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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!
And if you’re looking for more leftover turkey recipes, check out our Turkey Pot Pie With Puff Pastry, Turkey Rice Casserole, Turkey and Bacon Sandwich, and Turkey Shepherd’s Pie.
Ingredients
This recipe has:
- Unsalted butter – I love starting with butter because it adds a depth and richness you don’t get with olive oil alone.
- Olive oil
- Mirepoix – Your carrots, celery, onion, and garlic. These form the base of flavor for our turkey soup.
- Chicken stock – Or check out our recipe for homemade Turkey Bone Broth.
- Dried tarragon – Feel free to swap in fresh.
- Dried parsley – Feel free to swap in fresh.
- Smoked paprika – A non-traditional addition to turkey noodle soup, but one that I really love. It adds a hint of smokiness without dominating.
- Egg noodles
- Cooked turkey – Either shredded or chopped.
- Salt and pepper
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.
RECIPE VARIATIONS & OPTIONAL ADDINS
Want to make creamy turkey noodle soup? You can add heavy cream to the pot at the end of the cooking time; add a bit, stir it in, add more, etc., until it reaches your desired creaminess.
You can make turkey soup with rice by skipping the egg noodles and adding cooked rice. (I don’t recommend cooking the rice in the soup, as it will change the liquid-to-”stuff” ratio.)
Swap in another pasta if you’d like. Rotini, ditalini, and even alphabet noodles are fun, but anything that fits onto a spoon will work.
HOW TO STORE AND REHEAT
Storing Leftovers: Refrigerate leftover turkey noodle soup in an airtight container for 3 to 5 days.
Reheating Leftovers: Reheat this soup in a pan on the stovetop over medium heat or in the microwave until warmed through (~1.5-3 minutes).
Freezing Leftovers: Freeze turkey soup in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw it in the refrigerator before reheating.
My favorite way to freeze leftover soup is in 1-cup or 2-cup Souper Cubes. Once frozen, I remove them from the trays and transfer them to freezer-safe silicone bags for the perfect zero-waste freezer method.
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.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH THIS RECIPE
Serve your turkey soup with a side of leftover Stuffing Biscuits, Air Fryer Texas Toast, or No-Knead Dutch Oven Bread.
And while the soup itself is positively packed with veggies, a side of Cabbage Salad or Air Fryer Butternut Squash would also be delightful
More Soup Recipes You’ll Love
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.
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. 🙂