Slow Cooker Turkey Soup (with Spinach and Lemon)

Slow Cooker Turkey Soup uses leftover turkey for and this is a fun variation on turkey soup flavored with Spinach and Lemon. This recipe uses a small amount of the rice-shaped pasta called orzo. See tips to replace that with frozen cauliflower rice if you want a lower-carb soup!

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This Slow Cooker Turkey Soup (with Spinach and Lemon) is so delicious, and it’s perfect to make with leftover turkey! And if you don’t have leftover turkey, you can certainly make this soup with chicken instead.

This is an ultra-flavorful soup where you simmer the stock, vegetables, and dried herbs in the slow cooker for a while to create flavor. Then add orzo (or cauliflower rice) and diced cooked turkey (or chicken) and cook a bit longer. Then add spinach, cook a few minutes more, and stir in fresh-squeezed lemon juice at the end. 

The long simmering builds flavor, and you can simmer the soup for several hours on low, or do it for a shorter time on high. Adding the cooked turkey towards the end eliminates having the turkey meat shred apart. I thought this was a fresher take on the traditional slow cooker turkey soups you might see this time of year; hope you try it if you have leftover turkey!

What ingredients do you need for this recipe?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe with ingredient amounts.)

• homemade Turkey Stock, homemade chicken stock, or canned chicken broth (affiliate link)
• Poultry Seasoning (affiliate link)
• Dried Thyme (affiliate link)
• fresh-ground black pepper to taste
• Turkey Soup Base (affiliate link), optional but recommended
• onion
• celery
• carrots, preferably organic carrots that don’t need to be peeled
• whole wheat orzo (or frozen cauliflower rice)
• diced cooked turkey or chicken
• spinach leaves
• fresh-squeezed lemon juice, I used my fresh-frozen lemon juice

Is the slow cooker turkey soup gluten-free?

The version of soup with whole wheat orzo will not be gluten-free. If you make the lower-carb option with cauliflower rice, that soup is gluten-free.

How low in carbs is the slow cooker turkey soup with orzo?

This soup doesn’t use a lot of orzo, so that version has 11.7 net carbs and 24 grams of protein.

Want slow cooker turkey soup with lower carbs?

If you’d like to make a low-carb version of this tasty soup, use just one cup of carrots and replace the orzo with 2 cups of frozen cauliflower rice. That version will make a soup with only 8.7 net carbs per serving and 24 grams of protein! You can also use a bit less of both carrots and cauliflower rice if you want the soup to be Keto.

What other greens can you use in this turkey soup?

I thought the spinach worked perfectly with the lemony flavors in this soup made in the slow cooker, but if you have other greens on hand like kale, Swiss chard, or collard greens, I would give them a try. Some of the sturdier greens will need a bit longer cooking time.

How to make Slow Cooker Turkey Soup (with Spinach and Lemon):

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

1. Cut up about 1 1/2 cups each of diced celery and onion. I kept the pieces fairly small.
2. Cut up 1 1/2 cups carrots, or use fewer carrots for low-carb version.
3. Put the diced onion, diced celery, diced carrots, homemade turkey stock, homemade chicken stock, or low sodium chicken broth in a can, poultry seasoning, dried thyme, and a little black pepper into the slow cooker and cook on high for 2-3 hours (or you can cook 3-4 hours on low, or longer if you’re not going to be home.)
4. It’s optional, but I use about one tablespoon of Penzeys Turkey Soup Base for extra flavor. (The soup base is on the salty side, so use homemade stock without lots of salt or low sodium canned chicken broth if you use this.)
5. After the soup has simmered, it’s time to add the orzo; I use whole wheat orzo, which is great for soup. If you want a low-carb soup, use about 2 cups of frozen cauliflower rice instead of orzo.
6. Add the orzo or cauliflower rice to the slow cooker; then chop about 4 cups of diced cooked turkey and add that.
7. If you’ve been cooking on low turn the slow cooker to high and cook about 30 minutes more, or until the orzo or fresh riced cauliflower is soft with still a tiny bit of bite. (For frozen cauliflower rice I would check after 20 minutes.)
8. Then chop up a couple of handfuls of spinach leaves.
9. Add the spinach to the slow cooker and cook until it’s no longer all floating on top (about 15-20 minutes.)
10. Stir in the lemon juice and cook 5 minutes more. 
11. Serve the slow cooker turkey soup hot, and enjoy!

Make it a Meal:

If you want to make this Slow Cooker Turkey Soup a complete meal, serve with one of these tasty low-carb breads or muffins:

• Low-Carb Olive Bread
• Low-Carb High Fiber Savory Muffins
• Savory Almond Flour Bread

Weekend Food Prep:

This recipe for lemony turkey soup made in the crockpot has been added to a category called Weekend Food Prep to help you find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!

Want More low-carb Turkey Soup Ideas?

Check out Low-Carb and Keto Turkey Soup Recipes for lots more ideas for tasty soups with turkey, chicken, or ground turkey!

Continue to Content

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Yield: 8 servings

Slow Cooker Turkey Soup (with Spinach and Lemon)

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 4 hours 30 minutes

Total Time 5 hours

Make Slow Cooker Turkey Soup with Spinach and Lemon with leftover turkey or chicken; it will be delicious either way. See notes to replace the orzo with frozen cauliflower rice if you want to make this a low-carb soup.

Ingredients

• 8 cups turkey or chicken broth (see notes)
• 1 tsp. poultry seasoning
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• fresh-ground black pepper to taste
• 1 T Turkey Soup Base, optional (see notes)
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onion (chopped small)
• 1 1/2 cups chopped celery (chopped small)
• 1 1/2 cups chopped carrots, preferably organic carrots that don’t need to be peeled (see notes)
• 1/2 cup whole wheat orzo (see notes)
• 4 cups diced cooked turkey or chicken (cut a little larger than the vegetables)
• 3 large handfuls spinach leaves
• 2 T fresh-squeezed lemon juice (see notes)

Instructions

1. Put the homemade turkey stock (or homemade chicken stock or canned chicken broth) in the slow cooker and turn it on to high while you chop the onion, celery, and carrots. (Use only one cup carrots for low-carb option.)
2. Add the chopped veggies to the slow cooker, as well as the Poultry Seasoning (affiliate link), Dried Thyme (affiliate link), fresh-ground black pepper, and Turkey Soup Base (affiliate link), if using.
3. Cook on HIGH for 2-3 hours or on LOW for 3-4 hours (or longer if you're not going to be home).
4. After the stock and veggies has simmered, add the 1/2 cup whole wheat orzo or 2 cups thawed cauliflower rice (and turn the slow cooker to HIGH if you have been cooking on low.)
5. Chop the leftover turkey into pieces slightly larger than the vegetables, and add to the soup.
6. Cook soup about 30 minutes more, or until the orzo or cauliflower rice is soft with still a slight bite to it. (If you use frozen cauliflower rice or pre-cooked cauliflower rice I'd check it after 20 minutes.)
7. While the orzo (or cauliflower rice) and turkey simmers in the soup, pull stems off the spinach leaves (optional, but I don’t like having a bite of stem in my soup), wash spinach in salad spinner, and coarsely chop the spinach.
8. When the orzo or cauliflower rice is nearly done, add the spinach and cook until it’s done, about 15-20 minutes. (At first all the spinach floats on top of the soup, but it’s done when it starts to sink down in.)
9. Stir in the lemon juice and cook 5 minutes more.
10. Serve the Slow Cooker Turkey Soup hot.
11. I’m guessing this will freeze just fine, but we didn’t have any leftovers to try freezing it!

Notes

You can use homemade turkey stock or homemade chicken stock or low sodium chicken broth in a can for this recipe.

I love Penzey's Turkey Soup Base, but the soup base is fairly salty so it’s important to use low-sodium stock if you’re using it.

Use two cups cup cauliflower rice for low-carb version of this recipe; let it thaw on the counter for frozen cauliflower rice. Use only one cup carrots for low-carb version.

I used a Crock-Pot 5-Quart Smart-Pot Slow Cooker (affiliate link).

Recipe created by Kalyn.

Nutrition Information

Yield

8

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 201Total Fat 6gSaturated Fat 1.6gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 3.5gCholesterol 79mgSodium 1076mgCarbohydrates 14gFiber 3.4gSugar 5.1gProtein 24g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

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Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Slow Cooker Turkey Soup (with Spinach and Lemon) is loaded with healthful ingredients, and would be suitable for Phase 2 or 3 of the original South Beach Diet. If you want a lower-carb soup, see tips in the recipe to reduce the amount of carrots and replace the orzo with frozen cauliflower rice.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Soup Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This slow cooker soup with turkey, onion, celery, carrots, spinach, and lemon was posted in 2013. It was last updated with more information about how to make a lower-carb version in 2025.

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