Slow Cooker Turkey Soup with Spinach and Lemon

Slow Cooker Turkey Soup with Spinach and Lemon uses leftover turkey; replace the orzo with cauliflower rice if you want a lower-carb soup! PIN Slow C...

By Alex

• Aug 03, 2026 • 0 Comments •

4.8

Slow Cooker Turkey Soup with Spinach and Lemon

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

30 mins

Total Time

45 mins

Servings

4 People

Slow Cooker Turkey Soup with Spinach and Lemon uses leftover turkey; replace the orzo with cauliflower rice if you want a lower-carb soup!

PIN Slow Cooker Turkey Soup to try it later!

I know there are a lot of turkey soup recipes in the world, but this Slow Cooker Turkey Soup with Spinach and Lemon was so delicious I couldn’t wait to share it with you. I gave some of the soup to my sister Pam, and everyone at her house pronounced it to be a keeper; in fact Pam asked when the recipe would be on the blog. The soup uses leftover turkey, but of course, if you don’t have leftover turkey, you can certainly make this with chicken instead.

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This is a soup where you simmer the stock, vegetables, and dried herbs in the slow cooker for quite a while and then add the orzo (or cauliflower rice), diced cooked turkey (or chicken), and spinach at the end. The long simmering builds flavor, and you can simmer the soup all day, or do it for a shorter time on high, which is what I did. Adding the cooked turkey towards the end of the cooking time eliminates having the turkey meat shred apart, and I thought this was a fresher take on the traditional turkey soups you see this time of year.

What ingredients do you need for this recipe?

homemade turkey stock, 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
diced cooked turkey or chicken
spinach leaves
fresh-squeezed lemon juice, I used my fresh-frozen lemon juice

How can you make a low-carb version of this soup?

If you’d like to make a low-carb version of this tasty soup just use a few less carrots and replace the orzo with Cauliflower Rice (affiliate link).

Want More 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!

How to make this Slow Cooker Turkey Soup:

(This is just a summary; scroll down for complete printable recipe.)

Cut up about 1 1/2 cups each of diced celery and onion. I kept the pieces fairly small.
Cut up 1 1/2 cups carrots, or use less carrots and a bit more celery for low-carb version.
Put the diced onion, diced celery, diced carrots, homemade turkey stock (or 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 4 hours (or 8-9 hours on low if you’re not going to be home.)
I like to add 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 stock stock if you’re using this.) Just leave this out if you don’t want to use it.
After the soup has simmered for 4 hours on high or 8-9 hours on low, it’s time to add the orzo. I use whole wheat orzo, which is great for soup. You might be tempted to add more orzo than 1/2 cup, but it expands quite a bit.
If you want a low-carb soup, use about 1 cup of cauliflower rice instead.
Add the orzo or cauliflower rice to the slow cooker; then chop 3-4 cups of diced turkey and add that.
If you’ve been cooking on low turn the slow cooker to high and cook about 30 minutes, 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.)
Then chop up a couple of handfuls of spinach leaves (next time I might use a little more.)
Add the spinach to the slow cooker and cook until it’s no longer all floating on top (about 15-20 minutes.)
Stir in the lemon juice, cook 5 minutes more, and serve.

Even More Tasty Soups with Leftover Turkey:

Turkey and Cannellini Bean Soup with Sweet Potatoes ~ Kalyn’s Kitchen
Creamy Mexican Turkey Soup ~ Recipe Girl
Slow Cooker and Instant Pot Turkey Soups ~ Slow Cooker or Pressure Cooker

Weekend Food Prep:

This recipe 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!

Ingredients

8 cups homemade turkey stock (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

Put the homemade turkey stock or homemade chicken stock in the slow cooker and turn it on to heat while you chop the onion, celery, and carrots.
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.
Cook on HIGH for 4 hours or on LOW for 8-9 hours.
After the stock and veggies has simmered, add the 1/2 cup whole wheat orzo or 1 cup cauliflower rice (and turn the slow cooker to HIGH if you have been cooking on low.)
Chop the leftover turkey into pieces slightly larger than the vegetables, and add to the soup.
Cook soup about 30 minutes for orzo or fresh rice cauliflower, 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.)
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.
When the orzo or cauliflower rice is nearly done, add the spinach and cook until it’s done. (At first all the spinach floats on top of the soup, but it’s done when it starts to sink down in.)
Stir in the lemon juice and cook 5 minutes more.
Serve hot. I’m guessing this freezes 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 one cup cauliflower rice for low-carb version of this recipe. Use less carrots and more celery for low-carb version.

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

Recipe created by Kalyn.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 371Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 91mgSodium: 523mgCarbohydrates: 36gFiber: 6gSugar: 8gProtein: 34g

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.

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Slow Cooker Turkey Soup with Spinach and Lemon is loaded with healthful low-glycemic ingredients, and would be suitable for Phase 2 or 3 of the original South Beach Diet. If you want a lower-carb soup, replace the orzo with 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 or Facebook to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there. Click here for Slow Cooker / Pressure Cooker Recipes on my other site!

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This recipe was posted in 2013. It was last updated with more information in 2021.

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

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Keto Short Rib Chili

Bean-free keto chili made with braised beef short ribs. So easy to make and the perfect low carb comfort food. This keto chili recipe is paleo, dairy-free, and Whole 30 approved! And it can be made ahead and frozen so it’s ideal for keto meal planning.

There’s a definite chill in the air. Can you feel it? Well, maybe not in some parts of the country, but here in the Pacific Northwest, autumn is on its way, if not already here.

The best part of fall is the comfort food and there is no food more comforting than this short rib chili. Well, maybe my Shrimp and Bacon Chowder. Or perhaps my keto Cream of Mushroom Soup. And my Buffalo Chicken Soup is also pretty darn spectacular.

But this keto chili recipe definitely makes the short list.

Chili is and always has been one of my favorite foods, because even not very good chili is pretty darn comforting when you’re cold and hungry. How can you go wrong with meat cooked slowly in rich spices and a thick tomato broth? You can’t, that’s all. You can’t go wrong.

And the crazy part is that while I make chili all. the. time, I don’t actually have a good keto chili recipe here on All Day I Dream About Food. Until now, that is.

What makes the best keto chili?

Well, what really makes good chili is a matter of opinion and taste. And probably a few feuds as well. Everyone has their own take on the best way to make chili.

In my experience, a slow simmered chili recipe is best, as it allows the flavors to develop and intensify over time. So don’t be fooled by promises of “fast and easy”. Good chili is usually easy to make but it takes time to cook.

Keto chili should be devoid of any higher carb items like beans, though. That goes almost without saying, because beans are high in carbs and many consider them inflammatory. Onion needs to be kept to a minimum as well, since it’s surprisingly high carb.

Tomato sauce, paste, and puree can also send the carb count up if used too liberally. I like to keep my chili to less than 5g total carbs per serving, so I use a single can of diced tomatoes. Fire roasted tomatoes help bring out the best flavor.

But the focus of a good keto chili recipe should always be the meat and the spices. Use beef with a high percentage of fat for a satisfying meal, and be generous with the chili, cumin, and garlic.

Can you make keto chili ahead of time?

I find myself wanting to answer this question with a smart ass comment like “Is the pope Catholic?”. Because chili is perhaps the best make ahead meal on the planet.

It’s one of those dishes that seems to actually get better when it’s eaten the next day or even a few days later. And one of the benefits of keto chili is that there are no beans to get mushy as they sit and soften. So it’s just as good or better than the day you made it.

So go ahead and make a huge pot of this short rib chili. This particular recipe serves 10 people. Let it cool to room temperature and then split it up however you see fit. You can do individual servings, or portion it out for your family size.

The chili can be refrigerated for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 3 months. We froze our leftovers back in May and I just fed my family the second portion about a month ago!

Because it contains acidic ingredients like tomatoes, I recommend storing in glass containers if you have them. If not, good BPA-Free tupperware works too.

Tips for making Short Rib Chili

Short ribs are ideal for comfort food dishes like this, because they are fatty and rich, and become incredibly tender with slow braising.

Always brown the ribs first: This step adds 10 minutes or so, but it’s worth it. Browning the meat in lard or oil helps bring out the best flavor, before the liquids are added. Otherwise, you are essentially just eating stewed meat. Transfer the ribs to a plate while making the rest of the chili.

Sweat the onions and other veggies: While I do keep the onion to a minimum, it definitely helps add flavor. So add the onion and green pepper to the pot and sauté in the oils and fats with a little bit of salt. This will help them release their juices and flavor.

Add the spices into the hot oil: Before adding any liquids into the pot, you want to briefly sauté the garlic, jalapeño, and spices in the hot oil. This enhances and intensifies the flavor.

Adjust the heat to your liking: My husband and I like our chili pretty spicy but our kids have more tender palates. So we keep the heat at a medium level. I always add the seeds from the jalapeño but you can leave them out if you want less spice. You can also leave out the cayenne. Or you can add more jalapeño and cayenne too.

Now add the liquids and the meat: Once the spices and garlic are fragrant, stir in the diced tomatoes and broth and bring to a simmer before adding the meat.

Slow braise in the oven: You’re looking at a good two to three hours of cooking, but this time is completely inactive. You can be doing lots of other things during this time. Slow braising makes the meat from the short ribs fall off the bone and shred more easily.

Doesn’t this keto short rib chili sound like the perfect comfort food?

Check out my Keto Soups & Stews cookbook for more delicious comfort food recipes.

A bowl of keto short rib chii topped with sour cream, cilantro, avocado and jalapeno

Keto Short Rib Chili

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: keto chili, keto chili recipe, short rib chili

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 3 hours 25 minutes

Total Time: 3 hours 40 minutes

Servings: 10 servings

Calories: 428kcal