Creamy Turkey Potato Soup

November 18, 2021
Made with both leftover turkey and leftover mashed potatoes, Creamy Turkey Potato Soup is a total win win for repurposing and enjoying those holiday dinner leftovers! With its fabulous flavor delivered up in a wonderfully rich and creamy potato base, this tasty soup is pure creamy comfort in a bowl.

Creamy Turkey Potato Soup Image

This isn't the prettiest turkey soup around, but it's sure one of the tastiest!

When you think of turkey soup, you probably think of a broth-based soup with bright pops of colorful veggies throughout, with perhaps, even some noodles prettily twisting through the parsley-flecked broth, -- much like in our quick Turkey Noodle Soup. But this pretty vision certainly isn't the one conjured up by a bowl of this creamy Turkey Potato Soup.

No, a bowl of Turkey Potato Soup is not a beautiful one. It's actually quite lackluster in color, and is absent any colorful pops of carrot or sliced celery or corn. And parsley-flecked broth? -- Nope, you're not going to see it. 

But rest assured what it lacks in good looks, Creamy Turkey Potato Soup more than makes up for in flavor.

Creamy Turkey Potato Soup is a total win win for repurposing and enjoying those holiday dinner leftovers!

Loaded with bacon, chopped turkey, creamy potatoes, and onion and garlic sauteed in the bacon's drippings, Creamy Turkey Potato Soup is loaded with fabulous flavor. And when that flavor is delivered up in the soup's wonderfully creamy base, it's pure creamy comfort in a bowl.

Besides its fabulous flavor, what's extra great about this rich, creamy potato soup is that it's made with both leftover mashed potatoes and leftover turkey. -- Which makes it a total win in repurposing and enjoying those Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner leftovers!

What's to Love About This Recipe?
  • Fabulous flavor - Turkey, bacon, potatoes, onions & garlic, and ground sage come together to create one very flavorful soup, indeed. 
  • Creamy comfort - Leftover mashed potatoes and heavy cream team up to bring on wonderful creaminess! This tasty potato soup is pure creamy comfort in a bowl.
  • Uses both leftover turkey & leftover mashed potatoes - That's a total win wine for repurposing and enjoying those holiday dinner leftovers!
  • Quick to make - As far as soups go, this one's a quick one. Go from start to finish in just about 45 minutes, which includes the soup's simmer time.

Ladle of Creamy Turkey Potato Soup Image

Creamy Turkey Potato Soup Ingredients:

It's actually a fairly short list of ingredients that come together to create this flavorful comfort-food soup. To whip up a pot, you'll need:

  • Leftover mashed potatoes - Serves as the potato base of the soup and creates its signature creaminess.

  • Leftover turkey - If you don't have leftover turkey, baking a turkey breast tenderloin to use instead works great.

  • Bacon - Everything's better with bacon! Six slices of cooked bacon crumbled into the soup adds fabulous flavor, as does using the bacon drippings to saute the soup's onion and garlic.

  • Heavy cream - Added at the end of cooking, heavy cream partners with the mashed potatoes to create the soup's creaminess. Whipping cream, which is essentially the same thing as heavy cream, can be used instead.

  • Chicken broth - Canned (or boxed) chicken broth serves as the soup's liquid element. Use homemade chicken or turkey broth, if you prefer.

  • Onion - Beautifully flavors the soup, especially when sauteed in the bacon's drippings.

  • Garlic - Minced fresh garlic, sauteed along with the onion, truly amps up the soup's flavor base.

  • Sage - A touch of sage nicely seasons the soup. Use ground sage for the best result, as its fine texture incorporates fully into the soup. 

  • Salt & pepper - Enhances and brightens the flavors. Add salt at the end of cooking, to taste. -- The amount needed will vary depending on the saltiness of the bacon.

Creamy Turkey Potato Soup Ingredients Image

How to Make Creamy Turkey Potato Soup:

Creamy Turkey Potato Soup made with leftover mashed potatoes and leftover turkey is easy to make. -- Certainly way easier than making the turkey and mashed potatoes in the first place!

The first step, and actually probably the toughest step of the recipe, is to fry up some bacon. Fry it in a Dutch oven or large saucepan, then remove the cooked bacon to some paper towels to drain and pour out all but 3 tablespoons of the drippings. Once the bacon has cooled a bit, crumble it to be added back to the soup later.

Add some finely chopped onion and minced fresh garlic to the reserved bacon drippings in the pan, and saute until tender. The onions will turn brown from the bacon drippings, which is fine. Just take care to not burn the onion in the hot drippings.
Next, add some chicken broth and leftover mashed potatoes to the pan, stirring until the mashed potatoes are fully incorporated and no chunks remain. Stir in chopped leftover turkey, ground sage, and a bit of pepper. Bring everything to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

How to Make Creamy Turkey Potato Soup Image

Once the soup has simmered, add in a cup of heavy cream and cook for about 3 minutes until the cream is heated through to finish off the soup's wonderful creamy texture.

Stir in the crumbled bacon. Then give the soup a taste, and add up to 1/2 teaspoon of salt to taste. The amount of salt needed will depend a lot on the saltiness of the bacon. There are times I've made this and not added any salt at all, and other times salting at the end of cooking is definitely needed to brighten the flavors.

Then you're good to go with enjoying Creamy Turkey Potato Soup's deliciousness. Top individual servings with additional crumbled bacon, chopped fresh parsley, and/or chopped green onions, if you'd like, and dig in!

Bowl of Creamy Turkey Potato Soup Image

Recipe FAQs:
  • Can you use leftover mashed potatoes to make potato soup? - Yes, you sure can! As in this super tasty Turkey Potato Soup, leftover mashed potatoes make for a wonderful base to whip up a creamy potato soup. To create the creamy deliciousness, just stir the mashed potatoes into the soup's broth until they're fully incorporated and no clumps remain.

  • What if I don't have any leftover mashed potatoes? How can I still make Creamy Turkey Potato Soup? - Yes, there are ways to prepare this turkey potato soup made with leftover mashed potatoes, even if you don't have the mashed potatoes. If you're without leftover mashed potatoes, cook 3 medium-sized potatoes (about 1 pound in total) to use as the base of the soup. -- There are 3 ways to do this:
    1. BAKE - Wash the potatoes and pierce them several times with a fork. Bake at 400 for about 1 hour, or until they're fork-tender. 
    2. MICROWAVE - Place the potatoes on a microwave-safe plate and cook for 7 minutes, turning over halfway through cooking. If the potatoes aren't fork-tender after 7 minutes, microwave in 1 minute increments until they're done. Let baked or microwaved potatoes stand until cool enough to handle. Then cut in half lengthwise, scoop out the pulp, and use a fork to mash the pulp together with a tablespoon of butter, a pinch of salt and pepper, and a splash of milk. 
    3. BOIL - Peel and dice the potatoes. Place them in a saucepan and add water (or chicken broth) to just cover, and add a couple pinches of salt to the water. Cook the potatoes until fork-tender, about 15 minutes. Then drain and mash the potatoes together with a tablespoon of butter, a pinch of salt and pepper, and a splash of milk.

  • Can Turkey Potato Soup be made ahead of time and reheated? - Yes, Turkey Potato Soup can be made ahead of time and reheats well. Just reheat it gently over medium heat on the stovetop, taking care to not allow the soup to boil. Boiling or reheating too quickly can cause the soup's cream to separate.

  • Can you freeze Turkey Potato Soup? - Because Turkey Potato Soup includes heavy cream, it is not recommended that the soup be frozen. Soups that contain cream or milk typically do not hold up well in the freezer, separating or taking on a grainy texture when they're defrosted. 

Check out these other super tasty soup recipes:

Spoonful of Creamy Turkey Potato Soup Image
Thank you for stopping by The Kitchen is My Playground. We'd love to have you back soon!

turkey potato soup, leftover turkey potato soup, recipes with leftover mashed potatoes, recipes with leftover turkey, soup with leftover mashed potatoes and turkey, potato soup with turkey
Soups
American
Yield: 4-6 servings
Creamy Turkey Potato Soup

Creamy Turkey Potato Soup

Made with both leftover turkey and leftover mashed potatoes, Creamy Turkey Potato Soup is a total win win for repurposing and enjoying those holiday dinner leftovers! With its fabulous flavor delivered up in a wonderfully rich and creamy potato base, this tasty soup is pure creamy comfort in a bowl.
Prep time: 25 MinCook time: 25 MinTotal time: 50 Min

Ingredients

  • 6 slices bacon
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 c. chicken broth
  • 2 c. leftover mashed potatoes
  • 2 c. shredded or chopped leftover turkey
  • 1/2 tsp. ground sage
  • 1/4 tsp. pepper
  • 1 c. whipping or heavy cream
  • salt, to taste

Instructions

  1. In a Dutch oven or large saucepan, fry bacon until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Crumble and set aside.
  2. Drain all but 3 tablespoons bacon drippings from pan.
  3. Over medium to medium-low heat, saute onion and garlic in bacon drippings until tender, about 5-6 minutes.
  4. Add chicken broth and mashed potatoes to the pan, stirring until potatoes are fully incorporated and no chunks remain. Stir in turkey, sage, and pepper.
  5. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
  6. Add whipping cream. Cook about 3 minutes until heated through; do not allow to boil.
  7. Stir in crumbled bacon. Taste, and add up to 1/2 teaspoon salt to taste.
  8. Top individual servings with additional crumbled bacon, chopped fresh parsley, and/or chopped green onions, as desired.
TRACEY'S NOTES:
  1. If you don't have leftover mashed potatoes, cook 3 medium-sized potatoes (about 1 pound in total) to use as the base of the soup. OPTION 1: BAKE - Wash potatoes and pierce several times with a fork. Bake at 400℉ for about 1 hour, or until fork-tender. OPTION 2: MICROWAVE - Place potatoes on a microwave-safe plate and cook for 7 minutes, turning over halfway through cooking. If they're not fork-tender after 7 minutes, microwave in 1 minute increments until done. Let baked or microwaved potatoes stand until cool enough to handle. Then cut in half lengthwise, scoop out the pulp, and use a fork to mash the pulp together with a tablespoon of butter, a pinch of salt and pepper, and a splash of milk. OPTION 3: BOIL - Peel and dice potatoes. Place in a saucepan and add water (or chicken broth) to just cover; add a couple pinches of salt to the water. Cook until fork-tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and mash together with a tablespoon of butter, a pinch of salt and pepper, and a splash of milk.
  2. The onions will turn brownish from the bacon drippings when sauteeing, which is fine. Just take care to not burn the onion in the hot drippings.
  3. The amount of salt needed will depend a lot on the saltiness of the bacon. There are times I've made this and not added any salt at all, and other times salting at the end of cooking is needed to brighten the flavors.
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @kitchenplaygrnd on instagram and hashtag it #thekitchenismyplaygroundblog

Creamy Turkey Potato Soup ~ Made with both leftover turkey and leftover mashed potatoes, Creamy Turkey Potato Soup is a total win win for repurposing and enjoying those holiday dinner leftovers! With its fabulous flavor delivered up in a wonderfully rich and creamy potato base, this tasty soup is pure creamy comfort in a bowl.  www.thekitchenismyplayground.com

This post is linked with Weekend Potluck.

1 comment

I love your comments ~ I read and appreciate each and every one. When you choose to leave a comment, we collect and display your name, as provided by you. Clicking "publish" to submit your comment indicates your explicit consent for name collection. If you click the "notify me" checkbox {which is optional}, your e-mail is also collected. Clicking the "notify me" checkbox indicates your explicit consent for e-mail collection. Thank you so much for visiting The Kitchen is My Playground!

Blog Design: Tracimichele.com. Powered by Blogger.