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.
Common Questions
Absolutely! I always cook more turkey than I need, and we always have guests during the holidays. Make your batch of Turkey Noodle Soup as big as you need. You’ll just need a bigger pot.
Either (or both). There is no wrong answer. Either way, I chop or shred the meat into a manageable size for a spoon.
If you are making a large batch and might be freezing a portion for later, I find it helps to cook the noodles on the side and add them to each bowl before serving. The pasta absorbs so much liquid and you risk a change in texture if it simmers too long or after freezing.
You sure can! Add the ingredients (minus the pasta) to your crockpot and cook on high for 2 to 3 hours or on low for 4 to 6 hours. Add cooked pasta just before serving.
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
Natasha Kravchuk
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
Hey Natasha, just made this soup and, once again with your recipes, was not disappointed. I used more noodles than called for but everything else the same as the recipe. I used my own Turkey broth from Xmas but, as I didn’t have any leftover meat I cooked eight chicken thighs in the Air Fryer with Smoked Paprika. Added more Bay leaves also. Taste & texture was wonderful. Thanks for sharing this and your other recipes!
You’re very welcome, Roger!
Hi i have a frozen 3lb turkey roast how can i roast that and make the turkey soup with that Thank you Natash,,,
Hi Lena! I don’t have a recipe for a Turkey that small but you can reference my Juicy roasted chicken recipe or Juicy roasted Turkey recipe for the process and then use a food thermometer to check for doneness as recommended.
Natasha I was going to cook the turkey breast with the stock and carrots then shread the turkey and make the soup and i do that thanks
Can ifreeze this or will the noodles be gross
It freezes well for up to 3 months. You can go to the “Make Ahead” section of the recipe for the freezing tips.
Love all the recipes that I have tried, especially the meat loaf ,
the turkey noodle soup was outstanding. I have your cookbook and I have found some wonderful recipes.
Thank you, Dave! I’m glad you are enjoying them!
This soup is the whole reason i view your page. Tried it…amazing. Works well with chicken. Thanks
That’s wonderful to hear, Kay! Thank you for sharing.
Made this right after Thanksgiving and it was a hit! Easy to put together and tasty. I’ve never added potatoes to a chicken or turkey noodle soup, but it was a nice addition.
I’m glad you liked it, Margo!
I was great flavor soup. I did not add the potatoes I used frozen mix veggies and and the fine egg noodles (like the soup box). They seemed to be not as mushy the next day.
Will make again.
Hi Marcia! Im glad you enjoyed the soup. Thank you for sharing your experience.
The turkey noodle soup is MONEY! I screwed up, didn’t have potatoes so I added extra egg noodles! Absolutely awesome!
I’m glad you loved it, Smiley!
I made this turkey soup yesterday and we loved it. Didn’t add potatoes nor noodles. The broth was delectable!
Hi Marianne! Thank you for the wonderful feedback. I’m so glad you loved the soup.