Turkey Noodle Soup

The perfect soup for leftovers, this creamy Turkey Noodle Soup is ideal for leftover Thanksgiving turkey, but is a great way to use up leftover chicken, as well!

Raise your hand if you love soup for dinner! Try this Tomato Basil Soup, Ham and Bean Soup, or any of my other soup recipes!

The Best Use of Turkey Leftovers

Don’t let the unassuming look of this soup above fool you.  Sure, it looks like your run of the mill noodle soup.  But let me just tell you – this one really is a winner.

I have been making this soup for years now. And I’m not the only one. My sister looks forward to Thanksgiving every year – so that she can make this soup with leftover turkey. My mom has made it multiple times, subbing in chicken for turkey when she doesn’t have turkey.

I often like to make a turkey breast for dinner, and I always like to save some for the next day to make this soup.

It’s one of those soups that you just end up craving.

It doesn’t hurt that it’s super easy and very kid friendly. That’s why I always say the unassuming ones usually end up being the best ones!

Ingredients

• Butter: I like to use unsalted butter, but salted butter will work just fine in this recipe.
• Vegetables: I use a basic mixture of carrots, onions, and celery. But you can change up the veggies, if you want. Broccoli, peas – even potatoes! Just keep in mind that different vegetables will take different times to cook.
• Flour: I have only tested this using all-purpose flour.
• Broth: If you are making this right after Thanksgiving and you have a turkey carcass to make turkey stock from, this would be the perfect way to use it! But you can make it with store bought stock as well, or I will usually just use chicken broth or stock.
• Milk: The milk will give the soup a creamy consistency. For an even thicker soup, you could replace part of the milk with cream, but I don’t really find it necessary.
• Salt and Pepper: Salt and pepper are super important when the ingredients are as basic as they are in this recipe. Make sure to taste and add salt and pepper as needed.
• Turkey: This is the first recipe that gets made in our house the day after Thanksgiving. Sometimes I will add it in shredded, and sometimes I will cube it up. Both ways work!
• Noodles: I always make mine with egg noodles. I think they are the best for an easy noodle soup like this one. If you do want to change up the noodle, though, just remember that you may need to adjust the amount of liquid and the cook time.

How to Make Turkey Noodle Soup

Cook the veggies – we’re using a basic combination of onions, carrots and celery. Cook them until they are soft.

Add the flour – this is what will thicken the soup up a little bit and give it that nice, creamy consistency.

Add the liquid – but not all of it to start! Just add in 2 cups of broth and your milk, and cook this all together until it starts to thicken. Then you can add another 4 cups of broth.

Finish it off – once you’ve added in all the liquid, add your turkey and the noodles. Cook until the noodles are tender. Don’t forget to check for seasoning and add salt and pepper. It will most likely need both. I like a lot of pepper.

Now it’s ready to serve – easy enough for a weeknight! Serve it up with a loaf of homemade easy french bread or Red Lobster Cheddar Biscuits, and I can almost guarantee that dinner will be gobbled right up.

Turkey Noodle Soup Video

Want to see how to make it? Watch the short video below to see it step by step.

You can also watch it on YouTube.

Tips and Tricks

• I mentioned this above, but my mom has made this with leftover chicken, so don’t wait until after you have some leftover turkey!
• I use chicken broth because I never have turkey stock, and I think it’s hard to find usually. But you can use either!
• If the soup is too thick for you, or if there are too many noodles, add in that last 1 cup of broth.
• This Turkey Noodle Soup is not a soup that sits warm on the stove for an extended amount of time, simply because the noodles continue to soak up the liquid, and before you know it, you just have a pot full of soggy noodles. Keep this in mind and don’t add the noodles until shortly before you are going to serve the soup. Or alternately, you can cook the noodles separately and add them to individual bowls of soup. I do have to say that then they don’t get the extra flavor from being cooked in broth and milk.

More Leftover Turkey Recipes

White Turkey Chili
Turkey Salad Sandwiches
Rosemary Turkey Squares
Turkey Fajita Pizza
Thanksgiving Leftover Enchiladas