Smoked Turkey and White Bean Soup

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This recipe for smoked turkey soup with white beans and veggies is a hearty, nutritious, and delicious way to use leftover smoked turkey.

What Makes This Recipe So Good
- It’s so easy to make! Most of the cooking time is actually just the soup simmering to really bring out the flavors.
- This is a great recipe for leftover smoked turkey from Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. It’s warm and hearty, and way better than another boring turkey sandwich.
- It’s a perfect freezer meal. Prepare the soup as instructed, and let it cool completely. Store it in an airtight container (or in a zippered freezer bag laid flat on a shelf) and freeze for up to six months.
Key Ingredients
Smoked Turkey Meat – Specifically the meat from smoked turkey legs. It’s tender, juicy, and tastes a little like ham. Smoked turkey has a deeper, richer flavor than roasted turkey thanks to the use of smoke and the long cooking time. Turkey legs are generally available at most grocery stores, or you can check with a local butcher.
Great Northern Beans – A white bean similar to cannellini, Great Northern beans are high fiber, low fat, and have no cholesterol. They taste a little nutty and they’re super versatile. If you can’t find Great Northern beans, you can use Navy beans or cannellini beans for this recipe, though the flavor will be slightly different.
Chef’s Tips
- Before cooking, separate the turkey meat from the bones and skin, and cut or shred the meat into bite sized pieces. Sometimes meat that was exposed during the smoking process will be tough and leathery – cut that away, too.
- This recipe uses canned beans to keep things easy, but you can absolutely use fresh beans instead. You’ll need to soak dry beans in water for at least 8 hours to ensure they cook properly.
- Smoked turkey meat adds a beautiful flavor to this soup, but whatever turkey meat you have on hand will work!
- For more fiber and protein, use wild rice in your smoked turkey soup. It’s also a great source of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
- 45 minutes is the minimum amount of time needed for this recipe to simmer on the stove. The longer it simmers, the more flavorful it will be!

More Amazing Soup Recipes
- Keto Egg Drop Soup
- Instant Pot Potato Leek Soup
- Kale and White Bean Soup
- Cheeseburger Soup (Whole30, Paleo, Dairy-Free)
- Gluten-Free Cream of Chicken Soup
- Bison Chili
- Creamy Everything Bagel Chicken Soup
- Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup
If you loved this recipe as much as we did, don’t forget to leave us a review below. ★ Follow Easy Healthy Recipes on Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram, too!
For more delicious recipes, visit our sister sites, 40 Aprons and Easy Cheap Recipes.

Smoked Turkey Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 onion roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- salt to taste
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 2 celery stalks
- 1 cup carrots thinly sliced
- 2 smoked turkey legs
- 1 can Great Northern beans drained
- 4 ½ cups chicken broth
- 1 cup cooked rice see Note
Instructions
- Sauté garlic and onion in oil over medium heat until translucent.
- Add thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, carrots, and celery. Cook 2 minutes or until fragrant.
- Add meat from smoked turkey legs and cook 3-5 minutes.
- Mix in beans. Add chicken broth and bring to boil.
- Boil 10 minutes. Cover with lid and simmer 45 minutes or longer. Serve with one cup of cooked rice.
Notes
- If you don’t eat rice, you can use sweet potato rice or cauliflower rice, or just omit this entirely. Skipping the rice makes this recipe very low carb!
- Nutritional information shown below does not include rice.
Nutrition Information
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
I made broth from the smoked turkey carcass then I cooked the rice in the broth with the veg’s. It was delicious!
Perfect! We’re so glad you loved it, Sally!
Very easy and delicious
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Jeanna!
Very good! Used our Greenberg smoked turkey legs in it. Added some kale to it also. Delish!
Ooh, yum! That sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing, Elaine.
We’ve been smoking turkeys for many years and often times the dark meat especially the legs go bad before we can eat them. I made this today because I wanted to use the meat, and it’s been very chilly here so I thought this would be perfect!! It indeed was perfect! I’m making it a tradition from here on out at my home!! Thanks!
We’re so glad you found the recipe and loved it! Thanks for sharing, Anne!
Wow! I will be making this every year after turkey day! I used my Greenberg smoked turkey legs and it was quick, simple and DELICIOUS!!
It’s perfect for leftover turkey! We’re so glad you loved it, Melissa!
I was thinking about doing this in the slow cooker? Will that dry out the turkey?
We didn’t test it that way so I can’t say for sure. If you tried it, let us know how it turned out!
Perfect use of smoked turkey leftovers from Thanksgiving. The house still smells heavenly. Excellent taste, easy prep. Served with crusty French bread and a side salad. Froze the extra soup to have on a snowy and cold January evening.
So glad you loved it, Elizabeth! Thanks for sharing!
Delicious! I like more veggies so upped the amounts of those , added a second can of beans and skipped the rice. Pinned it to make again!
Yum- extra veggies and beans sound delish! So glad you enjoyed it- definitely a great one to keep in rotation!
Followed the recipe and smoked turkey soup was excellent. Will do again
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing!
I kept it keto. I used riced cauliflower instead of rice. It turned out really good.
That’s great! So glad you enjoyed! Thanks for your review!