Creamy turkey noodle soup is a hearty, comforting meal that's made in a single pot and ready in 30 minutes. This easy homemade soup is filled with tender turkey, egg noodles, and plenty of veggies.
Creamy turkey noodle soup is the perfect winter soup recipe. It's filled to the brim with hearty ingredients like turkey and egg noodles, with a smooth, creamy broth.
This soup reminds me of chicken pot pie, but in soup form! It's cozy, warming, and filling, with a mild herb flavor. The best part? It's made in a single pan on the stove top.
Make this soup with leftover turkey from holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas, or substitute with a shredded rotisserie chicken. You may also want to try my turkey alfredo recipe, which also makes use of that leftover holiday turkey!
Ingredients and substitutions
- Broth - Chicken broth, turkey broth, or vegetable broth are ideal for this recipe.
- Unsalted butter - Can be substituted with salted butter, but can make your soup saltier (the rest of the sodium comes from the broth).
- Leftover turkey - Perfect for Thanksgiving or Christmas leftovers. You can use a shredded rotisserie chicken instead. You'll need about 12 ounces of meat. If you don't have any cooked meat on hand, cube up some turkey or chicken breasts (or thighs), season with salt and pepper, and brown in a skillet with olive oil until cooked through.
- Vegetables - Onion, carrot, and celery, also known as mirepoix, are aromatics that add a classic savory flavor to your soup.
- Egg noodles - Egg noodles are my favorite choice for soup recipes. If you don't have any on hand, these can be substituted with any small sized dried pasta. Check your pasta's cooking times and adjust the recipe as needed.
- Garlic - Adds flavor to your soup. Two cloves of garlic can be substituted with ½ teaspoon of garlic powder if needed.
- Flour - Creates a roux with the butter and is necessary to thicken your soup.
- Poultry seasoning - Adds a classic savory flavor to your soup, reminiscent of Thanksgiving turkey.
- Half & half - Can be substituted with whole milk for a slightly thinner soup, or with heavy cream for a thicker soup.
Tips and tricks
Cook pasta to al dente - Every shape of pasta cooks at a different rate, so check your pasta's package cooking directions and cook to al dente for best texture.
Using leftovers - This recipe is perfect for using up leftover cooked turkey from Thanksgiving. Turkey could also be substituted with cubed holiday ham or cooked chicken. Have leftover cookies veggies? Toss those in too! Cooked corn, cut off the cob, or cooked green beans make a great addition to this soup.
Using low sodium broth - Much of the flavor in this recipe comes from using a regular broth. Salt enhances the flavors of the other ingredients, which is why it's an important ingredient in just about any recipe. If you're using low sodium broth, you'll want to add extra salt, pepper and/or poultry seasoning to make up for the lost flavor.
Frequently asked questions
Cream based soups generally do not freeze and thaw well, so I do not recommend freezing this particular recipe.
I recommend some crusty bread, freezer garlic bread, saltine crackers, croutons, or grilled cheese. For a light lunch, a salad like winter chopped salad or kale cranberry salad make great sides.
The half & half (which is an ingredient made of half milk and half cream) is what makes this soup creamy. Using lower fat ingredients, like skim milk, will result in a thin, less creamy soup. For an even creamier soup, substitute the half & half with heavy cream.
Since you're boiling pasta in the same pot as the broth, the starches released by the pasta will thicken the broth slightly. If it looks thin at first, allow your soup to set for 5 minutes (off the heat) before serving. The roux created in step two also helps thicken the soup, so don't skip adding the flour and creating that paste. The broth could also be reduced by 1 cup if desired.
Recommended
📖 Recipe
Creamy Turkey Noodle Soup
Ingredients
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 celery ribs, sliced
- 2 medium carrots, sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 ¼ teaspoons poultry seasoning
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup half & half
- 6 ounces egg noodles
- 12 ounces cooked turkey, or chicken, cubed
Instructions
- In a stock pot over medium heat, add butter. Once melted and hot, add onions, carrots, and celery. Cook until vegetables begin to brown around the edges, about 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and cook an additional 30 seconds.
- Add flour and poultry seasoning, stirring to coat vegetables and create a paste. Cook for 1 minute.
- Add chicken broth, half & half, and egg noodles to pot, stirring and scraping bottom of pan to deglaze (if needed). Bring soup to a simmer, cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook according to pasta package directions for al dente pasta.
- Add turkey and stir to combine. Remove from heat. If soup is still thin, allow to set for 5 minutes to allow soup to thicken. Do a taste test, season with salt and pepper if desired, then serve and enjoy.
Equipment Recommendations
Notes
- If soup is too thin, allow to set for a few minutes to thicken. The pasta will continually soak up liquid and thicken the soup as it stands.
- If soup is too thick, add more chicken broth or water until desired consistency is achieved.
- Soup reheats well the next day, but may need a splash of broth or water when reheating.
- Creamy soups and pastas generally do not freeze well, so I do not recommend freezing this recipe.
It was a big hit, making it for the second time. Thank you!
I made but did not have poultry seasoning so I added garlic and onion powder, thyme, rosemary, and few other seasonings. It's not as creamy as I expected.
We used regular shells for the noodles and shredded carrots as it’s what we had in the house with leftover Turkey and everyone in my household ate it up! Super yummy!
This was really good. Made it as listed and it was full of flavor, simple ingredients and really delicious. Adding to my favorites!
Great Recipe, quick and easy. Super delicious!!! I didn't have half and half so I used thick delicious coconut milk and it was wonderful!!! I made 3 batches to use the turkey and bone broth from Thanksgiving leftovers and it was fast and fantastic!!