This turkey tortilla soup is made with ground turkey, vegetables, spices, and crunchy corn tortilla chips. It is an easy, flavorful dinner that comes together in about an hour.
Ingredients
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Oil - We use olive oil to sauté the onions and garlic and brown the turkey. Use your favorite cooking oil with a moderate to high smoke point.
Produce - Onion and garlic add plenty of flavor, while corn adds color and a little texture.
Meat - Use lean ground turkey, but not turkey breast. We used 85/15, but 93/7 will also work well.
Spices - Chili powder, salt, cumin, black pepper, and a little crushed red pepper add plenty of flavor.
Pantry - Chicken broth makes the base of the soup. We use fire-roasted diced tomatoes for extra flavor and color, but regular canned diced tomatoes work just as well.
Garnish - Corn tortilla chips are a must for serving. Everything else is optional. Good topping choices include chopped cilantro, lime wedges, sour cream, hot sauce, sliced avocado, jalapeños, or other sliced peppers.
📖 See the recipe card for quantities and preparation.
How to make turkey tortilla soup
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently, until they become translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently.
- Raise the heat to medium-high and add the ground turkey.
- Sprinkle with the chili powder, salt, cumin, black pepper and crushed red pepper (if using).
- Cook the turkey for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally and breaking up any large pieces with a wooden spoon or spatula, until browned.
- Add the tomatoes and chicken broth and stir well.
- Raise the heat and bring to a boil, then lower the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. While the soup simmers, cook the corn just enough to defrost.
- Add the corn to the pot, raise the heat to medium, and stir.
- Cook uncovered for another 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, to let the soup thicken a bit and the flavors come together.
Taste and add salt if needed. As a reference, we did not add extra salt to ours. Before adding more, taste it with a tortilla chip since they're usually salty.
Serve in individual bowls and garnish with chopped cilantro. Add the tortilla chips right before serving, and lime wedges on the side if desired.
Storing and reheating instructions
Let the soup cool, then store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
To freeze, place cooled leftovers in freezer-safe containers and freeze for up to 3 months for the best quality. Do not add the tortilla chips before storing. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Reheat leftovers in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until hot. You can also reheat them in the microwave until hot all the way through.
According to USDA recommendations, do not leave cooked food out for longer than 2 hours, or for more than 1 hour if the temperature is above 90°F. Reheat leftovers to an internal temperature of at least 165°F. For more information on food storage and safety guidelines, visit the U.S. Department of Agriculture and FoodSafety.gov.
If you liked this recipe, try one of our other ground turkey dinners. Ground turkey is a great alternative to ground beef and works well in all kinds of easy, affordable meals. Ground turkey shepherd's pie and turkey taco soup are two more family-friendly favorites to add to your dinner rotation.
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📖 Recipe
Turkey Tortilla Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons Oil we used extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Medium Onion finely diced
- 2-3 Garlic Cloves minced
- 1 pound Ground Turkey use lean but not turkey breast (we used 85/15)
- ½ tablespoon Chili Powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt plus extra at the end if needed (we use kosher salt)
- ½ teaspoon Cumin
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
- Pinch of Crushed Red Pepper optional, leave it out if you don't like spicy
- 1 (14 ounce can) Diced Tomatoes (use fire roasted if available)
- 4 cups Chicken Broth
- 2 cups Frozen Corn cooked just enough to defrost, and drained
- 4 ounces Corn Tortilla Chips broken into bit sized pieces
- 2-3 teaspoons Chopped Cilantro for garnish
- Lime Wedges for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Add the chili powder, salt, cumin black pepper and crushed red pepper (if using) to a small bowl. Stir to combine and set aside.
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat, add the onions and cook for 3-4 minutes or until they become translucent. Stir frequently.
- Add the garlic to the pot and cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently.
- Next, raise the heat to medium-high and immediately add the ground turkey.
- Sprinkle the turkey with the prepared seasoning mix (the chili powder, salt, cumin, black pepper and crushed red pepper (if using). Stir well to combine.
- Cook the turkey for approximately 5-7 minutes until browned, stir occasionally and break up any large pieces with a wooden spoon or spatula.
- Add the chopped tomatoes and chicken broth to the pot, stir. Raise the heat to high, bring to a boil, lower heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- While the soup simmers, cook the corn just enough to defrost. Follow the instructions on the package but cook it only for half of the recommended time.
- Add the corn to the pot, raise the heat to medium and stir. Cook the soup uncovered for another 10-15 minutes to let it thicken a bit and allow the flavors to come together. Stir occasionally.
- Taste the tortilla soup and add salt if needed. As a reference we did not add extra salt to ours. Before adding extra salt taste the soup with a tortilla chip, keep in mind that they're usually salty.
- Serve the soup into individual bowls, garnish with chopped cilantro and add the corn tortilla chips right before serving. Include a few lime wedges on the side, if desired.
Notes
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Nutrition
The nutritional information above is computer generated and is only an estimate. There is no guarantee that it is accurate. This data is provided as a courtesy for informational purposes only.
Christy
I'm a huge fan of soups during the cooler days, so I made a large stockpot of this soup. I also love adding extra veggies in where possible. I added 4 carrots with one extra large onion and then added 2 diced up peppers for color and nutrients. I cooked up 3 lbs of ground turkey to make a good hearty soup. This will keep my large family happy for at least 2 meals.