Creamy Sausage Gnocchi Soup with Leftover Turkey
, Published Oct 22, 2025
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This Creamy Sausage Gnocchi Soup with Leftover Turkey is hearty and packed with flavor. Quick to make, family-friendly, and a delicious way to turn holiday leftovers into something everyone will love.
If you’ve got leftover turkey from Sunday roast or the holidays, this Creamy Sausage Gnocchi Soup is the ultimate way to give it new life. It’s rich, full of flavor from browned sausage, sofrito and Italian herbs — and the plump potato gnocchi make every spoonful taste like pure comfort. Ready in just 30 minutes, it’s a one-pot wonder that’s crowd pleasing and indulgent.
Think of it as Zuppa Toscana meets creamy chicken gnocchi soup – serve it with a hunk of crusty bread and relish the cozy deliciousness! This soup works with roast chicken leftovers or shredded rotisserie chicken as well – and you can add your own twist by using your favorite veggies.
Here’s What You’ll Need
- Sausages: You can use leftover sausage meat from making stuffing or fresh sausages. Italian sausages work best – brown them first for maximum flavor.
- Leftover cooked turkey (or chicken): Soup is always a clever way to stretch leftovers and this creamy broth revitalizes turkey meat that can become dry when stored.
- Gnocchi: Fresh potato dumplings cook quickly. in the soup, thickening it naturally for that ultra-creamy, comforting texture. You will find them in the fridge aisle of your grocery shop.
- Onion, celery, carrots: Aromatics that build the foundation of the soup.
- Flavor boosters: minced garlic (always!), sun-dried tomatoes, tomato paste, a little mustard, Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes.
- Chicken broth or stock, or better yet, Turkey stock if you made some!
- Cream: Heavy cream or half and half ties everything together.
- Fresh spinach: Plant-based boost for color and nutrition!
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese: ups the umami and marries well with the Italian flavors.
How to Make Creamy Sausage, Turkey and Gnocchi Soup
- Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven and sauté the onion, celery and carrots over low heat for 5 minutes.
- Stir in the sausages and brown well then add the salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and minced garlic.
- Stir in the chopped sun-dried tomatoes, mustard and tomato paste. Pour the chicken stock in and bring to a simmer then stir in the cooked turkey.
- Simmer over low heat for 20 minutes. Add the gnocchi and cook for a minute or two (fresh gnocchi cook very quickly) then stir in the spinach, grated Parmesan and cream.
- Garnish chopped parsley (and extra cheese!) and ladle into warm bowls with some crusty bread or garlic dough balls on the side to mop up every delicious morsel.
Can You Freeze Gnocchi Soup?
You can — with a little care! Cream-based soups can separate when frozen, creating an unpleasant grainy texture, so take these steps if you want to freeze it.
- Cook the soup without the cream or gnocchi, cool completely and freeze the base for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, reheat gently until simmering, then add fresh gnocchi and cook til al dente, 2-3 minutes. Stir in the cream and heat through before serving.
💛 Pro tip: Portion the soup into single servings before freezing — perfect for cozy solo lunches or quick weeknight dinners!
Recipe Notes and Tips
- Storing: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2-3 days. Warm on the stove over low heat to reheat. The gnocchi will soften during storage but not in an unpleasant way. If you want them to stay al dente, leave them out of the soup and add them fresh when or reheating
- Variations: Feel free to add more vegetables such as mushrooms, zucchini, leeks or peas. It’s a really easygoing recipe that’s really a cross between a soup and a stew!
👉 You can never have too many leftover turkey recipes! Check out these popular recipes that will make the best out of your post-holiday leftovers: Leftover Turkey Casserole, Easy Leftover Turkey Curry, One-Pot Marsala Orzo, Leftover Turkey Soup, Easy Leftover Turkey Pie.
This Creamy Sausage Gnocchi Soup with Leftover Turkey recipe will turn a fridge full of leftovers into something you’ll want to make again (and again). Please leave a comment and rating if you try this recipe, follow me on Pinterest for more easy recipes and don’t forget to tag me on @Instagram or TikTok so I can see your creations.
Creamy Sausage Gnocchi Soup with Leftover Turkey
Video
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion , finely diced
- 2 celery stalks , finely diced
- 2 carrots , diced
- 2 pork sausages , casings removed
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp tomato paste
- 3 tbsp sundried tomatoes , chopped
- 6 cups (1 ½ liters) chicken broth or stock
- 2 ½ cups (375g) cooked turkey or chicken, chopped
- ⅓ cup (80 ml) cream , heavy / double or half-and-half
- 16 oz (500g) fresh gnocchi
- 2 cups (60g) fresh spinach , roughly chopped
- 4 tbsp Parmesan cheese , grated plus more to serve
- 2 tbsp parsley , chopped
- Salt and pepper , to taste
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven and sauté the onion, celery and carrots over low heat for 5 minutes.1 tbsp olive oil, 1 large onion, 2 celery stalks, 2 carrots
- Stir in the sausages, breaking them up with your spoon and brown for a few minutes.2 pork sausages
- Add the garlic, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes. Stir in the chopped sun-dried tomatoes, mustard and tomato paste.2 cloves garlic, ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper, 1 tsp Italian seasoning, ¼ tsp red pepper flakes, 1 tsp Dijon mustard, 1 tsp tomato paste, 3 tbsp sundried tomatoes
- Pour the chicken stock in and bring to a simmer then stir in the cooked turkey.2 ½ cups (375g) cooked turkey or chicken, chopped, 6 cups (1 ½ liters) chicken broth
- Simmer over low heat for 20 minutes. Add the gnocchi and cook for a minute or two (fresh gnocchi cook very quickly) then stir in the spinach cream and grated Parmesan.⅓ cup (80 ml) cream, 16 oz (500g) fresh gnocchi, 2 cups (60g) fresh spinach, 4 tbsp Parmesan cheese
- Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed. Garnish with chopped parsley, ladle into bowls with some crusty bread on the side to mop up every delicious morsel.2 tbsp parsley, Salt and pepper
Notes
- Storing: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2-3 days. Warm on the stove over low heat to reheat. The gnocchi will soften during storage but not in an unpleasant way!
- Freezing: Cook the soup without the cream or gnocchi, cool completely and freeze the base for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, reheat gently until simmering, then add fresh gnocchi and cook til al dente, 2-3 minutes. Stir in the cream and heat through before serving.
- Variations: Feel free to add more vegetables such as mushrooms, zucchini, leeks or peas. It’s a really easygoing recipe that’s really a cross between a soup and a stew!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is always approximate, and will depend on quality of ingredients and serving sizes.
