American · Soup · Easy
Leftover Turkey Soup
A restorative soup of turkey, vegetables, and noodles in rich homemade stock. Friday's bowl tastes almost as good as Thursday's feast.
The whole recipe in 60 seconds
Leftover Turkey Soup, in 5 ideas
- Add the turkey at the end. It is already cooked and only needs warming, or it turns stringy.
- Lemon at the finish brightens the whole pot. Nobody will name it, everybody will notice.
- Cook noodles separately if you plan to keep leftovers, so they do not swell overnight.
- The carcass makes a second batch of stock, so nothing from the bird goes to waste.
- A handful of leftover green beans or corn from the feast fits right in.
What you need
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil or turkey fat
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 carrots, sliced into coins
- 3 celery stalks, sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 8 cups turkey stock
- 3 cups shredded leftover turkey
- 2 bay leaves and 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
- 4 oz egg noodles
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped, plus a squeeze of lemon juice
- Salt and black pepper to taste
How to make it
Directions
- Warm the oil in a large pot and cook the onion, carrots, and celery for 6 to 8 minutes until softened.
- Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Pour in the stock, add the thyme and bay leaves, and bring to a simmer.
- Add the noodles and cook until just tender, about 6 to 8 minutes depending on the package.
- Stir in the turkey and peas and simmer 3 minutes more, just until heated through.
- Remove the bay leaves. Season boldly with salt and pepper and finish with parsley and a squeeze of lemon.
- Serve in deep bowls with crusty bread or leftover dinner rolls for dunking.
Freeze the soup base without noodles in quart containers. On a busy December night, bring it to a boil, drop in fresh noodles, and dinner is done in 15 minutes.