Keto Turkey Soup: A Delicious and Nutritious Way to Use Leftover Turkey

This keto turkey soup recipe is a fantastic way to repurpose leftover Thanksgiving or Christmas turkey. It's a hearty, flavorful, and comforting dish that's easy to make and packed with nutrients. Whether you're following a keto diet or simply looking for a healthy and delicious soup, this recipe is sure to please.

Why This Recipe Works

This soup is a great way to use up leftover turkey while staying within your ketogenic macros. The base of the soup is creamy and satisfying, thanks to the addition of pureed cauliflower and cream. The vegetables add flavor and essential nutrients, while the turkey provides protein and a hearty texture.

Ingredients You'll Need

• Cooked, chopped turkey: This is the star of the soup! Leftover roasted turkey breast or dark meat both work well.
• Onion, celery, and garlic: These aromatic vegetables form the base of the soup's flavor.
• Cauliflower florets or cauliflower rice: Cauliflower is used to thicken the soup and add creaminess without adding a lot of dairy.
• Green beans and carrots: These vegetables add color, texture, and nutrients to the soup. Carrots can be omitted for a stricter keto diet.
• Chicken broth or turkey stock: This provides the liquid base for the soup.
• Poultry seasoning, salt, and red pepper flakes: These seasonings enhance the flavor of the soup.
• Heavy cream: This adds richness and creaminess to the soup.
• Butter or olive oil: Used for sautéing the vegetables.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Here's how to make this delicious keto turkey soup:

1. Sauté the vegetables: Heat butter or olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add diced onion, celery, and minced garlic and cook, stirring often, for about 5 minutes, or until the vegetables have softened.
2. Add broth and seasonings: Season with poultry seasoning, salt, and red pepper flakes. Pour in the chicken broth or turkey stock. Add cauliflower florets.
3. Simmer: Let the soup come to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the cauliflower is tender.
4. Blend: Use an immersion blender to blend the soup until smooth and creamy. Alternatively, carefully transfer the hot soup to a regular blender and blend.
5. Add remaining ingredients: Stir in the cooked turkey, heavy cream, frozen green beans, and sliced carrots. Simmer until heated through.
6. Serve: Serve hot and enjoy!

Tips and Variations

• Carrots: If you're strictly following a keto diet, you can omit the carrots. However, one carrot adds only a small amount of carbs to the entire pot of soup and provides a touch of sweetness and color.
• Cauliflower: If you don't have a blender, you can use a potato masher to mash the cauliflower or start with cauliflower rice instead of florets. Frozen cauliflower can be used if fresh is not available.
• Spice: For a little extra kick, add a dash of Tabasco sauce or a pinch of cayenne pepper.
• Dairy-free: To make this soup dairy-free, use coconut cream instead of heavy cream.
• Flavor: Add herbs like rosemary, sage, oregano, marjoram, or tarragon for a different flavor profile. You can also add leftover keto turkey gravy for extra richness.
• Vegetables: Feel free to add other low-carb vegetables like spinach, turnips, kale, zucchini, radish, celery, or Swiss chard.

Serving Suggestions

This keto turkey soup is delicious on its own, but it's also great served with:

• Keto cheddar bay biscuits
• A simple side salad
• Toasted low-carb bread or crackers

Storage and Freezing Instructions

• Storage: Turkey soup can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
• Freezing: This soup freezes well for up to 2-3 months. Pour it into a freezer bag, fill it 2/3 full, and lay it flat in the freezer. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.

Creative Ways to Repurpose Leftover Turkey Soup

This low-carb turkey soup can be repurposed into other keto recipes. You can use it as a base for a creamy turkey and vegetable casserole or as a filling for a keto-friendly pot pie.

Read also: Delicious Keto Soup

Nutritional Information

A serving of this soup (about 1 1/2 cups) contains approximately 4 grams of total carbs and 3 net carbs.

Variations on a Theme: Other Turkey Soup Ideas

Creamy Turkey Taco Soup

This soup combines the flavors of turkey with a Southwestern twist. It includes chicken and beef broth for a deeper flavor, along with cumin, chili powder, and Rotel tomatoes for a taco-like taste.

Ingredients:

• Butter
• Onion, celery, and carrots
• Chicken and beef broth
• Spices: cumin, chili powder
• Cooked turkey
• Rotel tomatoes
• Cream cheese
• Heavy cream

Instructions:

1. Sauté the onion, celery, and carrots in butter.
2. Add the broth, spices, turkey, and Rotel tomatoes. Simmer until the vegetables are tender.
3. Stir in softened cream cheese and heavy cream. Adjust seasonings to taste.

Mexican Turkey Soup

This soup features bold and bright flavors with a Mexican-inspired twist. The secret ingredients are lime and lemon juice, which add a refreshing tang.

Ingredients:

• No-salt-added chicken stock
• Rotel tomatoes
• Cooked turkey
• Onion, bell pepper, garlic, zucchini
• Mexican oregano
• Chipotle powder
• Lime and lemon juice and zest

Instructions:

1. Dry roast the pepper, onion, and garlic until softened and browned.
2. Dice the roasted vegetables and add them to a pot with chicken stock, Rotel tomatoes, turkey, and spices.
3. Simmer for 15 minutes, then add the zucchini and cook until tender-crisp.
4. Remove from heat and add lime and lemon juice and zest. Season with salt and pepper.

Turkey Vegetable Soup

This soup is loaded with vegetables and fiber, making it a nutritious and filling meal.

Ingredients:

• Turkey bones
• Onion, celery, carrots, garlic, kale, zucchini
• Turkey stock
• Thyme
• Cooking oil or butter

Instructions:

1. Make turkey stock by simmering turkey bones with onion, garlic, carrot, celery, and a bay leaf.
2. Sauté onion and celery in cooking oil or butter.
3. Add the diced carrot, chopped kale, and turkey broth. Simmer for 30 minutes.
4. Add the diced turkey and zucchini. Season with thyme, salt, and pepper.

Read also: Easy Low-Carb Cheese Crackers

Read also: Keto Calorie Counting: A Detailed Guide

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