Easy Turkey Noodle Soup

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Turkey Noodle Soup is a Midwest favorite after Thanksgiving. This recipe has only 8 ingredients and takes 27 minutes to cook. It is simple, fast and easy, and you can make it in just one pot. It’s perfect for beginner cooks, or more advanced cooks. It’s great to warm you up on a cold winter day, but also when you need a comfort meal from not feeling good. You can use leftover chicken as well!

What will you need to make this Turkey Noodle Soup recipe?

To make this recipe, grab the following ingredients:

• Canola oil
• Onion
• Carrot (fresh)
• Celery (fresh)
• Fresh thyme (or dried)
• Turkey stock (from grocery store or homemade – more on that below)
• Wide egg noodles
• Salt and pepper

Cooking tools I love to make this soup easier:

A Dutch Oven. When a pot can go directly from your stove (including induction) or oven to your table, you’ll reach for it again and again because it’s low maintenance and versatile. It’s great not only for soups and stews and chilis, but whole chicken roasting, pasta dishes, casseroles, homemade bread, and so much more. It really makes your food juicy, tender, and more flavorful.

I love using my 6 Quart Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven from Pampered Chef. It goes from stove to oven when you want it to, and looks great on the table. It stands out from normal cast iron because it’s enameled, which means you can clean it in the dishwasher! It’s my favorite pot for Turkey Noodle Soup.

A mandolin. This is a tool that speeds up chopping and slicing and makes dinner prep really easy BUT in a super safe way.

I love the Rapid Prep Mandolin for these reasons, as I was able to quickly cut up my onion without tears, along with my celery and carrots in slices in seconds. No knife skills needed.

Related recipes/variations:

Don’t have leftover turkey? You can use leftover cooked chicken as well. Rotisserie chicken works great, or you can even just cook up some chicken breasts at the beginning of the week to use for this and other recipes. 

The onions really add depth to the soup so I suggest leaving those in. And they give you some helpful prebiotic fiber which is good for gut health too.

You can also make your own stock from the turkey carcass, or chicken carcass. It’s one of my favorite things to do. After you have picked off the larger meat chunks/bits, then put the carcass in 6-8 cups water into a large stock pot, along with a couple of bay leaves, an onion cut into chunks, an apple sliced into wedges, two celery stalks cut in half, two carrots and some fresh thyme sprigs and salt.

Cook on medium-low on your stovetop for approximately 2-4 hours, just simmering while you are enjoying your family. Then strain and pour into a jar for use for this recipe: Busy Day Chicken Noodle Soup.

Turkey or chicken carcass tip: You don’t have to make the stock right away – you can store the carcass, covered/in a container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Frequently asked questions about turkey noodle soup:

Can you freeze turkey noodle soup? Yes, you can! Freeze it in one-cup portions for up to 3-4 months. Or freeze in a larger portion for a meal for up to 3-4 months.

What can you add to soup to give it flavor? Herbs (dried and fresh) and salt definitely give soups flavor. So don’t leave them out. You can salt to taste, but always start on the lower end of the amounts, and then taste as you go so you can identify what works best. For this recipe, less than a teaspoon is needed.

What is turkey soup made of? It’s made of onions, carrots and celery, along with turkey stock, cooked turkey and egg noodles. Dried or fresh thyme, salt and pepper add extra flavor.

How long can you keep a turkey carcass before making soup? You can store it covered/in a container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. You can also freeze the carcass up to 3-4 months. This info comes directly from the Turkey Federation and is appropriate for food safety.

Can you make turkey noodle soup in a slow cooker? Yes! To do that, sauté the vegetables as stated in the recipe, then add to the slow cooker. Add the remaining ingredients except for the noodles. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 3-4 hours. During the last hour, add the noodles.

Can you make turkey noodle soup in a pressure cooker? Absolutely! To do that, sauté the vegetables as stated in the recipe but use the “SEAR” or “SAUTE” function on your pressure cooker (rather than another pan on the stove). Press “CANCEL”. Then add the remaining ingredients, including the noodles and set for “CUSTOM” cook time of 3 minutes. Release the pressure after it’s finished by pressing the steam release button. Enjoy!

Make ahead/storage tips:

You can make this up to 2 days ahead and then simply reheat on the stove on day 3. 

Leftovers are good for up to 3 days. Either reheat in the microwave or on the stove top until the temperature is above 165 degrees.

Serving ideas with turkey noodle soup:

With this soup, nothing beats a grilled cheese sandwich. You can also swap the sandwich for a wrap or salad if you like. Add a piece of fruit and glass of milk, and you have yourself a well-balanced meal.

Other soup recipes you will love:

I have numerous soup recipes you may want to check out, like Lasagna Soup and Pasta Fagioli Soup.