When the turkey feast is over and the refrigerator starts looking like a leftovers holding pen, this Turkey Stew is the fix. It turns chopped turkey, stewed tomatoes, corn, carrots, celery, and a warm hit of chili powder and cumin into a hearty one-pot meal that tastes like you planned it on purpose.
It is also forgiving. Use macaroni for a thicker, scoopable bowl or swap in rice if that is what you have. Just keep the simmer gentle so the turkey stays tender and the spices have time to wake up.
- 🍅 Ingredients
- 🥣 Instructions
- 🧠 Tips
- 🔄 Variations
- 🍽️ Serving Suggestions
- 🧊 Storage
- ⏰ Make-Ahead
- 💸 Price Breakdown
- 🛒 Walmart Grocery List
- ❓ FAQ
- 📌 Pin Recipe
- 🖨️ Printable Recipe Card
Ingredients for Turkey Stew
You do not need anything fancy here. The stew leans on leftover turkey, pantry tomatoes, frozen or canned corn, and a short list of vegetables to make a filling meal without much fuss.
- 2 to 3 cups turkey, chopped or torn into pieces
- 2 cloves garlic, minced, or 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 cans stewed tomatoes, 14.5 ounces each
- 2 cups corn
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon cumin, or 1 teaspoon for a milder stew
- 8 ounces elbow macaroni, cooked, or 1 cup rice
- 1/4 cup sliced scallions or onions
- 1 cup carrot coins
- 1 handful chopped celery
If you are using leftover holiday turkey, this is one of the easiest ways to stretch it. If you still have more tucked away, Turkey Pot Pie: Thanksgiving Leftovers is another solid way to keep dinner interesting.
How to Make Turkey Stew
This stew comes together in one pot and gives the spices just enough simmer time to mellow into the tomatoes instead of sitting on top like a bad attitude.
- Add the chopped turkey, garlic, stewed tomatoes, corn, chili powder, cumin, cooked elbow macaroni or rice, scallions or onions, carrots, and chopped celery to a 4-quart pot.
- Set the pot over medium heat and stir well to combine the tomatoes, vegetables, pasta or rice, and seasonings evenly.
- Bring the mixture almost to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes so the vegetables soften and the spices blend into the broth.
- Stir once or twice during cooking, then ladle the stew into bowls and serve hot.
Tips for the Best Turkey Stew
Keep the heat gentle. The turkey is already cooked, so a hard boil will only make it stringy. A low simmer gives you better texture and a fuller tomato base.
Cook the macaroni separately first. That keeps the pasta from stealing too much liquid while the stew simmers. If you use rice instead, cooked rice works the same way and makes the bowl a little heartier.
Adjust the cumin to your crowd. The full tablespoon gives the stew a warmer, deeper flavor. If you are feeding spice-cautious eaters, start with 1 teaspoon and let the chili powder do most of the heavy lifting.
Cut the vegetables small. Thin carrot coins and a modest handful of chopped celery cook through comfortably in the stated 30-minute simmer. Great giant carrot chunks will still be chewing back.
Easy Variations
Use rice instead of macaroni. If you want a soupier stew with a softer texture, cooked rice works well and absorbs the tomato broth differently than pasta.
Swap scallions for onion. Both are built right into the recipe, so use whichever is already in the kitchen. Scallions taste a little lighter, while regular onion gives the pot more body.
Use garlic powder if needed. One teaspoon stands in for the fresh garlic just fine. If you keep a homemade version on hand, Homemade Garlic Powder makes pantry cooking easier.
Turn up the spice carefully. The easiest way is to use the full tablespoon of cumin and taste after simmering. Spices bloom as they cook, so adding too much up front is how dinner goes from cozy to regrettable.
Serving Suggestions
Serve Turkey Stew hot with crackers, cornbread, or a piece of buttered toast to catch the tomato-rich broth. If you want to stretch the meal further, pair it with a simple green salad or roasted vegetables.
It also works well as a next-day lunch because the flavor settles in as it rests. If leftovers are your game plan this week, you might also like Shepherd’s Turkey Pie for another practical turkey makeover.
Storage and Reheating
Cool the stew and refrigerate it within 2 hours in shallow, airtight containers. A large pot of soup or stew cools faster and more safely when you divide it into smaller containers, which matches the food-safety guidance from the USDA on refrigerating leftovers safely.
Store leftover Turkey Stew in the refrigerator for up to 3 to 4 days. For longer storage, freeze it for an estimated best quality window of 2 to 3 months. If you freeze it with macaroni, expect the pasta to soften a bit after thawing.
Reheat individual portions in the microwave or warm larger amounts on the stovetop over medium-low heat until hot throughout. If the stew thickens in the refrigerator, add a small splash of water or broth to loosen it before serving.
Make-Ahead Tips
You can chop the turkey, carrots, celery, and onions ahead of time and keep them refrigerated separately until you are ready to cook. That turns this into a quick dump-and-simmer dinner instead of a weeknight scavenger hunt.
If you know you are making the stew for leftovers, cook the macaroni just to al dente before adding it. It will keep a better texture after the 30-minute simmer and another round of reheating.
💸 Budget101® Price Breakdown: Turkey Stew
Ingredient |
Walmart Item |
Pkg Price |
Amount Used |
Cost Used |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Turkey |
$7.98 |
2 to 3 C. |
$12.32 |
|
Garlic |
$0.68 |
2 cloves |
$0.14 |
|
Stewed tomatoes |
$1.28 |
2 cans ≈ package ≈ 3.024 cup(s) |
$0.69 |
|
Corn |
$0.62 |
2 C. ≈ 1 count ≈ 1.5 cup(s) |
$0.83 |
|
Chili powder |
$1.24 |
2 T. |
$0.28 |
|
Cumin |
$1.24 |
1 T. |
$0.10 |
|
Elbow macaroni |
$0.92 |
8 oz |
$0.46 |
|
Sliced scallions or onions |
$0.88 |
1/4 C. ≈ 1 count ≈ 0.55 cup(s) |
$0.07 |
|
Carrot coins |
$1.48 |
1 C. |
$0.21 |
|
Handful chopped celery |
$1.68 |
1 |
$0.19 |
💸 |
Cost |
|---|---|
🧾 Total Batch Cost |
$15.29 |
👨👩👧👦 Cost Per Serving |
$2.55 |
📅 Walmart prices last verified August 26, 2026. Prices may vary by location and are subject to change. Learn how to calculate the cost of a recipe on your own!
🛒 Walmart Grocery List
- Oven Roasted Turkey Breast, about 1.5 to 2 lb
- Garlic Bulb, 1 each
- Stewed Tomatoes, 14.5 oz
- Frozen Whole Kernel Corn, 12 oz
- Chili Powder, 2.5 oz
- Ground Cumin, 2.12 oz
- Elbow Macaroni, 16 oz
- Green Onions, 1 bunch
- Carrots, 2 lb bag
- Celery, 1 bunch
Not sure exactly what this batch costs you per serving? Here’s how to break down the real cost of any recipe so you know before you shop.
Frequently Asked Questions about Turkey Stew
Absolutely. Use 1 cup of cooked rice in place of the 8 ounces of cooked elbow macaroni if you want a softer, brothier stew. Rice thickens the pot less than pasta, so the finished stew usually feels a little looser and reheats nicely.
It is more warm than fiery if you follow the recipe as written. The 2 tablespoons of chili powder bring flavor, while the cumin adds depth, so if you are feeding mild-palate folks, use the lower 1 teaspoon amount of cumin and let the stew simmer the full 30 minutes before judging the heat.
Any cooked turkey works, but chopped leftover roasted turkey is the easiest because it is already seasoned and tender. White meat stays a little firmer, dark meat tastes richer, and a mix of both gives you the best balance without making dinner complicated.
Yes, and the recipe already gives you the swap. Use 1 teaspoon garlic powder in place of the 2 minced cloves, then add it right into the pot with the other seasonings so it disperses evenly instead of clumping in one spot.
The pasta is usually the culprit. Cooked macaroni keeps absorbing liquid as the stew sits, so if the pot gets thicker than you want, stir in a little broth or water while reheating, about 1/4 cup at a time, until it loosens back up.
You can. Freeze it in airtight containers with a little headspace for expansion, and use it within about 2 to 3 months for the best texture and flavor. If you know you are freezing the batch, rice usually holds up a bit better than macaroni.
Do not boil it hard. Since the turkey is already cooked, you only need to bring the pot almost to a boil, then drop it to a gentle simmer. That gives the vegetables time to cook without turning the meat into stringy little leftovers confetti.
Yes, as long as you use a larger pot so everything can simmer evenly. A doubled batch needs at least a roomy stockpot instead of a 4-quart pot, and you should stir a couple of extra times so the tomatoes and pasta do not settle and stick.
Go simple. Cornbread, saltines, buttered toast, or a green salad all work because the stew already has protein, vegetables, and starch in the bowl. If you want to stretch supper without stretching the budget, bread is the easiest helper.
You sure can. Use the same 1/4 cup amount, sliced thin so it softens during the 30-minute simmer. Regular onion gives a slightly stronger flavor, while scallions keep things a little lighter and fresher.
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🖨️ Print-Friendly Turkey Stew
Turkey Stew
Ingredients
- 2 to 3 cups turkey chopped or torn into pieces
- 2 cloves garlic minced, or 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 cans stewed tomatoes 14.5 oz each
- 2 cups corn
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon cumin or 1 teaspoon for less spice
- 8 oz elbow macaroni cooked, or 1 cup rice
- ¼ cup sliced scallions or onions
- 1 cup carrot coins
- 1 handful chopped celery
Equipment
Instructions
- Add the chopped turkey, garlic, stewed tomatoes, corn, chili powder, cumin, cooked elbow macaroni or rice, scallions or onions, carrots, and chopped celery to a 4-quart pot.
- Stir well and bring the mixture almost to a boil over medium heat.
- Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes to let the spices blend and the vegetables soften.
- Stir once or twice during cooking, then serve hot.
Recipe Size Alteration
💡 If you altered the ingredients above by doubling or tripling the recipe, you may also need to change the pan/dish size and adjust the cook time.
Notes
Prep time is an editorial estimate based on chopping the vegetables and measuring ingredients.
For a milder stew, use 1 teaspoon cumin instead of 1 tablespoon.
Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and use within 3 to 4 days.
Freeze for an estimated best-quality window of 2 to 3 months.
