This homemade leftover turkey noodle soup recipe captures the heart of Thanksgiving and the tastes of the fall.
Some may ask, “Which one is better – the Thanksgiving dinner or the leftovers that follow? This recipe might tip the scales.
Using Thanksgiving leftovers I have also made this amazing Thanksgiving leftover breakfast casserole. For breakfast this morning, I also used my sourdough, sausage and mushroom stuffing and mixed it with eggs for a Thanksgiving breakfast scramble. So tasty!
Aren’t Thanksgiving leftovers just fun to experiment with? There are so many options
Homemade Leftover Turkey Noodle Soup Recipe
Ingredients Needed to Make Homemade Leftover Turkey Noodle Soup Recipe
- 16 cups turkey broth (tips for a homemade version below)
- 12 oz rotini pasta
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 carrots, cut on the bias and then sliced
- 1 large stalk of celery, cut on the bias
- 1 small yellow onion, sliced
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tsp fresh thyme
- 2 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
- 4 cups left over turkey, cut into bite sized pieces
How to Make Homemade Leftover Turkey Noodle Soup Recipe
- Cook pasta according to package directions. Strain and set aside.
- Add 2 Tbsp of oil to the bottom of a large soup pot.
- Sweat vegetables and herbs in pan. This basically means to heat, stirring frequently, until just tender. You do not want to brown them.
- Add stock to vegetables and bring to a simmer.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Cut up cooked turkey and add to vegetables. Add pasta. The pasta soaks up seasoning so taste and see if you want to add more at this point.
- Simmer for 10 minutes and serve.
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Note: If you leave this soup in the refrigerator overnight, you might find that the noodles have soaked up more of the broth. You might want to have extra stock on hand just in cases this happens.
Tips for Making a Homemade Turkey Stock with Turkey Carcass
This was my first year hosting Thanksgiving. It was, therefore, also my first time making the turkey.
I have made a lot of chicken stock before for my delicious homemade chicken noodle soup recipe. This was my first time making turkey stock, but it is basically the same.
The turkey stock I made in the crock pot so it could simmer overnight. This slow simmer allows all the flavors to develop, creating depth to your turkey stock.
Take your turkey carcass and put it in the crock pot. Cover this fully with water. Add in fresh herbs (I had left over rosemary, thyme and sage – no need to chop them, just throw them in), 2 stocks of celery , 2 carrots and 1 onion. These don’t need to be sliced perfectly. Just roughly slice them all and toss them in the pot.
Leave the crockpot on a 10 hour cook.
In the morning, your kitchen will be filled with the amazing smell of the turkey stock. It is almost ready for you to start your soup.
Cool stock in the refrigerator. After it sits in the refrigerator for about 8 hours you get a film on top. This fat film can be spooned off and discarded.
Turkey stock can be frozen for 2-3 months.
Homemade Leftover Turkey Noodle Soup Recipe
Ingredients
Ingredients Needed to Make Homemade Leftover Turkey Noodle Soup Recipe
- 16 cups turkey broth tips for a homemade version below
- 12 oz rotini pasta
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 carrots cut on the bias and then sliced
- 1 large stalk of celery cut on the bias
- 1 small yellow onion sliced
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tsp fresh thyme
- 2 tsp fresh rosemary chopped
- 4 cups left over turkey cut into bite sized pieces
Instructions
How to Make Homemade Leftover Turkey Noodle Soup Recipe
- Cook pasta according to package directions set aside.
- Add 2 Tbsp of oil to the bottom of a large soup pot.
- Sweat vegetables and herbs in pan. This basically means to heat, stirring frequently, until just tender. You do not want to brown them.
- Add stock to vegetables and bring to a simmer.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Cut up cooked turkey and add to vegetables. Add pasta. The pasta soaks up seasoning so taste and see if you want to add more at this point.
- Simmer for 10 minutes and serve.
Want More Fall Recipe Ideas?
Thanksgiving Leftover Breakfast Casserole
