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Put your leftover Thanksgiving turkey to good use by making a pot of Turkey Noodle Soup! Just like the chicken version, this is a hearty, cozy soup recipe that’s pure comfort food.
This is your classic comfort food soup, with a post-holiday twist. It’s a fantastic tradition for the days after Thanksgiving when you’re turning the leftovers into ALL the things.
It’s also a quick and easy turkey soup because we’re just using chicken stock (though, of course, you can make and use turkey stock). Between that shortcut and the leftover turkey, this turkey noodle soup is ready to eat in minutes!
Step By Step Instructions
*I’ll walk you through it here with some photos and tips, and you’ll also find a printable recipe card at the bottom of the post with exact measurements, etc. You can also click “jump to recipe” to skip down.
Warm the butter and olive oil in a large stockpot set over medium heat.
Once the butter melts, stir in the carrots, celery, and onions. Cook until the vegetables soften; this should take around 10 minutes, but that all depends on how large you cut your veggies. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes, or until it’s fragrant.
Pour in the chicken stock, then add the parsley, tarragon, and smoked paprika.
Increase the heat to high. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, then add the egg noodles. Cook for 1 minute, stirring often.
Reduce the heat to medium, and continue to cook until the egg noodles are al dente. Stir in the leftover turkey.
Cook until the noodles are softened and the turkey is warmed through. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
PRO TIPS/RECIPE NOTES
- Use the highest-quality chicken stock that your budget allows. It’s an important ingredient and some canned varieties are overly salty or have a tinny flavor.
- If you plan to freeze this soup or even store it in the fridge for another day, I recommend turning off the heat as soon as the noodles reach the al dente stage. During storage, they’ll continue to absorb water and soften.
- Cut the vegetables into evenly sized pieces. This ensures that they’ll all be softened at the same time.
Turkey Noodle Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 4 cups carrots {peeled and chopped}{~8 carrots}
- 2.5 cups celery {chopped}{~7 stalks}
- 1 cup white or yellow onion {diced}{~1 small onion}
- 4 cloves garlic {minced}
- 8 cups chicken stock
- 1/2 tsp dried tarragon {~2 tsp chopped if using fresh}
- 1.5 tsp dried parsley {~1 heaping tbsp chopped if using fresh}
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 3.5 cups egg noodles
- 2.5 cups cooked turkey, shredded or chopped {~1/2 lb}
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a heavy-bottomed stockpot, combine butter and olive oil over medium heat.2 tbsp unsalted butter, 2 tsp olive oil
- Once the butter has melted, add carrots, celery, and onions, stirring to combine. Cook until vegetables are starting to soften (~10 minutes).4 cups carrots, 2.5 cups celery, 1 cup white or yellow onion
- Add garlic and cook for 1-2 more minutes.4 cloves garlic
- Add the chicken stock, parsley, tarragon, and smoked paprika.8 cups chicken stock, 1/2 tsp dried tarragon, 1.5 tsp dried parsley, 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- Increase the heat to high, and bring the mixture to a gentle boil. Add egg noodles and cook for 1 minute, stirring often.3.5 cups egg noodles
- Reduce the heat to medium, and cook until the egg noodles are al dente.
- Stir in the cooked turkey.2.5 cups cooked turkey, shredded or chopped
- Cook until the noodles are softened and the turkey is heated through.
- Salt and pepper to taste.Salt and pepper to taste
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Made this the week after turkey day. I can confirm this was a hit with the whole family. My teenager ate the leftovers on TWO separate occasions (he never eats leftovers which is maddening). My folks were not feeling well either that week so I dropped some off to them. They loved it as well. Pretty sure I’ve been upgraded to favorite son status (I’m their only son). I didn’t have any tarragon sadly but I can’t wait to make this again with it to make it even better.
Robert, thrilled it hear it was a hit and that you were able to retain favorite son status!
If you want to level up…. instead of using regular broth, use your turkey carcass to make bone broth.
General recipe: In a big pot add a little olive oil, and lightly saute diced onion, celery, and some garlic. When it becomes translucent add your turkey carcass (you can break it up into pieces – don’t bother cleaning anything, just leave whatever’s there) and a little salt, plus some celery tops (the leaves) and a couple chopped-up carrots.
Add enough water to cover the carcass and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat, put a lid on it, and simmer for at least a few hours. Add more water as needed to keep the carcass covered.
When you’re done strain it, and you will have incredibly thick, delicious and nutritious bone broth. Just don’t freak out – if you refrigerate your broth it will solidify like Jello… that’s all the yummy collagen! Heat it up and it goes back to liquid.
Thanks Monica; turkey stock is indeed incredible! I do have a recipe for turkey bone broth, and it is linked and noted in the recipe. 🙂