When you crave a delicious and healthy way to use Thanksgiving leftovers, this soup is the answer!
Whenever I have leftover roasted chicken or turkey on hand, you can bet I’m going to make a hearty soup. It’s such a great way to fill up on a cold winter day, and I love how easy they are to make with simple ingredients like vegetables and pantry staples.
What Goes in Turkey Noodle Soup?
This recipe uses many of the same ingredients as classic chicken noodle soup, but roasted turkey instead of chicken.
Here’s everything you’ll need to make turkey noodle soup:
- Aromatic veggies: carrots, onion, celery, and garlic.
- Olive oil: for cooking.
- Seasonings: dried thyme and parsley go great with turkey.
- Bay leaf: more flavor!
- Chicken broth: use store-bought or homemade broth or stock.
- Water: more liquid to cook this soup.
- Roasted turkey meat: shredded. Not enough turkey leftovers? Swap it for chicken.
- Uncooked pasta: any pasta will go great, but shells, rotini, and macaroni hold more broth and flavor. If using longer noodles, break them in half before adding to the soup.
You’ll find the measurements in the recipe card below.
How to Make Turkey Noodle Soup
This turkey noodle soup requires minimal kitchen duty. If you’re using leftover turkey and have the vegetables prepped and ready to go, you can have this soup ready to serve in less than 30 minutes.
Check how easy this soup is done:
- Sauté
In a large soup pot, sauté the onions, celery, carrots, and garlic in olive oil until the veggies are tender and the onions translucent. - Simmer
Add the seasonings, broth, and water. Bring the soup to a boil before reducing the heat and simmering for 15 minutes. - Add the pasta
Once the soup has simmered for 15 minutes, add the pasta and turkey meat, cook for an additional 10 minutes until the pasta is tender. - Serve
Remove the bay leaf and ladle into serving bowls.
Swaps and Substitutions for Turkey Noodle Soup
Just like chicken noodle soup, this is a recipe you can tweak and make all your own. Below I’ve listed several ingredients and additions that would be perfect with this stove-top turkey soup.
Protein
If you don’t have enough turkey to yield 3 cups, swap it for shredded rotisserie chicken. Or just make my slow cooker chicken noodle soup. It’s just as simple.
Vegetables
Want additional veggies? Go you! Anything like green peas, green beans, corn, and diced zucchini would add extra volume and soak up the flavors of the broth.
Seasonings
Add rosemary and sage for even more Thanksgiving flavor, or swap the thyme and parsley for one teaspoon Italian seasoning.
How to Make Turkey Noodle Soup in the Slow Cooker
If you need a break from cooking, this stove-top soup can also be made in your a slow cooker recipe. Here’s how to do it:
- Combine all the ingredients minus the turkey and pasta. Cook for 6 hours on low heat or 4 hours on high.
- Once the veggies are tender, stir in the pasta and chicken. Turn the heat to high, cover, and cook on high for an additional 15 to 20 minutes.
Want to watch how it’s made? Check out this video below where I’m making slow cooker chicken noodle soup. Simply swap the chicken out for turkey meat, and you’ll have this recipe!
Using Leftover Turkey
This soup is a great recipe to make with leftover Thanksgiving turkey, and you can use white or dark meat. It’s comforting, hearty, and a relatively healthy meal for the day after a feast. Looking for more easy leftover turkey recipes? Check out the ones below:
- Turkey Stew
- Turkey Pot Pie Soup
- Paleo Chili– swap shredded chicken for turkey
- Thanksgiving Leftover Egg Rolls
How to Prep Ahead
If you plan to make this soup the day after Thanksgiving, chop the vegetables ahead of time and shred the turkey meat once the feast is over and you are putting away food. Freshly chopped vegetables will last up to 5 days in the refrigerator, and cooked meat will last up to 3 days.
Planning meals and prepping ingredients days before saves so much time in the kitchen, and it’s what I help hundreds of families do in my dinner meal plans. With five family-approved recipes, it helps take out the guesswork of what to make each week, as well as a shopping list and prep guide so you can grab all the ingredients and have them ready to turn into something delicious.
Learn more about the classic family meal plan here.
Easy Turkey Noodle Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 large carrots, peeled and chopped
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 2 ribs celery, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 bay leaf
- 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup water
- 2 cups uncooked pasta
- 2-3 cups shredded roasted turkey
Instructions
- In a large Dutch oven or soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, onions, celery, and garlic, sauté for 5 minutes or until the vegetables are softened.
- Add the seasonings, broth, and water. Bring the soup to a boil before reducing the heat and simmering for 15 minutes.
- Stir in the pasta and shredded turkey and cook for 10 minutes or until the pasta is tender.
- Remove the bay leaf and ladle into serving bowls.
Leave a Reply