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. 
This is so hearty and super comfy! I can’t get enough of this soup!
So glad you love it!
Hi I’m loving your cooking I just got your recipe book and I’m wondering how many of them you have. I’m trying to get back into my kitchen and cooking again it’s hard when you’re in a wheelchair but I’m looking forward to the new me thank you for your wonderful recipes you have been very helpful.
Hi Pamela! Thank you so much for purchasing my cookbook. That means a lot to me. This is my very first cookbook!
I did not have potatoes or noodles so I used Top Ramen noodles and small flavor package
Taste good
I’m so glad that worked out so well!
Lots of flavor and turned out great, but will eliminate potatoes and stick to just noodles. Super easy and no mess.
Made with left overs turkey..Came out sooper & easy..thank you so much ..
Thx 🌹🌹🌹
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Sherry!
This is now my go-to recipe for perfect turkey soup. Delicious! Thank you for also sharing the link to homemade bone broth through Simply…everything was fabulous and my family loves it.
I’m happy to hear that, Tiffany! Thank you for sharing your good feedback with us.
Thank you for sharing your turkey soup recipe, Natasha! I followed each step of the recipe except the potato and I cut the salt in half because of salt restriction. I used the red potatoes. Thank you again; it’s delicious! My family enjoyed it. God bless you and your family and stay safe.
You are so welcome, Catherine. I hope that you and your family will love every recipe that you will try!
Thanks Natasha, I tried Turkey noodle soup and it was delicious. The entire family loved it and it was so easy. I used the bones skin neck etc with bay leaf and celery to make the stock. S sautéed onion additional celery in the same soup pot then strained stock into it and added all other ingredients.
Very nice! Thanks for sharing that with us, Beverly.
Hey Natasha,
we tried your recipe for turkey, gravy and mashed potatoes and it was great!
Cheers from Austria
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Martin! Thank you for the wonderful review!
I found it was too watery, but I was weary of that. As usually when I make soup it comes out too thick so I’m working on it.
Thank you! We like the extra broth but you are welcome to adjust to your liking.
Thanks again, Natasha for a wonderfully delicious recipe!
Love all your recipes!
Susan
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you!
I omitted the potatoes also & used Turkey stock, which has sodium and left out added sodium. The soup is delicious. Thank you the recipe!
Sounds great, Shelly! You’re welcome and thank you for your good feedback.
Hello, could this be frozen?
Hi Amy, I haven’t tried freezing this soup to advise. If you experiment I would love to know how you like that.
It’s been hard to find the broth over in the uk. I am assuming it’s stock, there are a few products out there but they are niche so abit expensive. Might be an idea to cook a pan of mixed veg and make your own over here. What do you think?
Hi Jo, yes stock is interchangeable with broth in our recipes. You can use mixed vegetable stock as well if you prefer a vegetable stock.
I used leftover turkey and turkey stock for this recipe and it was terrific! Some credit goes to the turkey stock as it was homemade from my inlaws and yummy. Definitely a keeper recipe!
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review!
This turned out really well and was SUPER easy! I substituted frozen veggies, added the leftover corn from Thanksgiving dinner, and doubled the noodle portion because I like a heartier soup.
I’m so glad you enjoyed that Jeannette!
Hi there I am going to make this soup for sure,its sounds delish! I’m just wondering though will the pasta get too soft or mushy??
Thanks
Hi Lise, we left a few tips in the recipe but ours did not get mushy! I hope you love it!
Thank you for this recipe. We made our own turkey broth, so I only added 4 cups water to the 8 cups broth. I also omitted the potatoes, used only 1/2 an onion and added some garlic and a little tobasco sauce. I also threw in some chopped mushrooms because they were there in the fridge looking lonely. Delicious!
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review 🙂
I love watching you cook. I have tried several. of your recipes and loved them all. Happy Cooking!
I’m so happy to hear that, Peter! Thank you for sharing that with me!
Wow! I just made this and it was excellent! I did add extra carrots and a lot more seasoning than what the recipe called for because I like it that way. Using the egg noodles was a good choice. This recipe is a keeper! I only eat turkey on the holidays and just had a Canadian Thanksgiving holiday but would like to try it next time with chicken. Thank you Nastasha for the great recipe!
You’re so welcome, Nicole! I’m so happy you liked it!