Best Leftover Turkey Noodle Soup

The best leftover turkey noodle soup to make after Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving Week, friends! Even though the chaos of Black Friday makes it pretty much a regular week for me, I’m still super excited to celebrate on Thursday with my family! There’s nothing like making Stuffed Mushrooms with my Mom… it’s just the best ❤️

And speaking of my Mom, we had an amazing time surprising her this weekend! In case you missed it, her two brothers, my Nana, and 4 of my cousins flew out from New York to surprise her on Friday night for her 60th birthday. She thought we were all going to dinner together on Saturday night, but when she showed up, all of her friends were there to celebrate with us! It was so sweet and she was SO happy. I’m also pretty darn proud of us for pulling off not one, but TWO surprises! Woo!

Best Leftover Turkey Noodle Soup

But enough of that, let’s talk about the soup! Since Thanksgiving is just a few days away, I wanted to show you one of my favorite ways to use up leftover turkey – put in a leftover turkey noodle soup!

If we’re being honest, this is the exact same recipe I use for good old fashioned chicken noodle soup, so if you’re reading this any other time of year – yes, you can still make it with chicken! I love making it with homemade turkey though, because the extra brine and seasonings are SO good in the soup. Plus, a mix of light and dark meat makes it extra delicious. 

Also, you might think that soup requires a lot of time to simmer, but once your chicken or turkey is cooked, this soup recipe is actually really quick and easy! 30 minutes later, you’ll have a warm cozy dinner on the table!

How To Make Leftover Turkey Noodle Soup

Ingredients

2.5 cups turkey, shredded (or chicken)
1.5 cups dry egg noodles
1 onion, chopped
1-2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup carrots, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
2 garlic cloves
1 bay leaf
6 cups turkey broth (or chicken broth)
1 cup water
1 tsp fresh thyme (fresh parsley is good in this, too!)
salt and pepper

Step One

Add the oil, carrots, celery, and onion to a dutch oven or large pot. Saute over medium heat until the vegetables start to soften – about 8-10 minutes.

Step Two

Add the garlic and saute until fragrant for a few minutes.

Step Three

Add the broth, thyme, bay leaf, and water and bring to a boil. 

Step Four

Reduce heat slightly and add turkey and egg noodles. 

Step Five

Let it cook at a low boil for 10 minutes.

Step Six

Add more water and/or salt and pepper if you think it’s necessary.

Step Seven

Serve with additional herbs on top. My family always likes to put a little bit of grated parmesan on top, too!

A few notes:

• If you are hosting Thanksgiving, you can make your own turkey broth with the turkey carcass after you take the meat off the bones! This recipe looks really easy – and such a great way to reduce food waste even more!
• Feel free to cut this recipe in half if you won’t eat it all. You can also freeze half of it, too! I always love having soups in the freezer for those snowy nights when you don’t have fresh groceries!
• Hate soggy noodles? Just cook them separately and pour the soup over them in each individual bowl. I do that with my Pasta Fagioli recipe every time. For some reason I don’t mind the noodles a little soggy in chicken noodle soup though ?‍♀️
• If you’re not making this after Thanksgiving, you can use rotisserie chicken, or cook turkey/chicken just for this. I use this method of boiling chicken a lot.

Also, I know you already know this – but I am going to be working hard to make sure Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales are super easy for you to digest this week. In addition to going live on the blog, I’ll also be sending an extra email out this week! If you aren’t subscribed yet, all I need is your name and email address here. Don’t worry, I usually only send an email at 4pm on Sundays… this week is just a special one 😉

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Best Leftover Turkey Noodle Soup

Yield: 4-6

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Print

Ingredients

• 2.5 cups turkey, shredded (or chicken!)
• 1.5 cups dry egg noodles
• 1-2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 cup carrots, chopped
• 1 cup celery, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 bay leaf
• 6 cups turkey or chicken broth
• 1 cup water
• 1 tsp fresh thyme (parsley is good in this, too!)
• salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Add the oil, carrots, celery, and onion to a dutch oven or large pot. Saute over medium heat until the vegetables start to soften - about 8-10 minutes.
2. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant for a few minutes.
3. Add the broth, thyme, bay leaf, and water and bring to a boil.
4. Turn down the heat slightly and add the shredded turkey and egg noodles.
5. Let it cook at a low boil for 10 minutes.
6. Add more water and/or salt and pepper if you think it’s necessary.
7. Serve with additional herbs on top. My family always likes to put a little bit of grated parmesan on top, too! 

Notes

• If you are hosting Thanksgiving, you can make your own turkey broth with the turkey carcass after you take the meat off the bones! This recipe looks really easy - and such a great way to reduce food waste even more!
• Feel free to cut this recipe in half if you won't eat it all. You can also freeze half of it, too! I always love having soups in the freezer for those snowy nights when you don't have fresh groceries!
• Hate soggy noodles? Just cook them separately and pour the soup over them in each individual bowl. I do that with my Pasta Fagioli recipe every time. For some reason I don't mind the noodles a little soggy in chicken noodle soup ?‍♀️
• If you're not making this after Thanksgiving, you can use rotisserie chicken, or cook turkey/chicken just for this. I use this method of boiling chicken a lot.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 451Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 221mgSodium: 442mgCarbohydrates: 15gFiber: 2gSugar: 3gProtein: 57g

Want to remember this Leftover Turkey Noodle Soup Recipe? Pin the image below!

PS. If you’re reading this before Thanksgiving, you might like some of my other recipes, too! These are my favorite – and all of them are perfect for Thursday, whether you’re hosting or just bringing a side dish!

Parmesan Brussels Sprouts

Roasted Cauliflower with Pomegranate Seeds and Herbs

Crockpot Cranberry Apple Sauce

Vegetarian Stuffed Mushrooms (my favorite!)

Bacon Wrapped Brussels

Green Bean Casserole (without canned bean/soup!)

Pumpkin Hand Pies