Leftover Turkey Noodle Soup
After 25 years of professional and home cooking, I’ve learned that some of the most comforting, soul-warming meals come from making the most of what we have. This turkey noodle soup is the perfect example. I take full advantage of the leftovers and transform everything I have left, including turkey carcass, into tasty and easy dishes. Turkey carcass though always turns into a rich, flavorful homemade turkey stock that I make into turkey soups. (I actually have quite a few recipe ideas for leftovers.)
Key Ingredients, Tips and Substitutions
Turkey Carcass & Leftover Turkey Meat: The star of our show! Save your leftover holiday turkey meat and carcass, even if you just make a roasted turkey breast. (You can even freeze it if you don’t want to cook the soup right away.) For meat, I recommend mixing light meat and dark meat for the best flavor and texture.
Substitution: if you need to, feel free to use store-bought turkey stock or broth. I always recommend getting “low sodium” or “no salt added” so you have a better control of the salt. You can even boost store-bought stock by simmering it with some aromatics for 15-20 minutes before making your soup.
Vegetables for Stock and Soup: For both the soup and the stock, we will use a combination of onion, carrots, and celery (the classic mirepoix base) because they create such a beautiful, balanced flavor foundation.
Expert tip: No, you shouldn’t save the vegetables from the stock because they are very soft and everything has been cooked out of them and into the stock.
Fresh Herbs: Fresh thyme, sage, and parsley are traditional poultry herbs that complement turkey beautifully. For the stock, you can use whole sprigs since you’ll be straining everything out. For the finished soup, you’ll want to mince the sage and parsley finely so they distribute evenly.
Substitution: if you only have dried herbs, you can substitute using about 1/2 of the amount called for. (For the stock, use 1 tbsp dried parsley, 2 tsp dried thyme, and 1 tsp dried sage.)
Pasta: You can use any pasta or egg noodles shape you love – shells, rotini, ditalini, orzo, tagliatelle or pappardelle. Just keep in mind that different shapes have different cooking times, so adjust accordingly.
Substitution: to make the soup gluten-free, use your favorite gluten-free pasta.
How to Make Homemade Turkey Stock
Step 1: Prep the Ingredients: Pick off about 3 cups of meat from the turkey carcass and save it for the soup. Break or cut the carcass into pieces so it fits comfortably in your pot—use kitchen shears or even your hands if needed, since packing it in well helps extract the most flavor. Roughly chop the onion, carrots, and celery, and smash the garlic cloves.
Step 2: Sear the Vegetables: Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. Add the chopped onion, carrots, and celery, and let them sear undisturbed until golden brown on the bottom. This caramelization adds rich, complex flavor to the stock, so give them another stir and let them brown again. Make room in the center of the pot, add the smashed garlic, and cook for less than a minute until fragrant.
Step 3: Simmer the Stock: Add the turkey carcass pieces, seasoning and herbs. Pour in water, enough to cover everything and about an inch over. Bring the pot to a low boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer to avoid cloudiness and bitterness. Cover with the lid slightly cracked and simmer for 2 hours, then uncover and simmer for 1 more hour to allow the stock to reduce and intensify in flavor.
Step 4: Strain the Stock: Once cooked, strain it through a fine-mesh strainer into a large bowl or clean pot. Discard all the solids since the vegetables, herbs, and bones have released all their flavor.
Step 5: Store or Use Right Away: Use the stock immediately for your soup or let it cool to room temperature before storing. Refrigerate it for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
How To Make Turkey Noodle Soup
Step 1: Prep the Vegetables and Turkey: Chop the onion, celery, and carrots into uniform, bite-sized pieces and smash and finely mince the garlic. Measure out the remaining ingredients so everything is ready to go, having your “mise en place” makes this recipe move quickly and smoothly.
Step 2: Sear the Vegetables: Preheat a large soup pot over medium heat and add oil. Once it’s shimmering, add onion, celery, and carrots and let them cook undisturbed for a couple of minutes until golden brown on the bottom. This brief caramelization adds deep flavor to the broth.
Step 3: Add the Garlic: Push the vegetables to the edges of the pot and add the minced garlic to the center, where it can cook quickly without burning. Let it cook 30-45 seconds, just until fragrant. Stir it into the veggies once it’s aromatic.
Step 4: Add the Turkey: Stir in leftover turkey and let it cook for a few minutes.
Step 5: Add the Stock and Seasonings: Pour in turkey stock and add the seasoning. Hold off on the fresh herbs until the end so they stay bright and aromatic. Expert tip: Taste the broth before adding any more salt and add more if needed. Bring the pot to a low boil, then lower the heat to maintain a gentle simmer for s few minutes.
Step 6: Cook the Noodles: Add the noodles and cook until just tender. They will continue softening slightly in the hot soup, so take off heat when you’re happy.
Step 7: Finish with Fresh Herbs and Serve: Stir in the minced sage and parsley and turn off the heat. Adding fresh herbs at the end keeps their flavors bright and fresh. Serve the soup right away while the noodles are at their best and the broth is full and fragrant.
Variations To Try
Add lemon: A squeeze of fresh lemon juice brightens the flavor beautifully (highly recommended!).
Add greens: Stir in chopped kale, Swiss chard, or collard greens at the end for extra nutrients.
Use rice: Swap noodles for cooked rice or wild rice.
Make it creamy: Add a splash of heavy cream or half & half for a creamier broth.
For a classic version you can make year-round, try my chicken noodle soup, which uses the same comforting flavors.
Storing, Freezing and Reheating
Storing: Store leftover soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Reheating: The noodles will continue to absorb liquid and thicken the soup, so add a splash of stock or water when reheating if you prefer a brothier consistency. Reheat gently on the stovetop over medium-low heat or warm individual portions in the microwave.
For freezing: freeze the soup without the pasta, as noodles don’t thawed well. Cool the soup completely, transfer it to freezer-safe containers or bags, leave room for expansion, label it, and freeze for 2-3 months.
Thaw: thaw overnight in the fridge, reheat on the stovetop, then cook fresh pasta separately or add it directly to the reheated soup. Adjust seasoning as needed.
Frequently Asked Questions
What other vegetables can I add to turkey noodle soup?
- Mushrooms (sauté them with the other vegetables)
- Peas (add in the last 5 minutes of cooking)
- Green beans (add when you add the pasta)
- Corn (add in the last 10 minutes)
- Kale, collard greens, or Swiss chard (stir in at the very end)
- Parsnips or turnips (add with the carrots)
I don’t have a turkey carcass. Can I still make this soup?
Yes! If you only have turkey meat without the carcass, use good quality store-bought turkey or chicken stock as your base.
Can I make this soup in a slow cooker?
Yes! For the stock, place all stock ingredients in your slow cooker and cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 4-6 hours. Strain as directed. For the soup itself, sear your vegetables in a skillet first for best flavor, then transfer to the slow cooker with the turkey, stock, and seasonings (except pasta and fresh herbs). Cook on low for 4-6 hours or high for 2-3 hours. Add pasta during the last 30 minutes of cooking, then stir in fresh herbs before serving.
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Leftover Turkey Noodle Soup Recipe
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
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.
Nutrition
More Leftover Recipes To Try
If you have leftover ham too, my comforting ham and bean soup (or even Instant pot ham and bean soup) is another great post-holiday option. If you have more turkey leftover, try another great soup like my turkey tortellini soup. For dinner options using leftovers, I have creamy turkey spinach enchiladas and leftover turkey noodles.
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Categories:
Gluten Free Recipes, Holiday Leftover Recipes, Soup Recipes, Thanksgiving Dinner Recipes, Turkey Recipes,All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe.
Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.
