Leftover Turkey Tortilla Soup

5 from 1 vote

Leftover Turkey Tortilla Soup

With a few fresh ingredients, pantry staples, and leftover turkey, this soup is loaded with flavor and comes together super fast. Don’t miss the toasted tortilla strips which are stirred into the soup and added on top for crunch.

To adjust the servings in this recipe, click on the number next to servings.

Prep Time15

Cook Time20

Total Time35

Course: Soups/Stews

Cuisine: Tex Mex

Keyword: easy recipe, easy soup, fall recipe, soup, soup recipe, Thanksgiving leftover recipe, turkey

Servings:

Author: Jess Smith via Inquiring Chef

Cost: $6.50

Equipment

Dutch Oven or Large Saute Pan
Half Sheet Pan

Ingredients

4 Taco-Sized Flour or Corn Tortillas, sliced into thin strips
2 Tablespoons Cooking Oil, divided
1/2 cup Onion, diced
1/2 cup Carrots, diced
1/2 cup Celery, diced
2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste
2 cloves Garlic, chopped
2 teaspoons Chili Powder (not cayenne pepper)
2 teaspoons Ground Cumin
2 teaspoons Paprika
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Dried Oregano
1 14.5-ounce can Diced Tomatoes (look for fire-roasted tomatoes for the most flavor)
4 cups Low-Sodium Chicken or Turkey Stock
4 cups Leftover Roasted Turkey, finely chopped or shredded
1 14.5-ounce can Black Beans, drained and rinsed
2 Limes, sliced into wedges

Optional Toppings:

Chopped Avocados
Sour Cream
Shredded Cheddar Cheese (or Mexican blend)
Cilantro or Chopped Green Onions
Thinly Sliced Jalapeños

Instructions

Make tortilla strips: Preheat oven to 350°F / 177°C. Spread sliced tortillas out in a single layer on a sheet pan. Drizzle 1 Tablespoon cooking oil over tortillas and toss with your hands to coat. Bake until tortilla strips are deep golden brown and crisp, stirring every few minutes, 10 to 12 minutes total.
While tortillas toast, heat a Dutch oven or large sauté pan over medium heat. Add 1 Tablespoon cooking oil and then add onion, carrots, and celery. Saute until vegetables are soft, 10 to 12 minutes.
Add tomato paste, garlic, chili powder, cumin, paprika, salt, and oregano and saute until fragrant for 1 minute.
Pour in diced tomatoes (including liquid), chicken stock, leftover turkey, and beans. Bring to a simmer and simmer gently, for about 10 minutes to let the flavors come together.
Squeeze about half the lime wedges into the soup. Taste and season with some more salt and black pepper, if needed.
To serve, place a small handful of crispy tortilla strips in the bottom of soup bowls. Ladle soup over top. Finish bowls of soup with remaining tortilla strips and any optional toppings. Enjoy!

Notes

Onions, Carrots, Celery - I chose these vegetables (often called mirepoix) for the soup because they are common vegetables that you might chop up for a holiday meal. If you’re planning ahead, you can chop an extra portion while cooking for the holiday and they’ll be ready to go when you want to make the soup. If you don’t have those vegetables leftover, you just use onion or even use a combination of chopped onion and bell peppers.

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