Turkey Noodle Soup
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Use leftover turkey from Thanksgiving to make this comforting Turkey Noodle Soup recipe. You can even double the batch and freeze it for later!
Revive Your Thanksgiving Leftovers with This tasty Turkey Noodle Soup
Thanksgiving leftovers can be delightful, but we’ve all sometimes felt like we’re in a never-ending turkey loop after Thanksgiving. That’s when I start to transform Thanksgiving leftovers into something new, like this delightful leftover turkey soup recipe.
I understand that post-Thanksgiving exhaustion can make the thought of more cooking unappealing. Fortunately, this turkey noodle soup is incredibly simple since it uses basic ingredients you likely have leftover from Thanksgiving and it comes together in just 40 minutes.
So, take a break from the usual leftovers, grab that leftover turkey meat and make a delicious soup. This turkey noodle soup is a win all around!
Kitchen tools
- Large pot for soup
- Pot for noodles
- Sharp knife and cutting board
- Wooden mixing spoon
- Measuring cup and measuring spoons
Serving Suggestions
This turkey noodle soup recipe pairs perfectly with some toasted bread. Sourdough is my soup dipping bread of choice but any bread will work.
If you have other leftovers in your fridge from Thanksgiving, you can serve those with this soup. The flavors of this leftover turkey soup will complement just about any other Thanksgiving dish and it will also help you use up leftovers.
Ingredients
- Leftover cooked turkey – I use mostly turkey breast meat
- Celery
- Carrots
- Yellow onion
- Oil
- Salt
- Parsley
- Sage
- Garlic powder
- Black pepper
- Turkey broth or homemade turkey stock
- Water
- Lemon juice
- Egg noodles
Make your own turkey stock
You can use the turkey carcass from your Thanksgiving turkey to make your own turkey stock. Save any of the bones from thanksgiving dinner as well as any vegetable scraps from making the sides.
Add the bones, scraps, 1 tbsp of sea salt and any herbs you like to a large pot with 12 cups cold water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and simmer covered for 4 hours. Strain out solids and cool before storing in the fridge.
You can also make broth in your instant pot. Cook under manual high pressure for 1 hour. Release pressure, cool and strain.
Ingredient Substitutions
I love making this turkey noodle soup with egg noodles because there is something so comforting about them but you can use any noodles that you prefer or have on hand. You can also use gluten-free pasta for this recipe to make it gluten-free.
You also can substitute the turkey stock if needed. Chicken broth or vegetable broth will both work just as well.
This soup is intended to be made with leftover Thanksgiving turkey, but you can definitely use chicken or even a meat free protein instead.
I added fresh parsley and sage to this soup, but I think soup tastes even better with extra fresh herbs like thyme and rosemary. You can even throw a bay leaf or two into the simmering broth just be sure to take them out before you serve it.
Add a few cloves of garlic to this soup to intensify the broth flavor. Just mince 2 cloves garlic and mix it in with the carrot, onion and celery while it sautes.
How to make Turkey noodle soup
Step 1: Dice veggies and start preparing soup
To start, dice celery, carrots, and onion. Heat oil in a large heavy bottom pot like a stock pot or dutch oven over medium low heat and pour in the celery, carrots, and onion.
Next, saute veggies until soft and fragrant or about 5 minutes. Pour in salt, parsley, sage, garlic powder, and pepper, and toss veggies in the seasonings.
Step 2: Add meat and bring soup to a boil
After that, place the cubed turkey in the pot along with turkey broth, water, and lemon juice. Bring soup to a boil, then cover and reduce to a simmer for 20 minutes.
Step 3: Cook Noodles
Next, cook egg noodles in a separate pot to avoid the noodles soaking up too much soup broth. Drain noodles and set aside.
Step 4: Serve and enjoy!
Now it is time to serve hot soup in bowls over the egg noodles. Garnish with salt, pepper, parmesan cheese, and fresh herbs.
storage, Reheating, and Freezing
Once prepared, allow the turkey noodle soup to cool completely, and then transfer it to an airtight container. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
You can freeze this soup in an airtight container in the freezer for up to three months. I like to store it as individual servings so that I can defrost them one at a time.
Check out these other soup recipes
- Greek Lemon Chicken Soup
- Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana
- Homemade Chickarina Soup (Progresso Copycat)
- Classic Vegetable Soup (Progresso Copycat)
- Chicken Noodle Soup for a Cold
You can find the full recipe below. If you make this recipe, please rate and review it in the comments, or share it with me on Instagram!
Turkey Noodle Soup
Make a cozy and comforting bowl of turkey noodle soup with leftover turkey from Thanksgiving
Ingredients
- 1lb leftover cooked turkey – shredded, sliced or cut into cubes
- 3 stalks of celery
- 2 large carrots
- 1 yellow onion
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp dried parsley or 1 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
- 1/2 tsp rubbed sage of ½ tbsp fresh chopped sage
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 qt turkey broth or chicken broth
- 4 cups of water
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 8oz egg noodles or noodles of choice
Instructions
- Dice celery, carrots and onion.
- Heat oil in a large heavy bottom pot like a stock pot or dutch oven over medium low heat and pour in the celery, carrots, and onion. Saute veggies until soft and fragrant about 5 minutes. Pour in salt, parsley, sage, garlic powder and pepper and toss veggies in the seasonings.
- Place cubed turkey in the pot along with turkey broth, water and lemon juice. Bring soup to a boil, then cover and reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes.
- Cook egg noodles in a separate pot to avoid the noodles soaking up too much soup broth. Drain noodles and set aside.
- Serve hot soup in bowls over the egg noodles. Garnish with salt, pepper, parmesan cheese and fresh herbs!
Notes
- Use any type of noodles that you like for this dish
- You can use chicken broth or vegetable broth in place of turkey stock
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