Healthy Leftover Turkey Stew

(5.0)
By Adam Fisher
Updated 10/22/2026
Dietitian Reviewed: Erin McNamara, RDN, LDN, CLT
Approved for These Diets:
Heart Healthy  |  Gluten Free  |  Diabetic  |  GLP-1
Healthy Leftover Turkey Stew
Photo Credit: Adobe Stock

This heart-healthy Turkey Stew is a delicious, low-sodium, and low fat slow cooker recipe. Lean turkey and hearty vegetables combine to create a warm, low-fat stew that's perfect for a nutritious dinner. Let your crockpot do the work, and enjoy this satisfying heart-healthy meal.

For even more comforting, homecooked meals, check out all of our delicious heart-healthy recipes!

Total Time
270 minutes
Servings
6
Calories
215

Why is This Turkey Stew Healthy?

This hearty Healthy Turkey Stew recipe is an easy one-pot meal for leftover turkey. The recipe makes six generous servings for a low-calorie, low-sodium, and low-cholesterol comfort food that’s perfect for any night of the week. Packed with tender lean turkey breast, fiber-rich vegetables, and bold spices, this slow-cooked stew delivers rich flavor without the need for added fat or salt. Make it in a slow cooker or cook in a crockpot. With just 215 calories, 1g of saturated fat, and only 193mg of sodium per serving, it’s a heart-healthy dinner for anyone managing blood pressure, cholesterol, or overall calorie intake.

Key Health Highlights

  • Each 1-cup serving of this healthy turkey stew has 17 grams of protein from lean turkey breast to help keep you full.
  • Unsalted vegetable stock and plenty of herbs and spices keep it heart healthy, with just 1 gram of saturated fat and 193 mg of sodium per serving.
  • Carrots, potatoes, green beans, mushrooms, and celery add 4 grams of fiber to every bowl.
  • At 215 calories per serving, it’s a satisfying dinner that fits diabetic and GLP-1 meal plans.
  • It’s naturally gluten free, since cornstarch thickens the broth and there’s no wheat flour.
  • It turns leftover turkey into a brand-new meal, and the slow cooker does nearly all the work.

FAQs About Turkey Stew

This turkey stew is a light, satisfying meal with 215 calories, 17 grams of protein, and 4 grams of fiber in every 1-cup serving. Lean turkey breast keeps the saturated fat at just 1 gram, and unsalted vegetable stock helps hold the sodium to 193 mg per serving. That makes it a great fit for anyone watching their blood pressure, cholesterol, or blood sugar.

Soups and stews are some of the healthiest ways to use leftover turkey, since they pair lean protein with lots of vegetables. This turkey stew has 17 grams of protein and just 215 calories per 1-cup serving. For more ideas, try our Healthy Leftover Turkey Casserole for an easy dinner or our Roasted Turkey Hummus Wraps for a quick lunch. You’ll find plenty more in our collection of healthy Thanksgiving leftover recipes.

Leftover turkey is perfect for stew, and this recipe was made with it in mind. Since the turkey is already cooked, you stir it in during the last 20 to 30 minutes so it heats through without drying out. We use 2 cups of shredded turkey breast, but dark meat works too if that’s what you have left. Just keep in mind that dark meat will add a little more fat.

The USDA recommends using cooked turkey within 3 to 4 days, as long as it’s kept refrigerated at 40°F or lower. If you won’t get to it in time, freeze it. Turkey can be frozen for 3 to 4 months, so you can save some for a cozy bowl of stew in January.

Turkey soup, turkey casserole, and turkey sandwiches are some of the most popular ways to use leftover turkey, and turkey pot pie is a classic comfort food favorite. If you’d like a lighter version, our Heart Healthy Turkey Pot Pie has all the cozy flavor you love. Hearty stew is another favorite, since the slow cooker does almost all the work.

A brothy turkey vegetable soup is one of the easiest ways to use up leftover turkey. Our Heart Healthy Turkey Vegetable Soup adds white beans and zucchini and has just 132 calories per cup. You can also turn this stew into a soup by skipping the cornstarch and adding an extra cup of unsalted vegetable stock.

This recipe uses a simple cornstarch slurry. Whisk 3 tablespoons of the hot broth with the cornstarch until smooth, then stir it back into the stew. If you’d like it even thicker, mash a few of the potato pieces against the side of the pot. For more of a soup-like texture, leave the cornstarch out.

Turkey stew freezes well for up to 3 months in an airtight container. Thaw it in the fridge overnight and reheat it on the stovetop until it’s steaming hot all the way through. The potatoes may soften a bit after freezing, but the flavor holds up beautifully.

Cooked, shredded chicken breast works just as well and has a similar nutrition profile. It’s an easy way to enjoy this cozy stew any time of year, not just after the holidays.

Why We Make This Turkey Stew in a Slow Cooker

Our chefs recommend making this low sodium turkey stew in a slow cooker. Hours of gentle simmering give the herbs and vegetables time to build deep flavor, so it tastes rich without extra salt or fat. The vegetables turn perfectly tender, and since the cooked turkey goes in at the end, it stays moist. It’s also about as easy as dinner gets. Add everything to the pot in the morning, and a warm, healthy meal is waiting for you at dinnertime. If you’re short on time, the stovetop method has it ready in about an hour.

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Ingredients

Recipe yields 6 servings

Directions

  1. Step 1

    Add the olive oil to the bottom of the crockpot or slow cooker. Add onions, celery, carrots, potatoes, mushrooms, green beans, and garlic; stir to combine. Add vegetable stock, water, white wine, tomato paste, and seasonings (bay leaf, rosemary, thyme, black pepper, parsley, sage, paprika, and salt); mix to combine.

  2. Step 2

    Cover and cook on high for 2 to 4 hours or on low for 6 to 8 hours. About 30 minutes before serving, remove the bay leaf and rosemary sprigs.

  3. Step 3

    In a small mixing bowl, spoon out 3 tablespoons of broth and whisk it together with the cornstarch until smooth. Pour the cornstarch mixture into the crock pot and stir to combine (Note: For more of a soup-like consistency, omit the cornstarch). Add the shredded turkey, cover and cook for 20 to 30 minutes. Ladle into bowls and enjoy!

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size:
1 cup

215
Calories
4
g
Fat
36
mg
Cholesterol
193
mg
Sodium
27
g
Carbs
1
g
Sat. Fat
4
g
Fiber
17
g
Protein
6
g
Sugars

Alternative Cooking Methods

Stovetop Method: Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onions, celery, carrots, potatoes, mushrooms, green beans, and garlic, and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often. Stir in the vegetable stock, water, white wine, tomato paste, and seasonings, then bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover, and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, until the potatoes are fork-tender. Remove the bay leaf and rosemary sprigs, stir in the cornstarch mixture and shredded turkey, and simmer for 10 more minutes until the stew is thick and heated through.

Serving & Storage Tips

This turkey stew tastes just as good the next day, so it’s a great one to make ahead or save for easy lunches:

  • Serve it with a slice of our gluten free Healthy Homemade Cornbread or a simple green salad for a complete meal.
  • Garnish each bowl with a sprinkle of fresh parsley for a pop of color.
  • Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in an airtight container, and enjoy them within 3 days.
  • To freeze, portion the stew into 1-cup freezer-safe containers, leaving a little room at the top, and freeze for up to 3 months.
  • Thaw frozen stew in the fridge overnight, then reheat it on the stovetop over medium heat until it reaches 165°F.
  • The cornstarch thickens the stew as it sits, so add a splash of unsalted stock while reheating if it seems too thick.
  • To save time on busy mornings, chop the vegetables the night before and store them in the fridge so they’re ready to go into the slow cooker.

Ingredient Substitutions

Use an extra ¼ cup of unsalted vegetable stock with a splash of lemon juice or white wine vinegar. It adds the same bright flavor without the alcohol.

Simmer it into homemade turkey stock and use it in place of the vegetable stock. If you make it without salt, it keeps the sodium low and adds even more rich turkey flavor.

One diced medium yellow onion works just as well. Frozen pearl onions are also a great time-saver, since they come already peeled.

Sweet potatoes or cubed butternut squash add a touch of natural sweetness. For fewer carbs, try cauliflower florets, and add them during the last hour of cooking so they hold their shape.

Use about one-third as much dried herb as fresh. For this recipe, that’s 1 teaspoon of dried rosemary in place of the sprigs and ¼ teaspoon of dried thyme.

Leave them out and add extra green beans, or stir in diced zucchini along with the turkey so it doesn’t get mushy.

Stir a few handfuls of fresh spinach or chopped kale in with the turkey. They’ll wilt in just a few minutes.

Arrowroot powder thickens the broth the same way and keeps the stew gluten free. Use the same amount.

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