This hearty Turkey Noodle Soup recipe is warm, comforting, and simple to make. It’s the perfect lunch on a cold day, or pair it with a sandwich or fresh bread to enjoy it for dinner. Our turkey soup recipe is an easy, but tasty, way to use up leftover turkey from your holiday dinners.
There are so many great ways to use leftover turkey that don’t taste like leftovers. You could try anything from Chicken Pot Pie with Turkey to Leftover Turkey in Gravy, or replace the protein in our Chicken Bacon Avocado Sandwich!
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Turkey Soup Recipe
Everyone loves a tasty, easy-to-make soup, ESPECIALLY directly following the holidays when you have spent more than enough time cooking. We love this Turkey Soup recipe because it’s:
- Simple to make – lets you have plenty of time to visit with your holiday guests. This recipe is a breeze to make, but your guests won’t be able to tell
- Repurpose Leftovers – the perfect way to repurpose turkey without having another heavy meal or tasting like a leftover
- Customizable – add your favorite vegetables or pasta, or use rice or GF pasta to make it gluten-free
Ingredients
This hearty soup is not only satisfying and filling, it’s nutritious as well! With lean protein and plenty of vegetables, it’s so easy to throw together with what you have on hand.
- Turkey – You’ll be amazed at how much meat you can get from the carcass
- Vegetables – Potatoes, carrots, celery, onion
- Olive Oil – to sauté the vegetables
- Turkey Stock – you can also use chicken broth or vegetable broth
- Pasta – I used egg noodles, but you can use any small-cut pasta
- Garlic – us fresh garlic for the best flavor
- Salt, Pepper, Parsley, Bay Leaves – Help to season and create a savory broth
Substitutions
Swap the egg noodles for any small pasta (rotini, orzo, elbows, Israeli couscous), or use rice or gluten-free pasta to make this a GF soup. You can add fresh herbs (rosemary, thyme, oregano) or even 1 tsp of turmeric to create a broth to your preferred taste.
Add extra veggies, whatever you have on hand (mushrooms, corn, broccoli, peas), to stretch the recipe even more to feed a crowd or to make this a complete meal.
How to Make Turkey Noodle Soup
- Chop – Slice the carrots into rounds and the potatoes into bite-size wedges, and dice the celery and onion.
- Sauté – In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the onions, carrots, and celery and sauté until softened and golden.
- Boil Potatoes– Add broth, water, potatoes, bay leaf, salt, and black pepper. Bring to a boil and continue cooking at a medium boil for 10 minutes
- Add Pasta & Turkey – Add the noodles and turkey and simmer on the stove-top for 5 minutes or until pasta and potatoes are tender, being careful not to overcook. Press in 1 garlic clove and stir in parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Garnish – Remove from heat and discard the bay leaves. Garnish with more parsley if desired.
Pro Tip:
Like most soups, if time allows, let the soup rest for a while after cooking. This allows the ingredients to really infuse into the broth, enhancing the flavor. This step is optional- the soup is delicious right off the stovetop.
What to Serve with Turkey Noodle Soup
Like our hearty Chicken Noodle Soup, this soup is easily a meal in itself, but it also pairs wonderfully with:
- Crusty Bread
- A Fall salad, such as our Beet Salad
- A warm Grilled Cheese sandwich
- Soft Dinner Rolls
- Focaccia Bread
Make-Ahead
This recipe tastes even better the next day after all of the flavors have melded. It freezes well for up to 3 months, so you can enjoy warm turkey soup months after the holidays without having to labor over cooking a full turkey.
- To Refrigerate: Make sure to cool completely before storing it in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Freezing: If planning to freeze, I recommend omitting the pasta. Allow the soup to cool to room temperature, portion it into an airtight container, and freeze for up to 3 months. Be sure to leave some room on top to allow for expansion when freezing.
- To Reheat: If reheating from frozen, allow the soup to defrost overnight in the refrigerator. Once thawed, use the stovetop, microwave, or crockpot to reheat until hot. Add more broth if needed, as it does evaporate while reheating. If you omitted the pasta before storing the soup, you can add your pasta as the recipe describes while reheating.
Instead of eating turkey sandwiches for days after your holiday meal, this recipe is such a tasty way to use the extras without feeling like you are having the same meal day after day.
More Leftover Recipes
If you love this leftover Thanksgiving Turkey Noodle Soup, then you won’t want to miss these other great recipes that taste great the next day!
- Mashed Potato Pancakes
- Turkey Broth
- Chicken Fried Rice
- Egg Salad
- Chicken Patties
- Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup
- Cobb Salad
Turkey Noodle Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 medium carrots, thinly sliced into circles
- 2 large sticks of celery, finely diced
- 1 small/medium onion, finely diced
- 8 cups turkey stock, or chicken or vegetable
- 4 cups water
- 4 medium Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 Tbsp parsley
- 1 1/2 tsp fine sea salt, plus more to taste
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups egg noodle pasta, or use 3/4 cup small pasta
- 3 cups leftover turkey meat, white and/or dark meat
- 1 garlic clove, pressed or grated
Instructions
- Set a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add 2 Tbsp olive oil. Once oil is hot, add onions, carrots, and celery and sauté until softened and golden, stirring frequently, about 5-7 minutes.
- Add broth, water, potatoes, bay leaf, 1 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper. Bring to a boil and continue cooking at a medium boil for 10 minutes.
- Add pasta and turkey and cook for 5 minutes or until pasta and potatoes are tender. The saltiness of the turkey meat and stock will determine how much salt to add so season with more salt and pepper to taste.
- Press in 1 garlic clove and stir in parsley then immediately remove from heat.
- Discard the bay leaves and serve garnished with more parsley if desired.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
Love the flavor and the combination of noodles and potatoes in this soup. Big thumbs up, Natasha!
Excellent! Very easy to make. I used turkey I had frozen from Thanksgiving.
This is one of our favorite ways to use up leftover turkey! Thanks for sharing, Shari.
I loved this. The potatoes make sure everyone is full. Mind what she says about the salt. If your stock/broth is already salty, careful adding even the initial 1.5 tsp. How does anyone keep the noodles from absorbing all the liquid?
I’m so happy you loved it, Amanda!
I boil the noodles separately and add them to a bowl with the soup when serving. I keep any leftover noodles and soup in separate containers.