This homemade turkey noodle soup is one of our all time favorites and the perfect way to enjoy leftover turkey!
When I make a big turkey dinner, I always make sure to cook a big enough turkey to plan for leftovers. There are literally countless meals you can make with leftover turkey from soups and casseroles to easy turkey pasta salads for lunch. Once the protein is cooked, the rest of the meal just seems to come together so quickly & easily and who doesn’t love a good turkey soup from leftovers. Of all things I make with leftovers, turkey noodle soup is near the very top of my favorites! It just feels good to enjoy a meal made with so many great flavors! I make a killer Slow Cooker Turkey Bean Soup recipe that everyone raves about and this soup is another one that my family just can’t get enough of!
This soup is an old fashioned turkey soup with a little bit of extra flavor added in! Nothing fancy, crazy or unusual, just good classic flavors we love and enjoy!
Tips for a Perfect Homemade Turkey Soup
If time allows, making your own turkey broth is easy and delicious! Swap out the noodles for instant rice or cooked wild rice. Use any veggies you have on hand including leftover vegetables. If they’re already cooked, add them in the last few minutes just to heat them. Fresh herbs really add a pop of flavor. With the exception of rosemary, they should be added in right before serving. If you are low on broth, water and bouillon is a great substitution. I always add a pinch of Poultry Seasoning to chicken or turkey soups for a delicious flavor. Swap out the regular canned tomatoes for a can of tomatoes with green chilis to add a bit of spice.
I start with a classic onion, celery, carrot mixture cooked until tender. Seasonings and flour are added in to add a slightly creamy texture to the broth. Next leftover turkey, broth and canned tomatoes are simmered together creating a delicious and slightly zesty flavor. Finally noodles are added in and cooked until nice and tender. I use rotini but any medium sized noodles are great in this recipe. Keep in mind that the noodles take a little bit longer to cook in this soup than the would in water.
The result is the most delicious turkey soup ever! We serve this with a side salad and my favorite 30 Minute Dinner Rolls for an easy meal that warms my belly! © SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
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title: “Homemade Turkey Noodle Soup” ShowToc: true date: “2024-09-15” author: “Mitchell Mcdonald”
This turkey noodle soup starts with a from-scratch broth using a leftover turkey carcass. The broth is then filled with a handful of veggies, some egg noodles, and lots of leftover turkey for the perfect cozy soup recipe. Prep the broth up to 3 days ahead of time or make it now and freeze it for later.
A Great Way to Use Thanksgiving Leftovers
This soup can be made with homemade broth (from a turkey carcass, below) or from prepared chicken or turkey broth or stock. The broth can be made a few days ahead, once the broth is made, the soup takes about 20 minutes. Add any veggies and any kind of noodles. Leftover roasted veggies are great in this recipe. This soup freezes beautifully before adding the noodles.
Ingredients for Turkey Noodle Soup
Broth: Homemade broth or store bought broth will work in this recipe. Below I’ve included my fave recipe for homemade turkey broth. Of course, you can use boxed or canned chicken broth. I love using a turkey carcass from our leftover Thanksgiving turkey and making homemade broth for the very best flavor. Adding vegetables to the bones adds flavor, I use carrots, celery, and onion with herbs. If you’ve got other veggie scraps from making turkey dinner (the ends of green beans or onions, empty corn cobs, etc.) add them in! Don’t peel the onion when making the broth, the brown onion skin also helps add color. Soup: Once the broth has been strained and simmered down, add the soup veggies. The vegetables used for broth will be mushy so they can be discarded (although I usually snack on them!). Noodles: I use dried egg noodles but any pasta shape works. If time allows, this soup is amazing with homemade egg noodles. I would suggest cooking the noodles separately from the broth and adding them to each bowl. For this from-scratch soup, there will be two steps.
How to Make Homemade Broth
I love homemade turkey broth for soup! SIMMER – Making homemade broth is easy, just add the ingredients (per the recipe below) to a large soup pot with water and simmer for about 4 hours. It can also be cooked in a slow cooker. If you’ve got extra bones that haven’t been used (like the neck or the back if you’ve spatchcocked the turkey) STRAIN – Strain the broth through cheesecloth to catch any tiny bits and discard the bones and vegetables. They’ll be too mushy for soup. SKIM – Let the broth rest so the fat separates and skim it off the top with a spoon (or use a gravy separator). Taste the broth and if you’d like put it back in the pot and simmer uncovered to reduce it a bit. I usually reduce it to about 8 cups.
How to Make Homemade Turkey Noodle Soup
This is really easy, once the broth is done it comes together in about 15-20 minutes.
Tips for a Great Noodle Soup
Freeze veggie scraps, onion ends, carrot tops, etc to add to broth. Leave the skins on the onions for extra color. If your turkey carcass is large, break it apart to fit in the pot. If using a smaller carcass, either reduce the water or add a spoonful of bouillon (I like Better Than Bouillon turkey or chicken). For a deeper flavor, a little bit of boxed broth or no sodium broth can be added in place of some of the water if desired. Because the turkey is already cooked, it should be added at the end and just heated through so it doesn’t dry out. Leftover gravy can be added to the soup. It can also be thickened with a scoop or two of leftover mashed potatoes. Noodles should not be stored in the soup if having leftovers so we cook them on the side.
© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
