Leftover Turkey Noodle Soup Recipe

Turkey noodle soup made with leftover Thanksgiving turkey, veggies, and fresh herbs.

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This leftover turkey noodle soup is my favorite way to turn holiday leftovers into a warm, flavorful meal. Tender turkey, sautéed veggies, garlic, herbs, and soft noodles come together in a comforting turkey broth. Homemade turkey stock recipe included but you can use store-bought to keep things fast and easy. Either way, the soup comes together nice and easy in about 30 minutes.

Prep Time10

Cook Time30

Stock time:3

Total Time3 40

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 538kcal

Author: Lyuba Brooke

Ingredients

Turkey Stock

2 tbsp avocado or olive oil
1 leftover carcass from 10-16 lb. cooked turkey
1 yellow onion
3 carrots
2 celery ribs
5-6 cloves of garlic
2-3 sprigs of fresh thyme
3-4 fresh sage leaves
3-4 sprigs of fresh parsley
2 dried bay leaves
1 tbsp whole peppercorns
1 tbsp kosher coarse salt more or less as needed
10-12 cups water enough to cover everything and some

Turkey Noodle Soup:

2 tbsp avocado or olive oil
1 small sweet onion
3 celery ribs
3 carrots
4 garlic cloves smash and mince
3 cups leftover cooked turkey meat chopped or shredded
8-9 cups turkey stock
8 oz egg noodles or pasta of choice
1 tsp garlic powder
2-3 fresh sage leaves minced
1 tbsp fresh parsley minced
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes more or less to taste
1/4-1/4 tsp black pepper to taste
salt if needed, taste first

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

To Make Homemade Turkey Stock:

Make sure to pick all the meat off the turkey carcass and break it up to fit into the pot easier. Chop the veggies but you don't need to worry about it being uniform since it will be discarded once the stock is strained. Smash garlic cloves.
Preheat a large stock pot over medium heat and add some oil. Add chopped onion, carrots, and celery. Sear, undisturbed, until golden brown. Mix and sear again until golden brown. Make some space and add smashed garlic. Sear until fragrant, under a minute, and mix it in.
Add in the turkey carcass, water, peppercorns, salt, and herbs. Bring to a low boil then then turn the heat down to low. Cover with a lid but leave a crack for steam to escape. Cook for 2 hours and then take the lid off and cook another hour.
When finished, strain the stock through a fine mesh strainer. Discard vegetables, herbs, peppercorns, and bones.
You can use the stock right away or store.
If storing, let it cool and store the stock in one large or 2-3 smaller glass jars with a lid, in the refrigerator. Cook or freeze within 2 days.

Turkey Noodle Soup:

Clean and chop the vegetables and try to keep the cuts uniform. Smash and mince the garlic cloves. Gather and measure remaining ingredients.
Preheat a large soup pot over medium heat and add some oil. Add onion, celery, and carrots and sear undisturbed for a couple of minutes, until golden brown.
Move veggie aside in the pot and add garlic. Let it cook a little less than a minute, just until fragrant. Mix it in.
Mix in the leftover turkey meat and let it cook for a few minutes.
Pour in the turkey stock and add the seasoning (not the herbs yet). Taste first, before you add more salt and if needed. Let everything come to a low boil and lower the heat a little so it's just simmering.
Add in the pasta, stir, and cook until pasta is done. Stir in the herbs and turn of heat. Serve right away.

Notes

Turkey stock: if you don't have the time or don't have a turkey carcass, feel free to use store-bought turkey stock or broth. If you still want to make the stock but don't have a carcass, you can use raw bone in turkey legs or bone in turkey breast.
Gluten free option: pasta is the only ingredient here that contains gluten. So use your favorite gluten free pasta instead!
Finishing with lemon: I love to finish my chicken noodle with lemon and I do the same with turkey noodle. Add lemon juice from 1/2 lemon to the pot or add a little squeeze to each bowl. Try it, it really brightens the soup!
Storing: store leftovers in an air-tight container, in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. If you don't like softer noodles after storing, you can cook noodles in chicken stock separately and add them directly to each bowl when reheated. If don’t mind softer noodles, store and cook them in the soup because that flavor will soak in and be delicious!
Freezing: freeze soup without noodles and cool it before freezing. Store in one large portion or break it up into smaller portions. Use freezer friendly bags, leave some space for soup to expand, label and freeze for 2-3 months.

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