Italian Turkey Orzo Soup

This Italian turkey orzo soup is easy, hearty, and so delicious. It’s loaded with tender vegetables, chicken broth, leftover turkey, and orzo noodles, and its packed full of flavor. It’s a perfect way to use up leftover turkey or chicken meat.

This Italian turkey orzo soup is bursting with flavor. It’s packed full of lots of vegetables, leftover (or fresh) turkey meat (or chicken) and orzo noodles. It’s a perfect way to use up leftovers from your fridge, and still have a delicious, hearty, and flavorful meal!

I got this recipe originally from a cookbook that was all about second meals that you can make with the leftovers from a rotisserie chicken you get from the store. The cookbook originally was for chicken, but I had turkey leftovers in the freezer from Christmas, so we used turkey in this soup and it was so delicious. Either option would work great!

How to make Turkey Orzo Soup?

This turkey orzo soup is super easy to make, and comes together in only about 30 minutes. 

1. Start by heating up some butter in a large pot. Add in all your chopped veggies and cook them for a few minutes until they start to get tender. 
2. Add in the chicken stock, stewed tomatoes, Italian seasonings, and salt and pepper. Simmer for a couple minutes.
3. Then add in the shredded chicken or turkey. Simmer the soup for about 10 minutes.
4. Then add in the orzo, cook the soup until the orzo pasta is cooked through, stirring often to keep the orzo from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Tips for making Italian Turkey Orzo Soup:

• This soup is a great way to use up leftover turkey or chicken. It’s perfect for using leftover turkey from thanksgiving dinner, or leftover chicken from a rotisserie chicken.
• Don’t skip the onion because it adds so much flavor, but you can use a variety of vegetables that you have on hand, or that your family likes the best. Some alternate good options would be celery or carrots.
• You can use canned or boxed chicken stock, make your own chicken or turkey stock from your leftover chicken or turkey bones. Or use 3 cups of water mixed with 3 teaspoons of chicken bouillon.
• Instead of orzo noodles you can use other small pasta noodles you have on hand. Ditalini, anellini, small shells, elbows/macaroni or orecchiette would all be good too.

How to store Turkey Orzo Soup? 

Store any leftover soup in an airtight container. Store it in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. When you need to reheat the soup, add it into a small pot on the stove top, and heat over medium, until the soup is hot. Add more chicken stock as needed if the vegetables have soaked it all up. 

You can also freeze the soup leftovers. Make sure the soup is completely cooled, and transfer it to heavy duty freezer bags. You can freeze the soup for 3 to 4 months. Reheat the frozen soup by thawing the soup bag in the fridge overnight, then heat on the stove top till hot throughout. Add more liquid as necessary.

This Italian turkey orzo soup is so hearty, and delicious. It’s perfect served with a loaf of really yummy bread, like french bread, or rye bread, or fresh rolls. 

Looking for more Soup Recipes?

• Chicken Noodle Soup
• Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup
• Lasagna Soup
• Chicken Enchilada Soup
• Creamy Chicken Gnocchi Soup

Connect with Like Mother, Like Daughter

Be sure to follow us on social media, so you never miss a single post!

Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Email

This Italian Turkey Orzo Soup was first posted on February 5, 2012. The photos and blog post were updated for clarity on November 25, 2020.