There are lots of delicious things you can do with leftover turkey. You can use it to make turkey sandwiches, salads, and casseroles or to top pizzas or fill quesadillas…
But my favorite thing to make with leftover turkey is a big pot of turkey soup – especially turkey noodle soup.
Simple Leftover Turkey Noodle Soup
The best tasting soup is made with homemade stock from the bones of your leftover turkey carcass, along with a chopped onion, carrot and couple stalks of celery. Just put everything in a large soup pot along with enough fresh water to cover everything up. Heat to boiling and then lower the heat to a simmer. Skim off any foam that comes to the surface and then partially cover and let simmer for several hours. (If you want you can add some herbs such thyme, parsley or bay leaf after skimming.) Then carefully strain the stock through a fine strainer and discard the solids.
You don’t really need a recipe to make homemade stock or broth. Just use what you have. But if you’re more comfortable with one, here’s a more detailed recipe for making homemade turkey stock at Taste of Home.
And here’s a video from The Practical Housewife showing you exactly how to make stock from turkey bones…
And of course, you can skip the stock making step altogether and use boxed broth instead!
Here’s my recipe for a simple soup using leftover turkey. It’s essentially the same as the one I use for chicken noodle soup. This time, I added a couple handfuls of frozen peas near the end to give it a dash of color.
- 4 cups turkey stock or chicken broth
- 1 cup water
- 4 medium carrots, peeled and sliced (2 cups)
- 4 medium celery stalks, sliced (2 cups)
- 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped (1/2 cup)
- 1 cup uncooked medium egg noodles
- 2-1/2 cups chopped cooked turkey
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Chopped fresh parsley, if desired
- In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, heat turkey stock, water, carrots, celery and onion to boiling. Lower heat, cover and simmer until carrots are tender, about 15 minutes.
- Stir in the noodles and turkey and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer, uncovered until noodles are tender, about 8 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with parsley if desired.
Sometimes, it’s easier to watch a video than read a recipe. Here’s a video from MyRecipes showing how to make Turkey Noodle Soup…
7 More Leftover Turkey Soup Recipes from Around the Web
Here are more 7 delicious looking turkey soup recipes from the web. (I’ve already done the work of calculating the PointsPlus values.) I intend to try them all in the coming months, since soup is one of my favorite foods for eating well and staying slim. Most are broth based, but I had to include a creamy one with wild rice since it’s a family favorite.
And remember, you could always substitute leftover turkey for any soup recipe calling for chicken. Enjoy!
Next Day Turkey Soup - Use leftover turkey to simmer up this healthy easy-to-make pasta soup using boxed chicken broth, sweet potatoes and green beans with 270 calories and 7 WW PointsPlus Values per serving found at Betty Crocker.
Turkey White Bean Soup - Packed with veggies, turkey, color and nutrition, this hearty soup will warm you up right down to your toes. This delicious healthy soup has 233 calories, 3 g fat and 5 WW PointsPlus Values.
Turkey Sweet Potato Soup - A healthy colorful soup made with sweet potatoes and leftover turkey with 129 calories, 1 g fat and 3 PointsPlus Values per cup from Kitchen Parade.
Rio Grande Turkey Soup - A yummy southwest style turkey soup that’s ready in less than 30 minutes with 250 calories and 6 Weight Watchers PointsPlus Values from Betty Crocker.
Turkey Barley Soup - You’ll love the wonderful flavors of this fiber rich soup. The barley adds an amazing amount of fiber and the squash, carrots, celery and onions are loaded with vitamins. The skinny for 1 cup is 142 calories, 1 gram of fat, 5 grams of fiber and 3 Weight Watchers POINTS PLUS. Found at Skinny Kitchen.
Post Turkey Day Posole - This posole, or spicy Mexican stew, is a great way to use up leftover Thanksgiving turkey. Top with shredded cabbage, sliced radishes, cilantro, and lime wedges. A 1-1/4 cup serving has 286 calories, 9 g fat, 5.5 g fiber, 29 g carbs and 7 Weight Watchers PointsPlus Values. From Cooking Light found at MyRecipes.
Cream of Turkey & Wild Rice Soup - This is a healthier twist on a classic creamy turkey and wild rice soup that hails from Minnesota with 354 calories, 9 g fat, 27 g carbs, 3 g fiber and 8 WW PointsPlus in a large 1-3/4 cup serving. From Eating Well.
And here’s a video demonstrating how to make a super simple Thai Turkey Soup Recipe by Lucy Look…
Do you have a favorite turkey soup recipe to share?
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