Easy Turkey Noodle Soup

The day after a big roast turkey, the carcass and the leftover meat sit in the refrigerator asking a question, and this soup is the best answer to it. A clear, golden broth with soft carrots, celery, herbs and short pasta, and generous chunks of turkey that stay tender because they go in near the end. It is the bowl in the photograph: short noodles, real pieces of turkey, carrot showing through a broth that is light but tastes like it simmered all afternoon, even though the whole pot takes 45 minutes.

The trick is treating the turkey like the finished ingredient it already is. Cooked turkey only needs to heat through; simmer it from the start and it turns stringy and dry, which is how leftover soup gets its bad reputation. So the vegetables and broth do the work first — onion, carrot and celery softened in butter, then a proper simmer with thyme and a bay leaf — and the turkey and pasta go in for the last stretch only. The pasta cooks in the broth, which thickens it just slightly and seasons the noodles from the inside out, the way a good chicken noodle soup should.

It sits in our Easy Dinners collection next to our slow cooker chicken noodle soup, for cooks who want the same comfort with even less attention, and our slow cooker turkey breast — the roast that leaves you with exactly the leftovers this soup was made for. No leftover turkey in the house? A store-bought rotisserie chicken or a pack of cooked turkey breast works the same way; the soup does not check where the bird came from.

Cook the pasta in the soup, not beside it

It is tempting to boil the noodles separately and keep the broth crystal clear, but the soup loses something that way. Pasta cooked in broth absorbs seasoning as it softens, and the little starch it releases gives the broth a touch more body without any thickener. The trade-off is real, though: noodles left sitting in hot soup keep drinking liquid, so a pot stored overnight turns into a thick stew with soft pasta. If you plan leftovers, cook the pasta separately and add it to each bowl as you serve — two extra minutes at supper time, and the second-day bowls stay exactly like the first.

Dark meat makes the better soup

If you have a choice of leftovers, reach for the thigh and leg meat first. Dark turkey stays juicy when reheated in a way breast meat does not, and its richer flavour stands up to the broth instead of fading into it. Breast meat still works — just cut it in larger chunks, add it at the very end, and never let the pot boil hard once it is in.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (28 g)
• 1 medium yellow onion (150 g), diced
• 3 medium carrots (180 g), peeled and sliced into coins
• 2 stalks celery (80 g), sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 8 cups turkey or chicken broth (1.9 L)
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves (or 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt (6 g), plus more to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper (1.5 g)
• 2 cups short pasta such as ditalini or small shells (200 g)
• 3 cups cooked turkey (420 g), cut into bite-size chunks
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (8 g)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice (15 ml), optional

Amounts are for the yield below. US customary measures first, grams in brackets for scale users.

Step-by-step instructions

1. Soften the vegetables. Melt the butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery with a pinch of salt and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft and translucent and the carrots have just started to soften at the edges. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute more, just until fragrant — browned garlic will turn the whole broth bitter.
2. Build the broth. Pour in the turkey or chicken broth, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the thyme, bay leaf, salt and pepper and bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a steady simmer. Cover partially and simmer for 15 minutes, until the carrots are nearly tender and the broth tastes seasoned and rounded. Fish out the bay leaf before the next step.
3. Cook the pasta in the soup. Stir in the short pasta and simmer uncovered for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the pasta is just tender — check a minute before the packet time, since it keeps softening off the heat. Stir occasionally so the small pasta does not settle and stick to the bottom of the pot. If the soup looks too thick at this point, add a splash of water or extra broth; the noodles will have absorbed some liquid.
4. Add the turkey and finish. Add the turkey chunks and simmer gently for 3 to 4 minutes more, just until the turkey is heated all the way through. Do not let the pot boil hard now — a rolling boil is what dries leftover turkey out. Stir in the parsley and the lemon juice if using; the lemon is optional but it wakes the whole pot up, especially if your broth was on the rich side. Taste and adjust the salt — leftover turkey is often already salted, so this is the moment to correct, not before.
5. Rest and serve. Let the soup rest off the heat for 5 minutes so the flavours settle and the pasta finishes softening. Ladle into warm bowls, making sure each serving gets a good share of turkey, noodles and carrots, just like the photograph. Serve with crusty bread for dunking, and a little extra parsley over the top if you like.

Nutrition estimate

Nutrition figures are estimates calculated from standard ingredient data for the yield stated. Your actual values will vary with brands, substitutions and portion sizes — treat them as a guide, not a guarantee.

Storage & reheating

Leftovers keep in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, but store the pasta separately if you can — noodles left in the soup will soften and drink up the broth overnight. Reheat gently over medium-low heat until steaming, adding a splash of broth or water to loosen it; do not boil hard once the turkey is in. The soup without pasta freezes well for up to 3 months: cool it completely, freeze in portions, thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bring to a simmer and cook fresh pasta in it before serving. Nutrition figures are estimates per serving and vary with the broth and the cut of turkey used; estimates vary.

Easy Turkey Noodle Soup

Recipe by Ahsan ul Haq, FryDaily editor · Published 3 November 2026

Leftover turkey, golden broth, 45 minutes

Yield: 6 servings  ·  Scale: 1x2x3x

Prep15 minutes

Cook30 minutes

Total45 minutes

Servings6 servings

Calories320 kcal

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Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (28 g)
• 1 medium yellow onion (150 g), diced
• 3 medium carrots (180 g), peeled and sliced into coins
• 2 stalks celery (80 g), sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 8 cups turkey or chicken broth (1.9 L)
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves (or 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt (6 g), plus more to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper (1.5 g)
• 2 cups short pasta such as ditalini or small shells (200 g)
• 3 cups cooked turkey (420 g), cut into bite-size chunks
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (8 g)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice (15 ml), optional

Tick ingredients off as you prep, and tap a step below to mark it done as you cook. Scaling adjusts the listed amounts - seasoning to taste stays your call.

Instructions

1. Soften the vegetables. Melt the butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery with a pinch of salt and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft and translucent and the carrots have just started to soften at the edges. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute more, just until fragrant — browned garlic will turn the whole broth bitter.
2. Build the broth. Pour in the turkey or chicken broth, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the thyme, bay leaf, salt and pepper and bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a steady simmer. Cover partially and simmer for 15 minutes, until the carrots are nearly tender and the broth tastes seasoned and rounded. Fish out the bay leaf before the next step.
3. Cook the pasta in the soup. Stir in the short pasta and simmer uncovered for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the pasta is just tender — check a minute before the packet time, since it keeps softening off the heat. Stir occasionally so the small pasta does not settle and stick to the bottom of the pot. If the soup looks too thick at this point, add a splash of water or extra broth; the noodles will have absorbed some liquid.
4. Add the turkey and finish. Add the turkey chunks and simmer gently for 3 to 4 minutes more, just until the turkey is heated all the way through. Do not let the pot boil hard now — a rolling boil is what dries leftover turkey out. Stir in the parsley and the lemon juice if using; the lemon is optional but it wakes the whole pot up, especially if your broth was on the rich side. Taste and adjust the salt — leftover turkey is often already salted, so this is the moment to correct, not before.
5. Rest and serve. Let the soup rest off the heat for 5 minutes so the flavours settle and the pasta finishes softening. Ladle into warm bowls, making sure each serving gets a good share of turkey, noodles and carrots, just like the photograph. Serve with crusty bread for dunking, and a little extra parsley over the top if you like.

Calories: 320 kcalProtein: 30 gCarbohydrates: 34 gFat: 7 gSaturated fat: 3 gSodium: 780 mgFiber: 3 gSugar: 5 g

Recipe by Ahsan ul Haq · FryDaily. Printing? This card is designed to print cleanly on its own.

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