Leftover Turkey Noodle Soup
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
Comforting Leftover Turkey Noodle Soup made completely from scratch! Homemade turkey broth from the leftover turkey carcass, loaded with turkey meat and slurp-able noodles. This soup is perfect use of that leftover holiday turkey!
The Best Leftover Turkey Noodle Soup
It’s soup season and I love it! Now that Thanksgiving is over, I bet you have lots of leftover turkey! And I, like many of you, roasted a turkey; a big turkey, even though there were only two of us. So now I’m stuck with a ton of turkey meat, but what to do with the leftovers? I have the perfect solution, ahem, I mean recipe. Reminiscent of the classic, I created a completely homemade, leftover turkey noodle soup!
- Perfect Use For Leftover Holiday Turkey
- Easy To Make
- Comforting Soup
- Simple Ingredient List
- Tasty And Delicious
You need this recipe in your life, especially if it’s cold outside. What I love about this soup, is that it’s simple. You can add as much turkey as you want and it can be dark and/or white meat. Easy, flavorful and comforting, it’s the ideal way transform leftovers from blah to wow.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Veggies – We want to use carrots, celery, and onion to develop the base of our soup. Note that in the image above the onion is chopped, but you don’t need to chop it. Just add it whole (peeled) to the soup.
- Turkey – We’re making soup right from the carcass, we’re not wasting anything today! This will give tons of amazing flavor and flu fighting power to our soup. You’ll also need some leftover turkey meat, white or dark, whatever you have left.
- Seasoning – Salt and pepper – be sparing with this ingredient in the early broth stage.
- Water – A lot of this will simmer off and reduce, leaving us with beautiful broth. You can use no salt added broth instead of water for extra flavor, but really don’t waste your broth, there will be lots of flavor from the turkey carcass.
- Noodles – Egg noodles, whatever your favorite brand happens to be! Keep in mind they cook way quicker than regular pasta. You can also choose to use your favorite type of noodle.
- Bouillon – I love to add a chicken bouillon cube or vegeta which is actually my favorite in these types of soups. Vegeta adds lots of great flavor and it has no MSG.
In a large soup pot or a 6-quart Dutch oven, place the leftover turkey carcass (all meat removed) along with 14 cups of water, 1 peeled onion, 2 stalks of celery, and 3 peeled carrots. Sprinkle in ½ teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon of pepper for seasoning. Cover the pot with a lid and cook over medium-low heat for about 1½ hours.
Use tongs or a slotted spoon to remove the turkey carcass, vegetables, and any debris from the broth. Set the cooked carrots aside. All that should remain in the pot is the golden, flavorful broth. Stir 2-3 cups of chopped turkey meat (white or dark) and 8 ounces of dry egg noodles into the broth. If needed, add 1-2 extra cups of water to account for evaporation.
Chop the cooked carrots into half-moon slices and return them to the pot. Stir everything together and season with another ¼ teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon of pepper. Add 1 bouillon cube or 1-2 tablespoons of Vegeta for lots of flavor.
Simmer the soup for about 8 minutes, or until the noodles are cooked to your liking. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve.
How To Serve
I love serving this turkey noodle soup with simple sides that complement its warm and hearty flavors. Here are some of my favorite ideas:
No Knead Bread
Easy Garlic Bread
Caesar Salad Recipe
Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I Make This Leftover Turkey Noodle Soup In The Instant Pot?
If you’d like to make this recipe in your pressure cooker you’re in luck because it’s super simple. Just combine the water, turkey carcass, carrots, celery and onion and cook on the manual high setting for 30 minutes. Remove the carcass and everything else from the soup using tongs or a slotted spoon, set the carrots aside. Chop the carrots into half moons. Add the egg noodles, turkey, chopped carrots, bouillon and allow to cook on Saute setting for 8 minutes or until noodles are cooked. Garnish with parsley and serve.
Can I Make This Leftover Turkey Noodle Soup In The Slow Cooker?
Absolutely! You’ll want to combine the water, turkey carcass, carrots, celery and onion in the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 7 – 8 hours or HIGH for 3 – 4. Remove the carcass and everything else from the soup using tongs or a slotted spoon, set the carrots aside. Chop the carrots into half moons. Add the egg noodles, turkey, bouillon and chopped carrots and allow to cook for a further 15 minutes or until they are tender. Garnish with parsley and serve.
What Else Can I Add To The Soup?
Feel free to add any spices, herbs or veggies you see fit! Experiment with different flavor combinations and have fun with it.
Can I Make This In Advance?
Absolutely! You can make this soup in advance and freeze it for future meals. Just make sure if you’re planning on making it ahead of time to leave the noodles out. See u0022Freezing/Make Aheadu0022 for full instructions!
Expert Tips
- You get an amazing turkey flavor to this soup from making your own broth from a turkey carcass, but if you want you can of course use store bought chicken broth or turkey broth.
- This soup is such a great base for some awesome flavors! You can add fresh dill at the end, or add diced parsnips to your broth for some complexity. Dried rosemary also makes a great savory addition.
- I love to keep extra broth on hand for when sniffles season rears its ugly head. I portion it out into reasonable sizes and freeze them for future use. You can incorporate it into any dish that requires broth or stock!
- This recipe will work for leftover chicken as well.
Leftovers
Let soup cool and transfer to an airtight container. Leftover turkey noodle soup will keep fresh in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Freezing/Make Ahead
If you’d like to prepare this recipe ahead and freeze it, you’ll want to assemble everything like normal, but hold off on the noodles. Sadly thawed noodles don’t retain their texture very well. Store in an airtight container in the freezer for 4 – 6 months.
When you’re ready to thaw out the soup, heat it up on the stove and incorporate the noodles then.
More Delicious Recipes To Try
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Leftover Turkey Noodle Soup
Ingredients
For the Broth
- 1 turkey carcass (leftover from a carved turkey, all meat removed)
- 14 cups water
- 1 large onion (peeled)
- 2 stalks celery
- 3 medium carrots (peeled )
- ½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- ¼ teaspoon pepper (or to taste)
For the Soup
- 2 to 3 cups turkey meat (chopped, white or dark)
- 8 ounce egg noodles (dry )
- 1 bouillon cube (or 1-2 tbsp Vegeta)
- ¼ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- ¼ teaspoon pepper (or to taste)
- 1 tablespoon parsley (chopped for garnish)
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
- In a large soup pot, add turkey carcass, water, onion, celery sticks and carrots. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 1.5 hours, covered over medium-low heat.
- Remove the carcass and everything else from the soup using tongs or a slotted spoon, set the carrots aside. All there should be left in the pot should be the broth. Add turkey meat and noodles to the pot. You might need to add a couple more cups of water as some of it may have evaporated. Chop the cooked carrots into half moons and add back to the pot. Season with salt and pepper and add the bouillon cube or vegeta.
- Cook for another 8 minutes until noodles are cooked. Garnish with parsley and serve.
Equipment
Notes
- This recipe will work for leftover chicken as well.
- You get an amazing turkey flavor to this soup from making your own broth from a turkey carcass, but if you want you can of course use store bought chicken broth or turkey broth.
- This soup is such a great base for some awesome flavors! You can add fresh dill at the end, or add diced parsnips to your broth for some complexity. Dried rosemary also makes a great savory addition.
- Let soup cool and transfer to an airtight container. Leftover turkey noodle soup will keep fresh in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- If you’d like to prepare this recipe ahead and freeze it, you’ll want to assemble everything like normal, but hold off on the noodles. Sadly thawed noodles don’t retain their texture very well. Store in an airtight container in the freezer for 4 – 6 months.
- When you’re ready to thaw out the soup, heat it up on the stove and incorporate the noodles then.
Nutrition Information
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
Originally shared Nov 2015.
