The most popular way to use up leftover roasted turkey, homemade Turkey Noodle Soup is made the old fashioned way with real bone broth, loads of meat and just the right amount of noodles.
The thing I love about making soup is there are no rules. A soup recipe is really a template, a starting point. After that it’s up to you. If you want lots of different ingredients, chop away. If you prefer a simple soup of broth and noodles, why not? The most important thing is flavour so if you give yourself enough time to make a proper Turkey Noodle Soup you can’t go wrong. Right?
The old fashioned way to make Turkey Noodle Soup is to boil the bones from a leftover turkey. Hopefully one that has a fair bit of meat left on it. If you haven’t done this before it’s pretty easy and you’d be surprised how much meat you can find. Lots of hiding places, especially the back of the turkey which is often forgotten about when carving. If you’ve eaten all the turkey you can handle and want to make soup later, no big deal. Just seal the carcass in a few layers of plastic bags and toss it in the freezer.
What is an oyster on a turkey?
Did you know….turkeys and chickens have 2 spots on their back with the most tender and flavourful (in my humble opinion) dark meat? They hide in an indent in the bone, in the lower part near the thigh and are called the oyster. I sneak one before anyone else gets it, usually during carving. I probably shouldn’t have given that secret away. Make sure to look for this prized piece of meat when you’re making Turkey Soup! And don’t forget about the wishbone.
How to make Turkey Noodle Soup
Basically you put your turkey carcass in a big pot and add cold water. Don’t worry if part of the turkey sticks out above the water, it will break down as it simmers. Use about 10-12 cups of water, give or take depending on the size of the turkey. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce and let it simmer away for at least 3 hours, pressing the carcass down once in a while to ensure it breaks down and stays under the water. Cover the pot but make sure the vent is open or the lid is slightly askew. Meaning not tight. That’s so the steam can escape so the broth will reduce and become more flavourful.
When you’ve boiled the bones for a minimum of 3 hours, pour through a strainer and return the broth back to the pot. Once the carcass is cooled enough to handle, pick out as much meat as you can. If you find an oyster and no one is looking, eat it. It’s too good to be lost in the soup. Now chop the turkey into smallish pieces. Since this is soup and not stew you don’t want big chunks. Try to get at least 2 cups of meat. Or more.
Now taste the broth. It will definitely need salt and pepper. If it needs more flavour, as it usually does, add a package or cube of chicken bouillon. Or two. It’s not cheating, it’s assisting. In hockey you get a point for that.
The perfect base for homemade soup is the “mirepoix” – onion, celery and carrot. Add them to the broth, along with the chopped turkey and let everything simmer away until the veggies are translucent and fork tender. Save the peas and fresh herbs until the end so they keep their vibrant colour and fresh flavour.
What do you use for noodles in soup?
The best noodles for Turkey Noodle Soup are vermicelli or capellini. They’re both long thin pasta noodles and cook quickly in the soup without absorbing too much of the delicious broth. Don’t pre cook them, you do actually want them to absorb some of the broth while they cook which flavours the pasta. Be careful not to use too much. It might look like you need more but trust me, I’ve tested the ratio and about a quarter of a boxed pasta is the perfect amount. I like to break the noodles in half so they’re long enough to twist around a fork. Depending on where you live you may find pot sized pasta. I discovered some half length angel hair recently which would also work well in soup.
Once you’ve added the pasta to your soup, let it cook about 10 more minutes then add frozen peas and fresh parsley and thyme right before serving. Just stir them in, heat through and spoon into bowls. Add some fresh cracked black pepper if you like and garnish with more fresh herbs.
Homemade soups freeze well so save your pasta sauce jars which are a perfect size for 2 servings of soup.
If you make Turkey Noodle Soup, consider leaving a comment or rating below. Here’s the recipe:
Turkey Noodle Soup
Ingredients
- 1 turkey carcass with some meat left at least 2 cups chopped meat
- 10-12 cups cold water
- 1 bay leaf or 2 if small leaves
- 1 large onion
- 3 stalks celery
- 3 carrots
- 1 or 2 packages or cubes of chicken bouillon if required for better flavour
- 100 g vermicelli, capellini or other thin pasta
- 1 cup frozen peas rinsed
- ΒΌ cup fresh chopped parsley
- 1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place turkey carcass in large pot and cover with cold water. Larger turkeys can be cut or broken into smaller pieces. It's not necessary to completely cover the carcass. Add a bay leaf or 2.
- Bring water to boil, then reduce temperature to a simmer, covering partly with lid to allow steam to escape as the broth simmers. Press down carcass periodically to help turkey break up and remain under most of the water. Simmer for at least 3 hours, adding some water if level is too low. Plan to have about half the amount of liquid after simmering.
- Remove turkey and strain liquid. Pour liquid back into pot. Allow turkey to cool enough to handle, then remove as much meat as possible. Chop into pieces. Discard remaining bones and skin.
- Meanwhile, chop onion, celery and carrots. Add to strained broth. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Add chicken bouillon if more flavour is desired. Simmer for about 30 minutes until onion and celery are translucent.
- Break vermicelli in half and add to soup along with chopped chicken. Simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add frozen peas and fresh parsley and thyme, heating only until peas are warm.