Lazy Day Slow Cooker Turkey Noodle Soup Recipe

The slow cooker makes this Turkey Noodle Soup so easy to prepare. It’s a delicious and healthy way to use up your leftover turkey.

What to Do With Thanksgiving Leftovers?

Well, Thanksgiving dinner is over and we’re on to the next day. And hopefully, your fridge is full of Thanksgiving leftovers because that is one of the best things about post-Thanksgiving dinner!

Now, what to do with those leftovers? Turkey sandwiches are always popular (try open-faced with stuffing and gravy!). And if you’re in my house, my whole family loves to create a next day hash out of leftover turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing and gravy.

I also like to make some new recipes out of the Thanksgiving leftovers. Try this Sourdough Sausage Stuffing Egg Casserole for leftover stuffing or this Turkey and Roasted Sweet Potato Risotto for leftover sweet potatoes.

So, I had roasted a pretty big turkey for our holiday dinner and had a lot of leftover Thanksgiving turkey. I also had put in some long days getting ready for the holiday and was ready to be a bit lazy!

However, I knew I was going to get hungry again, but I just wanted a lazy day and an easy recipe to make. So after a little reflection, I thought a hearty soup might just do the trick. And I really love slow cooker soups – especially if I am cooking a meat that is somewhat tougher and needs time to break down (example: stew meat).

Stove Top / Crock Pot / Slow Cooker / Instant Pot

I am using the slow cooker for this easy recipe because frankly, it is the easiest to use. Basically, the best part about using a slow cooker is that I can set it and forget it once I have all the ingredients in there. And super easy cleanup!

What about using a Crock Pot? No problem as a Crock Pot is a slow cooker. 

A Crock Pot is just a specific brand of slow cooker. But many people will interchange the words Crock Pot and slow cooker when talking about these types of slow cooking recipes.

Then why use a slow cooker (or Crock Pot) as opposed to just throwing a large pot on the stove top? One, you really should be hanging around the stove top as there will be either an open flame (gas) or hot coil (electric). It cuts down on your ability to head out of the house for any reason.

Two, the stove top has direct heat on the bottom which means you have to do a lot more stirring. And each time you lift the lid off to stir, you lose a bit more moisture that you would rather be part of the soup itself.

What about the Instant Pot? The best part about using an Instant Pot is you can really cut down the cooking time. Instead of a cook time of 4-8 hours with the slow cooker, you would only need about 30 minutes in the Instant Pot. 

​The one extra thing you would need to do is cook the egg noodles separately and add when ready to serve. So, the Instant Pot approach, while having the least cook time, does require a little extra cooking.

 

Lazy Day Slow Cooker Turkey Noodle Soup

So back to the soup. What would be the best soup, using leftover Thanksgiving turkey and whatever I had left in my fridge?

First, I wanted to do slow cooking because I was feeling lazy. Second, I wanted to use the Thanksgiving leftovers and third, it had to be an easy recipe. That’s when I came up with the idea of slow cooker turkey noodle soup.

Basically, I wanted to take a classic recipe for homemade chicken noodle soup and turn that into an easy turkey noodle soup. I think this is the perfect recipe to make this delicious and hearty soup.

For this slow cooker turkey noodle soup I started with turkey stock. I had made some turkey stock earlier so happened to have some on hand. If you don’t have turkey stock, chicken broth is a great option and works just as well.

Is there a difference between a stock and a broth? Generally speaking a stock is made from bones and broth is made from meat. They both use aromatic vegetables.

Stock tends to have a deeper flavor and it is typically unseasoned. Broth usually contains salt and pepper. Frankly, you are going to be fine using either turkey stock or chicken broth for this tasty soup.

Optional Ingredients

Next up, the leftover Thanksgiving turkey. But let’s say you had a run on the turkey either at Thanksgiving dinner or the day after between turkey sandwiches, turkey hash and whatever else people were making with turkey.

Chicken is a great option to replace turkey. Many people have frozen chicken breasts on hand which can be quickly baked or grilled. Cut those cooked chicken breasts up and you are ready to go.

If you don’t have chicken breasts or don’t want to go through the work of cooking them, then a rotisserie chicken is also a great option. Go to your local grocery store, pick up a rotisserie chicken and start shredding. You will have flavorful chicken ready in no time.

Now, your Thanksgiving leftovers may not include raw veggies, but you likely have some around the house. I use carrots, celery, onion, peppers and zucchini, but you can go crazy with your own combination to make your own perfect recipe.

As for a cook time, you can go low and slow (8 hours) or fast and high (4 hours). I think the best soup comes when I go low and slow.

Save It for Later

Once you are done chopping, assembling, cooking and eating this tasty soup, you may have some leftover slow cooker turkey noodle soup to take care of. If you think you may be eating it soon, just put the leftover soup in an airtight container and put in the fridge. You will be good for 3-4 days. 

If you know you won’t be eating the leftover soup for a while, just put into freezer-safe containers and put in the freezer. You should be good for around 3 months.

So, take a lazy day after Thanksgiving and give this slow cooker turkey noodle soup a try. I know you’ll love it!

Slow Cooker Turkey Noodle Soup: Tips and Tricks

• If you don’t have zucchini on hand, you can substitute fresh sliced mushrooms or fresh or frozen corn.
• Red onion is my preference for this recipe, but yellow or even white onion will work just fine.
• If you have fresh thyme, sage and rosemary on hand you can use them in place of the dried herbs. Increase the amount of each fresh herb to 1 tablespoon and make sure they are finely chopped.
• No worries if you don’t have turkey stock on hand. Chicken broth can be substituted. In fact, it’s what I usually use when I make this recipe.
• It’s important to wait until about 15 or 30 minutes before the soup is done (depending on whether you’re cooking the soup on high or low), before adding the egg noodles to the slow cooker. If you put them in at the beginning, they will overcook and be mushy.
• You can refrigerate the soup for 3-4 days before you should finish or put in the freezer.
• This soup can be frozen. Package in freezer-safe containers and freeze for up to 3 months. If you know ahead of time that you’re going to be freezing this, omit the egg noodles until ready to thaw and serve. Add the uncooked noodles when you’re ready to reheat the soup and cook until the noodles are tender.

Ingredients Needed to Make Slow Cooker Turkey Noodle Soup

Full instructions can be found in the recipe card below

• Carrots 
• Celery 
• Red or yellow onion – I prefer red onion, but yellow will work as well.
• Red bell pepper – Yellow, orange or green pepper will also work for this soup.
• Zucchini  
• Leftover turkey –  You can use leftover or rotisserie chicken if you don’t have any turkey on hand.
• Dried thyme
• Dried sage
• Dried rosemary
• Salt
• Black pepper
• Turkey stock – If you’re unable to find turkey stock, chicken broth is a great substitution.
• Egg noodles

How to Make this Scrumptious Lazy Day Slow Cooker Turkey Noodle Soup

• Chop your veggies.
• Add veggies, turkey meat, seasonings, salt and black pepper to slow cooker, stirring to combine.
• Add turkey stock and combine.
• Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.  
• About 30 minutes (if cooking on low) or 15 minutes (if cooking on high) before the soup is finished cooking, add egg noodles.
• Ladle into bowls and serve.

More Recipes Using Thanksgiving Leftovers

• Sourdough Stuffing Egg Casserole
• Turkey and Roasted Sweet Potato Risotto
• Turkey Pot Pie with Puff Pastry
• Mashed Potato Cakes
• Leftover Turkey Shepherd’s Pie
• Turkey Tator Tot Casserole