cooker Fudge

Easy Coffee Fudge

Easy Coffee Fudge

Pea & Mint Soup

Pea & Mint Soup

Hot Cross Bun Bread & Butter Pudding

Hot Cross Bun Bread & Butter Pudding

Privacy Policy, Disclosures & Disclaimers

Copyright © 2022 Helen Best-Shaw / Fuss Free Flavours - Easy Recipes You Will Make Again