This flavorful and easy Leftover Turkey Noodle Soup is a delicious way to use up any Thanksgiving turkey! A warm and comforting bowl of soup that is perfect on those chilly winter nights!
Easy Leftover Turkey Noodle Soup
This is a MUST every year after Thanksgiving! The next day, we always have a ton of leftover turkey (who doesn’t), actually sometimes I think it is better to buy a bigger turkey so that we have A LOT of leftovers! Because there is nothing better than tossing those leftovers into a delicious soup! Perfect for the cool, cozy end-of-November days. It is made with real ingredients and comes together in only 45 minutes!
Ever wonder how to calculate how much turkey you should make per person? Checkout this simple post that covers it all!
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Utilizes Leftovers – this cozy soup is made with your delicious leftover Thanksgiving turkey meat.
- Family Friendly – even your kiddos are going to love this one!
- Simple – this recipe comes together so easily with about 10 real food ingredients.
What You Will Need
- olive oil – just a splash in the dutch oven to help sauté the onion and garlic.
- garlic & onion – a classic combination that is the beginning of every homemade soup recipe.
- carrots & celery – traditional vegetables that are perfect!
- leftover turkey – no matter if you cook your turkey in the oven, on a gas grill, smoker, or in a deep fryer, it will be delicious and perfect for leftovers.
- turkey broth – for the best flavor use the turkey carcass to make a homemade turkey broth or turkey stock!
- fresh parsley – adds a splash of color to garnish this soup.
- kosher salt & ground black pepper – simple seasonings that are a must for making homemade soup.
- noodles – option to use regular or gluten-free noodles! We love using egg noodles but spaghetti noodles would also be great – like in our Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup!
How to Make Turkey Noodle Soup
You can begin by grabbing your favorite chef’s knife and cutting board to chop up the vegetables.
Keep the chopping going and cut-up about 4 cups of leftover turkey meat (option to use white meat, dark meat, or a combination).
Bring a large dutch oven to medium-high heat on the stovetop with olive oil coating the bottom. Add the garlic, then the onion, some salt/pepper, and then the carrots.
Next, add the turkey, broth, and parsley. Bring the large stockpot to a boil and then reduce to simmer for about 10-15 minutes or until the vegetables become tender.
In another pot, cook your noodles of choice according to the directions on the box. You can cook these right in the pot with the soup but noodles soak up a lot of liquid in the cooking process so we like to cook them separately and then add them to the soup.
Once the noodles are cooked, drain them, and add them to the soup. Also give it a taste and add any more salt and pepper, if needed.
Enjoy with a side of crusty bread or sourdough bread!!
How Should I Store Turkey Noodle Soup
If you have any leftover turkey noodle soup it can be stored either in the fridge or the freezer:
- refrigerator: once the soup cools, you can place it in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- freezer: this soup is a great option for freezing. After it has fully cooled, you can store it in a freezer-safe container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Just make sure you freeze it without the noodles. The noodles will become mushy in the freezing and reheating process.
Recipe FAQs + Tips
- Can I use store-bought turkey broth? – Yes! You can use store-bought broth but I also highly recommend making your own turkey broth (you won’t regret it). Chicken broth would also work.
- Is it better to cook the noodles separate or in the broth with the soup? – We recommend cooking them separately and then add them to the soup but you can cook them in the broth itself, if you want to. In that case you would want to increase the amount of broth you use because the noodles will soak it up.
- Salt – this really depends on how salty your broth is but you can always adjust by adding more salt along the way to your desired taste.
- Noodles – Feel free to use whatever noodles you want (gluten-free or otherwise).
Made this recipe and loved it?! We would love it if you would take a minute and leave a star rating and review – it is also helpful if you made any substitutions or changes to the recipe to share that as well. THANK YOU!
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Other Leftover Turkey Recipes You Might Like:
Leftover Turkey Noodle Soup
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 8–10 servings 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
Description
Leftover Turkey Noodle Soup – such a great way to use those Thanksgiving leftovers! Simple, delicious and kid-friendly!
Ingredients
- 1–2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 5 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
- 4 stalks of celery, sliced
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 4 cups turkey, cubed
- 8 cups turkey broth
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
- salt and pepper, to taste
- Approx. 5 cups dried noodles
Instructions
- Bring a large dutch oven to medium-high heat.
- Swirl with olive oil and let it coat the pan.
- Once the pan and oil are hot, add the garlic. Move around the pan until the garlic becomes fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add in onion and let cook down, about 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.
- Add celery and carrots. Sauté those as well for approximately 3-4 minutes.
- Add in turkey, broth, and parsley.
- Bring to a boil and then reduce to simmer.
- Let simmer approximately 10-15 minutes or until vegetables have reached your desired consistency.
- Taste and add any additional salt or pepper, as desired.
- Meanwhile, cook noodles in a separate pan according to the box instructions.
- Drain noodles and add into soup.
- Remove from heat and serve immediately with additional parsley.
Notes
- Broth: I highly recommend making your own turkey broth (it’s amazing), but store-bought will work too! You can also use chicken broth.
- Salt: How much salt you need really depends upon what broth you use and how salty (or not) it already is. Just taste along the way and adjust accordingly.
- Noodles: Feel free to use whatever noodles you want (gluten-free or otherwise). I recommend cooking the noodles separately because if you cook them in the soup itself, they will soak up a lot of the broth. If you are wanting to cook the noodles in the broth itself you will need to increase the amount of broth you use (and possibly use a bigger pot).
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 268
- Sugar: 5.3 g
- Sodium: 742.2 mg
- Fat: 5 g
- Carbohydrates: 41.9 g
- Protein: 13.8 g
- Cholesterol: 25 mg
Keywords: Turkey noodle soup
AnneA says
Soooo good! We made this with Thanksgiving leftovers yesterday and have to make another batch today. Glad we had a big turkey this year. Everyone loved it!
★★★★★
Erin says
So happy to hear that! And thank you so much for taking the time leave a review – I appreciate it!
Nikki says
Made this two days after thanksgiving and it was delicious! Followed the turkey broth recipe also which made this soup the best I have made yet!
★★★★★
Erin says
So happy to hear that, Nikki! Thank you for the feedback!
Joanna Waldron says
Made it yesterday for dinner – delicious! Only had turkey stock and a bit of water to use (no broth) and was still yummy! Super easy and quick -kids loved it. Thanks!
★★★★★
Erin says
That’s awesome to hear, Joanna! I made this for dinner tonight too 🙂 Thank you so much for the feedback – I really appreciate it!
Lauren says
So delicious yesterday for our leftover turkey! Thank you, Erin!
★★★★★
Erin says
So happy you enjoyed it, Laura! And thank you for taking the time to leave your feedback – it is so appreciated!
Charlotte says
Delicious and such a great way to use up some of the leftover turkey, freshly made broth and extra veggies! Also a quick and easy meal for those days after Thanksgiving when cooking feels like a lot.
★★★★★
Erin says
So, so happy you enjoyed this recipe, Charlotte! And thank you so much for taking the time to leave your feedback – I really appreciate it!
Leigh-Anne says
I made this last night and it’s soooo good!! Will definitely make again!
★★★★★
Erin says
Yay! So glad you enjoyed, Leigh-Anne! I always look forward to making this soup after Thanksgiving 🙂 Thanks so much for taking the time to leave your feedback, I really appreciate it!
Laura says
So good!
★★★★★
Erin says
So glad you enjoyed it, Laura! And thanks so much for taking the time to leave your feedback – I so appreciate it!