The picked-over turkey carcass looks like it has nothing left to give, but after a few hours in a stockpot, it turns into the base for a deeply savory soup. I break it into pieces, cover it with water, and let it simmer with bay leaves and peppercorns while the kitchen fills with that familiar roasted-turkey smell. Homemade turkey noodle soup from the carcass makes good use of the bones and gives leftover turkey a proper second meal.
I measure the finished stock before building the soup, rather than pouring everything straight into the pot. That keeps the broth-to-noodle balance where I want it, and any extra stock stays on hand instead of making the soup watery. Tender carrots, shredded turkey, and wide egg noodles finish the pot, with parsley stirred in right at the end.
Kitchen Note
Keep the stock at a gentle simmer with the lid only partly on, and give it the full three hours. Small, steady bubbles are what you want; a hard boil tumbles the carcass around and makes the stock harder to strain cleanly.
Save this homemade turkey noodle soup for the next time a roasted carcass is waiting in the fridge—slow-simmered stock and wide egg noodles make every bit count.
Why I Measure the Stock After It Simmeres, Not Before
The water you add at the start and the stock you end up with aren’t necessarily the same volume. A long simmer gives the carcass time to flavor the liquid, while some water evaporates along the way. Measuring after straining lets me use the amount this soup is built around, rather than guessing how much remains in the pot.
For this batch, I use 8 cups of strained stock in the soup and reserve any extra. That measured amount gives the carrots, turkey, and noodles room to cook without turning the pot into a thin bowl of broth. It also gives you a useful cushion: extra stock can be saved for another use or stirred into a portion later if you want a lighter broth.
Take a moment to measure in a heatproof container after straining. If you skip that check and pour all the stock into the soup, the broth-to-noodle balance can shift, especially if your carcass releases a different amount of liquid than expected.
What the Carcass, Peppercorns, and Egg Noodles Each Bring
- Roasted turkey carcass — The bones and remaining roasted bits give the stock its turkey flavor; a picked-over carcass keeps the stock from carrying large pieces of meat through the long simmer. Break it into pieces so it fits in the stockpot with the water. There isn’t another ingredient in this list that can replace the carcass and make the same homemade stock.
- Bay leaves and whole peppercorns — These season the stock while it simmers, then come out with the solids when you strain it. Whole peppercorns are useful here because they flavor the liquid without leaving ground pepper throughout the broth. Fresh, fragrant bay leaves matter more than choosing a premium brand.
- Onion, carrots, celery, garlic, and thyme — The onion, carrots, and celery form the vegetable base, while garlic and dried thyme bring a savory, herbal note. Slice the carrots about 1/4 inch thick so they cook through in the soup’s short simmer. Dried thyme is the ingredient to use here; no fresh-herb conversion is needed.
- Cooked turkey and wide egg noodles — Shredded cooked turkey makes the soup substantial without needing to cook raw meat in the broth. Wide egg noodles give each spoonful a soft, broad bite, so use the wide style named here rather than assuming a thinner noodle will take the same time.
- Fresh parsley — Stirring it in at the end keeps its fresh, green flavor noticeable. Chopped parsley is best prepared just before finishing the soup; it doesn’t need to simmer with the vegetables.
- Olive oil, kosher salt, and ground black pepper — The oil softens the vegetables in the stockpot, and the salt and ground pepper season the soup itself. The whole peppercorns belong in the stock; the ground black pepper is added later, so the two forms have different jobs.
From Turkey Bones to a Pot of Noodles
Simmer the Carcass Into Stock
Put the broken turkey carcass pieces in an 8-quart stockpot with the water, bay leaves, and whole peppercorns. Bring the pot to a boil over medium-high heat, which takes about 15 minutes. Lower the heat until the liquid holds a gentle simmer, partially cover, and let it cook for 3 hours. If the surface is rolling vigorously, reduce the heat so the bones aren’t tossed around.
Strain and Measure the Broth
Set a fine-mesh sieve over a heatproof bowl and pour the stock through it. Discard the strained solids, including the bay leaves and peppercorns. Measure 8 cups of stock for the soup and reserve any extra. A heatproof bowl matters here because the liquid is hot straight from the pot.
Soften the Vegetables in the Stockpot
Heat the olive oil in the stockpot over medium heat, then add the diced onion, sliced carrots, and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 7 minutes, until the onion softens. Keep the vegetables moving now and then so the onion softens evenly rather than sticking to the bottom. Stir in the minced garlic and dried thyme for 30 seconds; garlic needs only this brief moment before the liquid goes in.
Simmer the Turkey, Then Cook the Noodles
Pour in the measured stock and add the kosher salt, ground black pepper, and shredded turkey. Bring the soup to a simmer and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until the carrots are tender and the soup reaches 165°F. Stir in the wide egg noodles and simmer for 6 to 8 minutes, checking that they’re tender rather than letting them go soft. Stir in the chopped parsley just before serving.
Two Small Changes That Shift the Bowl
Leave Out the Noodles for a Lower-Carb Bowl
Skip the egg noodles and keep the stock, turkey, and vegetables in the soup. The result is a lighter bowl with more room for the turkey and carrot pieces; it won’t have the soft, filling bite that noodles bring. The rest of the method stays the same, but there’s no noodle simmer at the end.
Use Reserved Stock for a Lighter Broth
If you want more broth around the noodles, stir some of the reserved stock into the finished soup a little at a time. This keeps the soup from getting thin before you know how much liquid you want, and it lets you adjust a bowl or the pot without changing the stock simmer.
Storage and Reheating
- Refrigerator: Store in a covered container for 3 to 4 days. The noodles continue to absorb broth and soften as the soup sits.
- Freezer: Freeze airtight portions for up to 2 to 3 months for best quality. The soup freezes safely, though the egg noodles may be softer after thawing.
- Reheating: Warm gently on the stovetop, stirring now and then, until the soup reaches 165°F. Avoid a hard boil, which can make the noodles overly soft.
Questions That Come Up While Making Turkey Carcass Soup
Homemade Turkey Noodle Soup from the Carcass
Ingredients
Method
- Put the turkey carcass, water, bay leaves, and peppercorns in an 8-quart stockpot.
- Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, about 15 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer, partially cover, and simmer for 3 hours.
- Strain the stock through a fine-mesh sieve into a heatproof bowl and discard the solids.
- Measure 8 cups stock for the soup and reserve any extra.
- Heat the olive oil in the stockpot over medium heat.
- Add the onion, carrots, and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens, 5 to 7 minutes.
- Add the garlic and thyme and stir for 30 seconds.
- Pour in the 8 cups stock, then add the salt, black pepper, and turkey.
- Bring to a simmer and cook until the carrots are tender and the soup reaches 165°F, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Stir in the egg noodles and simmer until tender, 6 to 8 minutes.
- Stir in the parsley and serve.