Do something different with your Thanksgiving leftovers this year. Creamy Turkey Stew over mashed potatoes (or stuffing!) is comfort food at its finest. The broth is seasoned with leftover gravy (you read that right!) for a seriously rich and flavor leftover turkey soup recipe.
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I know plenty of people who look forward more to Thanksgiving leftovers than they do the actual meal. And who can blame them? The pressure is off! You don’t have to coordinate; you don’t have to cook… but also, cold leftover roast Thanksgiving turkey sandwiches are unicorns of the sandwich world.
But conditions have to be absolutely right for them to be perfect. If Aunt Helen squirreled away the remaining sweet potatoes, or your partner woke up at 3 a.m. and ate the rest of the white meat, you’re screwed. So now you’ve come full circle and you’re back to needing a plan.
Leftover Turkey Stew, on the other hand…now here’s a day-after dish you don’t need to fret about. It takes the Thanksgiving bowl concept to a new level of comfort you didn’t know you needed. I certainly didn’t know I needed it until hosting Thanksgiving on Thursday and battling shoppers Black Friday, but this stuff hit harder than a cocktail.
I don’t know what’s more important to tell you (1) that this Thanksgiving turkey stew HAS GRAVY IN IT or (2) that I wept tears of joy because it was so fast and easy to make. So there, take both those nuggets and do with them what you will.
This creamy turkey soup doesn’t discriminate – it is simultaneously velvety and chunky. You can use either light or dark meat or both, and you don’t need carver-quality slices. You can pour it over either stuffing or mashed potatoes (or both!), whatever you’ve got plenty of.
I’m not saying you’ll skip the leftover Thanksgiving sandwiches, but I am saying you should reconsider the second leftover Thanksgiving turkey sandwich and invest your assets in this pot of golden creamy goodness instead.
For a condensed post with “just the recipe” (and a few tips, too!) click to view the web story for this recipe.
How to Make Creamy Turkey Stew
Comforting and creamy Turkey Stew over mashed potatoes takes day-after dining to a delicious new level. But don’t just wait for leftovers! This dutch oven turkey stew recipe is so good, it’s worth roasting a whole new turkey (or whipping up an Instant Pot Turkey Breast) just to make it.
- Heat pot over medium high heat. Melt butter until it foams. Toss onion, celery, and carrots in the fat to coat. Saute, stirring occasionally, until vegetables soften, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring continuously, 1 minute more.
- Sprinkle flour over vegetables. Work the flour in with your spoon and cook 2-3 minutes.
- Deglaze pot with dry white white. Scrape up any browned bits and dissolve flour.
- Add broth and leftover gravy, then add leftover turkey. Stir to combine. Add herb bundle to pot.
- Increase the heat, bring to a simmer, and cook 20 minutes.
- Remove soup from heat and remove herbs. Stir in the heavy cream. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed.
- Ladle over mashed potatoes or stuffing and enjoy!
Chef’s Tips
- Gravy. In. The. Soup. This is not a typo. This is not a suggestion. It will take the broth situation to a whole new level of leftover joy.
- If you don’t have any wine, or don’t want to use it, substitute an additional half cup of broth.
- Reserve seasoning with salt and pepper until the end – gravy can be very salty.
Storing and Freezing
Fridge: store the leftover leftovers (ha!) in the fridge in a sealed container for up to 4 days. Gently reheat in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring in between, or the stove over medium heat.
Freezer: perhaps the best part of this leftovers recipe is that you can absolutely make a batch of this stew and freeze it for a cozy meal down the road. Omit the cream, then freeze in a sealed container for up to 3 months. Defrost, reheat in a soup pot over medium heat, and then add the cream just before serving.
Serving Suggestions for Turkey Stew
Keep the holiday spirit alive! This leftover turkey stew is amazing served over your other Thanksgiving leftovers. None left? Make more:
- Turkey: can’t go wrong with an instant pot turkey breast, whether it’s for the holidays or Sunday dinner.
- Mashed Potatoes: these dairy free healthy mashed potatoes won’t weigh you, or the creamy turkey soup, down.
- Stuffing: try classic sausage stuffing with apples and herbs or with cranberry and rye bread.
More Tasty Recipes to Use Up Leftovers
- Leftover Mashed Potato Waffles
- Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps
- Leftover Ham Frittata
- Leftover Pulled Pork Tamale Pie
- Pulled Pork Ragu
- Instant Pot Bone Broth
Did you make this creamy turkey stew? I’d love to know how it turned out! Leave a comment and a rating below.
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Recipe
Creamy Leftover Turkey Stew
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Ingredients
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1 medium yellow or sweet onion, diced to ½"
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 stalks celery, thinly sliced
- 3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into ½" coins
- 4 tbsp all purpose flour
- ½ c dry white wine
- 4 c turkey broth or stock
- ½ c leftover turkey gravy
- 4 c leftover turkey, white and/or dark meat
- 1 sprig fresh thyme, or 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 sprig fresh sage, or ½ tsp rubbed sage
- ⅓ c heavy cream
- kosher salt, to taste
- ground pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Heat a 6-quart dutch oven or soup pot over medium high heat. Add the butter and heat until it melts, then foams. Add the onion, celery, and carrots; toss to coat in the fat and saute, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent and the celery and carrot soften, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring continuously, until fragrant, 1 minute more.
- Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables. Work the flour into the vegetables with your spoon and cook 2-3 minutes to cook off the flour flavor.
- Deglaze the pot with the white wine (or alternatively, an additional half cup of broth). Scrape up any browned bits and stir until the flour dissolves.
- Add the broth and leftover gravy, then add the leftover turkey and give everything a good stir. Bundle the thyme and sage with a piece of kitchen twine and add to the pot.
- Increase the heat and bring the liquid to a simmer. Adjust the heat to maintain a simmer and cook 20 minutes.
- Remove the soup from heat and remove the herbs. Stir in the heavy cream. Taste for seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper if needed (gravy can be salty, so you may need none).
- Ladle over mashed potatoes or stuffing and enjoy!
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