Soups & stews / Chicken, noodle & dumpling soups
Leftover Turkey Soup with Noodles and Greens
Not rated yet. Be the first.
The guests have gone home, the kitchen is quiet, and the turkey carcass is about to earn its keep. Soften the vegetables in butter, add thyme and stock, and finish with greens and a squeeze of lemon.
The short version
Soften onion, carrots and celery in butter, add garlic and thyme, pour in 10 cups of turkey stock and simmer 15 minutes. Add the turkey, then the greens and a squeeze of lemon, and ladle it over noodles or rice cooked on the side. Season at the end, not the start.
What makes ours better
the tricks Nonna pretends she never taught me
-
Sauté the vegetables before the stock goes in. Ten minutes in butter turns raw-tasting boiled carrots and celery into soft, sweet ones and gives the broth a rounder flavor.
-
Cook the noodles separately. Noodles simmered in the pot drink up the broth and turn soft by the next day. Cooked on the side and added to each bowl, they stay springy and the leftovers stay soup.
-
Greens and lemon at the very end. Spinach or kale wilts in a minute or two and keeps its color, and a spoon of lemon juice brightens a broth that's been simmering since the carcass went in.
What you need
the cast, in order of appearance
- Unsalted butter or olive oil3 tablespoons
- Yellow onion1 large
- Carrots3 medium
- Celery3 rib
- Garlic3 cloves
- Fresh thyme leaves1 tablespoon
- Cooked turkey3 cups
- Baby spinach or chopped kale4 cups
tap each one as it goes in. no double-salting.
Steps
deep breath. you’ve got this.
-
Soften the vegetables
Melt the butter in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery and salt and cook, stirring now and then, until the onion is soft and translucent and the carrots are starting to give, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, thyme and bay leaf and stir for 1 minute, until fragrant.
About 10 min. Cook mode has a timer for this step.
-
Add the stock and simmer
Pour in the stock, bring it to a boil, then lower the heat so it bubbles gently. Simmer until the carrots are tender when you bite one, about 15 minutes.
About 15 min. Cook mode has a timer for this step.
-
Cook the noodles on the side
While the soup simmers, bring a pot of well-salted water to a boil and cook the noodles until just tender, usually 6 to 8 minutes (rice takes about 15). Drain them and toss with a few drops of oil so they don't clump.
Don't cook the noodles in the soup unless you'll eat the whole pot tonight. They keep drinking broth in the fridge.
About 7 min. Cook mode has a timer for this step.
-
Add the turkey
Stir the turkey into the soup and simmer just until it's hot through, about 3 minutes. Fish out the bay leaf.
About 3 min. Cook mode has a timer for this step.
-
Wilt the greens, finish with lemon
Turn off the heat and stir in the greens; spinach wilts in about a minute, kale in two or three. Stir in the lemon juice, parsley and pepper. Taste and add salt until the broth tastes full rather than flat; homemade stock usually needs a teaspoon or more.
-
Serve
Put a handful of noodles or rice in each bowl and ladle the soup over. Serve with lemon wedges on the side.
Good to know
read this before somebody asks for seconds
- No homemade stock? Low-sodium store-bought works. For more turkey flavor, simmer it for 30 minutes with any leftover bones or wing tips, then strain.
- From the carcass, the stock takes a few hours but almost no work; break the carcass into pieces so it fits under the water and see roasted turkey stock.
- Swap the noodles for 1 cup of rice, small pasta like ditalini, or leftover stuffing toasted in a skillet and floated on top.
- Add any leftover roasted vegetables with the turkey; they only need to heat through.
- Storage. Store soup and noodles separately, covered in the fridge, 4 days. Freeze the soup without noodles for up to 3 months. Reheat on the stove until steaming, and cook fresh noodles or add the saved ones in the last minute.
Questions, answered
the questions my cousins text me
How long does turkey soup last in the fridge?
Up to 4 days, covered. Keep the noodles in a separate container so they don't swell and soak up the broth.
Can I make turkey soup with store-bought broth?
Yes. Use low-sodium chicken or turkey stock so you control the salt, and simmer it with any leftover bones for half an hour first if you have them.
Can I freeze turkey soup with noodles?
Freeze it without them. Noodles turn mushy when frozen and reheated; cook a fresh batch when you serve it, which takes 8 minutes.
Why does my turkey soup taste bland?
It almost always needs more salt, added at the end once you can taste the finished broth, and the lemon juice. Homemade stock is unsalted, so a pot this size can easily take 2 teaspoons of kosher salt.
Can I use rice instead of noodles?
Yes. Cook 1 cup of long-grain white rice separately and spoon it into the bowls. Cooked in the pot, rice soaks up the broth even faster than noodles.
From the table
Made it? Tell me everything. Especially if somebody said it was better than their mother’s. I’ll keep your secret.
Made it?
be honest. I can take it. probably.
Tap a star
- No reviews yet. Yours would be the first, and I’d read it twice.
Find it in
Published October 26, 2026.