Turkey Soup with Split Peas and Smoked Paprika

A healthy and hearty turkey soup made with split peas, vegetables and seasoned with smoked paprika. A lovely soup for when the temperatures dip. This is a perfect recipe for using leftover turkey.

I love soup

If you have been reading this blog for a while, you already know this.  It’s soup season now but I actually eat soup year round.  Of course, homemade is best but I also eat canned soup for convenience.  I keep some in my locker at work, just in case.

I believe there is a soup for everybody, every time and every occasion.

There are Spring, Summer, Autumn & Winter soups.  The differences lie in both what is in season and what the temperature is. For Spring, I like to make vegetable soups that are broth-y and light.  For Summer, noodle soups or soups made in a crockpot so as not to heat up my kitchen.  For Autumn I like to make potato and pumpkin soups.  In the Winter I like to make the Autumn soups plus bean and lentil soups or any hearty stew.

Recipes By Season

• SPRING
• Roasted Cauliflower Soup with Thai Green Curry Paste
• Tomato Bisque
• Roasted Vegetable Soup with Tahini & Za’atar
• Polish Beet Soup
•  
• SUMMER
• Crockpot Curry Chicken & Dumpling Soup
• Kimchi Udon Noodle Soup
• French Mushroom Soup
• French Boeuf Bourguignon
•  
• AUTUMN
• Orange Ginger Pumpkin Soup with Miso
• Potato Soup
• Thai Pumpkin Soup
•  
• WINTER
• Red Beans & Rice
• Smoked Peruvian Bean Soup
• Mayocoba Bean Soup
• Danish Stew

How do I save leftover soup?

Saving soup is super easy.  I like to save half of my soup in single serving freezer bags with the air removed from the bag.  This way I can grab single serving soups to take to work which really saves me time in the morning as well as much healthier than eating in the cafe.

Because I eat so much soup, my freezer has a nice variety of single serving soup packets ready to go.  This works so that I don’t get tired of eating the same thing everyday.

For the rest of the soup, I eat it as leftovers for the week.

Soup Recipe For Leftover Turkey

I made this soup to actually clean out my fridge, do you do this?

We have been learning to smoke food in our new Texas-style, off-set side smoker.  We want to bring a smoked turkey to the family dinner but we wanted to practice first.  As a result, two turkeys later, we have a lot of leftover turkey.  Challenge accepted!

Today I share my solution for left over turkey by making a hearty soup with turkey and split peas.  This soup is perfectly seasoned with fresh herbs and spices; and has plenty of umami with mushrooms and soy sauce.  Vermouth is added for additional depth, just in case.  If you don’t have vermouth, sherry or wine would be just fine.  This soup is started with frying a mirepoix then adding the spices, broth and remaining ingredients.  A lot of simmering and then you are done.  It’s not a quick soup but it is definitely easy.

A great Winter soup with the addition of smoked paprika for heat and dried split peas for heartiness.  A soup that will keep you warm and stick to your ribs.

Bon appetit!

Turkey Soup with Split Peas and Smoked Paprika

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★★★★★ 5 from 11 reviews

• Author: Tina
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
• Yield: 12 1x
• Category: Soup
• Method: Simmer
• Cuisine: New England

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Description

A hearty turkey soup made with split peas, vegetables and seasoned with smoked paprika. A lovely soup for when the temperatures dip.

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Ingredients

SOUP

• 3 Tbs cooking oil such as canola, corn, sunflower, vegetable
• 1 large onion diced, your choice (I used a mix of small onions from my garden)
• 1 1/2 cups celery, diced
• 8 oz mushrooms, diced, I used cremini
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 Tbs smoked paprika
• 1 tsp fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp dried
• 6 cups vegetable stock
• 3 bay leaves
• 1/2 cup vermouth
• 1 Tbs soy sauce
• 1 lb dried split peas
• 1 lb of turkey, shredded or chopped

GARNISH

• sour cream, Mexican crema or creme fraische
• scallions, herbs or crispy jalapeños

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Instructions

1. Heat oil in large soup pot over medium heat until glistening.
2. Add next 3 ingredients, stir occasionally, cook until vegetables are soft.
3. Add garlic and cook 3 more minutes, stirring well.
4. Add the next 4 spices and stir, cooking for 30 seconds to ‘bloom’ the spices.
5. Add stock, bay leaves, vermouth, soy sauce & half of the split peas.  Simmer for 40 minutes on low.
6. Add the remaining split peas, cook for 40 more minutes.
7. Add the turkey, simmer for 5 more minutes and serve with optional garnishes and a chunk of crusty bread.

Notes

• This recipe can be halved if you don’t want to make a large pot of soup.
• You can parcel out the soup into freezer bags and take with you to work for a healthy alternative to cafeteria food.
• You can add more heat simply by adding more smoked paprika or a pinch of cayenne.
• This recipe can easily be vegetarian by omitting the turkey, it will still be a lovely hearty soup.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1.5 cups
• Calories: 268
• Sugar: 3 grams
• Sodium: 803 mg
• Fat: 9 grams
• Saturated Fat: 3 grams
• Unsaturated Fat: 0 g
• Trans Fat: 0 grams
• Carbohydrates: 30 grams
• Fiber: 10 grams
• Protein: 23 grams
• Cholesterol: 35 mg