Thanksgiving Turkey Leftovers -- Vietnamese Noodle Soup Recipes

The other day, I met a somewhat frail-looking older woman at a butcher's counter who was picking up an 18-pound turkey. "That's a big bird," I remarked. She said that's what her family wanted, and she'd told her son to arrive early to help cook. Also, he had to make plans for leftovers. In her late seventies or early eighties, she was a seasoned cook. She planned for leftovers, especially at the holidays. I'm in the same club, always looking to make the most of my efforts in the kitchen.

With leftover Thanksgiving turkey, you can turn all the bits into glorious Asian noodle soup. Save the carcass, uneaten parts, and cooking juices. Also save your cooking scraps (think vegetables) so you can throw everything into a pot. Here are three Vietnamese-American noodle soup recipes to consider.

Roasted Turkey Egg Noodle Soup

This is a new recipe I developed for Food & Wine magazine. It brings together Vietnamese, Chinese and American ideas in a brothy bowl that includes an easy pickle too. Thanksgiving holiday that should reflect America's diverse table.

We taped a fun-how to video, which was shared via Instagram and recently published on YouTube:

The full recipe is on the Food & Wine website at this page. I designed it with ease, for cooking in an Instant Pot multi-cooker, which many folks have and often goes on sale during Black Friday.

Instant Pot Turkey Pho Recipe

Or maybe you're in the mood for pho? This is a great recipe to put together with 'harvested' leftovers from your Thanksgiving table. You only need to add some other ingredients to turn it pho-ish.

The turkey pho recipe allows you to use different vegetables in the broth. My thought was about how to use veggies typically used for American Thanksgiving but give them a Viet makeover. The Instant Pot/pressure cooker turkey pho recipe is here, and you can make a stockpot version here.

Smoked Turkey Pho

If you have smoked turkey for Thanksgiving, check the recipe on page 84 in Vietnamese Food Any Day. Because many grocery stores in America sell smoked turkey parts year-round, your turkey pho experience doesn't have to be just for Thanksgiving leftovers. The main recipe is for the pressure cooker and multi-cooker (Instant Pot) and in the Note at the end, you'll find instructions for making the smoked turkey pho in a regular stock pot!

Happy Holidays!