Asian Inspired Turkey Noodle Bowl
Looking for a creative way to use up all that leftover Thanksgiving turkey? Try this Asian Inspired Turkey Noodle Bowl! It’s a brothy bowl full of noodles with turkey, lime, hot chili sauce, cilantro, green onions, and soy sauce.
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Every year it gets harder and harder to be creative with the leftover turkey, doesn’t it? Of course, Turkey Tetrazzini is always great and so is my Turkey, Mushroom, and Potato Soup. But if you’re looking for something a bit different this year, give my Asian Inspired Turkey Noodle Bowl a try.
Now, let me say right away that this is in no way an authentic Asian recipe. Far from it. It is simply “inspired” by Asian noodle bowl recipes.
After I made my turkey stock, I simply used things I had on hand to make a noodle bowl that we all really enjoyed. Even the grandkids!
Ingredient Notes
- Turkey Carcass (Don’t ever throw out the bones from a roasted turkey or chicken. They make excellent stock! Use your leftover Thanksgiving turkey for this recipe.)
- Angel Hair Pasta or Spaghetti (Use any kind of very thin long pasta or fine noodles.)
- Fresh Cilantro (Not everyone likes cilantro, I know. If it’s not your thing, just leave it out or substitute a little fresh basil.)
- Hot Chili Sauce (I recommend sriracha for this recipe.)
You’ll find detailed measurements for all ingredients in the printable version of the recipe at the bottom of this post.
The Joys of Homemade Stock
If you’re like me, you never want to see bones go in the trash. Any bones. But especially bones from something that was roasted.
I have bags full of them in my freezer. Roasted chicken carcasses, half a turkey carcass, bones from a prime rib. Why? Stock! And stock that is so much more flavorful than anything out of a can or box.
If you’ve never made homemade stock, you just don’t know what you’re missing! It’s one of the easiest things to do and it’s thrifty.
Those rotisserie chickens we all love so much? When you’ve finished one, toss the bones into a large bag and put it in the freezer.
When you have two or three, make stock! That’s another meal or two from something you’d usually throw in the trash.
After Thanksgiving, I always like to make turkey broth. It’s a simple matter of boiling up the leftover turkey carcass (or even half of it if you roasted a very large bird) with some aromatic vegetables and a few herbs. Voila! The tastiest broth you’ve ever had.
How to Make Asian Inspired Turkey Noodle Bowl
Let’s Go Step-by-Step
I always like to show you the photos and step-by-step instructions for my recipes to help you picture how to make them in your own kitchen. If you just want to print out a copy, you can skip to the bottom of the post where you’ll find the recipe card.
Make the Stock
To get started, place all of the ingredients for the broth in a large stockpot or Dutch oven. Add enough water to cover the carcass.
Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, covered for 2-3 hours. Don’t worry about cutting up the veggies or herbs, just toss them in.
COOK’S TIP
If you use yellow onions and leave the skins on them, you’ll get a beautiful golden broth!
Strain the Broth
After simmering, strain the broth, discarding all solids, and return the liquid to the pan.
COOK’S TIP
I like to put some cheesecloth in my strainer to really catch all the small pieces of solids, but you don’t have to do that. A fine meshed strainer works great.
Keep the broth at a simmer while preparing the pasta. See how pretty and rich that broth looks? It tastes just that rich, too.
Cook the Pasta or Noodles
Cook your choice of pasta according to the package directions.
Serve in Individual Bowls
Provide each person with a bowl of pasta, diced turkey, and hot broth. Each person can then add the remaining condiments according to their own taste.
Tips and Variations
- If you have leftover rotisserie chicken bones, make this into a chicken noodle bowl.
- Save the leftover turkey in the freezer and keep it for up to three months. This is a great thing to make when it’s cold and miserable later in the winter.
- Use unflavored ramen noodles in place of pasta.
- Add spinach or bok choy to the bowl with the noodles and broth.
More Questions? I’m happy to help!
If you have more questions about the recipe, or if you’ve made it and would like to leave a comment, scroll down to leave your thoughts, questions, and/or rating!
Thanks so much for stopping by!
Recipe
Asian Inspired Turkey Noodle Bowl
Ingredients
For the broth:
- Leftover turkey carcass
- 1 onion halved
- 1 rib celery
- Several sprigs fresh thyme
- Several sprigs fresh parsley
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 8 whole peppercorns
For the noodle bowls:
- 8 ounces angel hair pasta or spaghetti
- 1 ½ cups diced cooked turkey
- 1 lime cut into eighths
- Fresh cilantro
- 2 green onions sliced
- Crushed red pepper flakes
- Hot chili sauce
- Soy sauce
Instructions
- Place all of the ingredients for the broth in a large stockpot or Dutch oven. Add water to cover the carcass. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, covered for 2-3 hours.
- Strain the broth, discarding all solids, and return the liquid to the pan. Keep at a simmer while preparing the pasta.
- Prepare the pasta according to the package directions.
- Provide each diner with a bowl containing pasta, diced turkey, and hot broth. Each person can add the remaining condiments to their own taste.
Notes
- Use your leftover Thanksgiving turkey or a leftover rotisserie chicken for this recipe.
- Use any kind of very thin long pasta or fine noodles.
- If you don’t care for cilantro, just leave it out or substitute a little fresh basil.
- I recommend sriracha for this recipe.
- If you use yellow onions and leave the skins on them, you’ll get a beautiful golden broth!
- Make this into a chicken noodle bowl if you have leftover rotisserie chicken bones.
- If you don’t want to take time to make the broth, you can always toss your leftover turkey in the freezer and keep it for up to three months. This is a great thing to make when it’s cold and miserable later in the winter.
- Use unflavored ramen noodles in place of pasta.
- Add spinach or bok choy to the bowl with the noodles and broth.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
I LOVE this idea for leftover! Asian noodles are always a hit and after making turkey tetrazzini for years and years, it’s nice to shake things up a bit :)
I do enjoy a good tetrazzini, Liz, but these bowls were so light and fresh. A very nice change after all those heavy Thanksgiving recipes.
Oooohhhhh! I love all of those flavors. What a refreshing new way to use the leftover turkey (other than sandwiches, with lots of mayo…. just sayin’).
Miss P
Well, I’ll admit that I did have several turkey sandwiches :-) but these noodle bowls were so good! We all really enjoyed having something different after Thanksgiving.
I like this recipe for “Asian Inspired Turkey Noodle Bowl”, especially since I have a turkey carcass (and bones) left over from Thursday (Thanksgiving) in my freezer, which (still) have a lot of meat attached. My family and I love Asian food, so I’m sure that we’ll enjoy this Asian ‘inspired’ dish. You’re not alone, since I too save and freeze all of my leftover bones & carcasses…. and I then I make either a ‘stock’ or ‘soup’.
I do love my homemade stocks, Ang. I’m always saving bones and veggie scraps to make broths. So much better than store bought!