Creamy Leftover turkey wild rice soup is a hearty, comforting, and cozy way to enjoy leftover Turkey after Thanksgiving Day.
You can also make these delicious Turkey Stuffed Zucchini Boats or Italian Turkey Meatballs with leftover turkey.
Most of us buy a 12lb or 15 lb turkey for Thanksgiving Dinner. And no matter how much you say "gobble gobble." it's impossible to finish that entire thing in one sitting. (unless you have a crazy number of guests, BTW, good luck with that)
Worst, it takes up so much room in our freezer.
And, if you are a Libra person like me, then the procrastination kicks in. The next thing you know - That beast has been sitting in the freezer for 6 months.
Now, with this Leftover Turkey Wild Rice Soup you can either choose Turkey Breast or Turkey legs and wings (in case you love dark meat like my Dad)
Why I fall for this Soup every single time ❤️
- Satisfying. I guess you'd be saying that aloud once you try it. It's so soulful and so satisfying.
- Extremely Delicious and a Total Crowd Pleaser
- Hearty and Wholesome
- One Pot comforting dinner
Ingredients
- Unsalted Butter
- Veggies - Yellow Onions, Celery stalks, carrots, cremini mushrooms (same as baby bella mushrooms), sweet potato
- fresh garlic
- Low-sodium chicken or turkey broth
- all-purpose flour
- Traders Joe's Truffle Powder seasoning (optional but recommended)
- Heavy Cream
- fresh thyme
- bay leaves
- quick cooking wild rice blend
- Kosher Salt & Freshly ground black pepper
- cooked turkey meat (shredded or cut up)
- Lemon Juice
- fresh rosemary
- fresh parsley
- fresh sage
How to Make delish leftover turkey and rice soup?
- STEP 1: Melt 1/2 cup butter over medium heat in a large stockpot.
- STEP 2: Add yellow onions and celery to the stockpot. Cook until the onions are light and translucent.
- STEP 3: Add in fresh garlic and cook until fragrant.
- STEP 4: Add all other veggies and sauté for 10-13 minutes or until tender.
- STEP 5: Add in All purpose flour, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper and Traders Joe's Truffle Powder seasoning.
- STEP 6: Whisk in Chicken broth or Turkey Broth 2 cups at a time stirring all the way. You don't want lumps so it's important that you stir your veggies well.
- STEP 7: Add fresh sprigs of Thyme and Bay leaves to infuse their flavor into the soup.
- STEP 8: Add leftover cooked turkey and bring the soup to boil over high heat. Once it boils, bring back the heat all the way down and simmer for an additional 25-30 minutes.
- STEP 9: Stir in rice and increase the heat to high. Once it starts to boil, cover it with a lid slightly ajar and reduce the heat to medium. Allow the soup to simmer gently for an additional 25-30 minutes or until the rice is tender and cooked.
- STEP 10: Once the rice is cooked (keep in mind that wild rice has a chewy texture) add heavy cream.
- STEP 11: Squeeze in fresh lemon juice for a brighter flavor.
- STEP 12: Remove thyme stems and bay leaves. Stir in fresh chopped rosemary, parsley, and sage. Turn off the heat.
Why does my Leftover Wild Rice Turkey Soup taste salty?
There could be a number of reasons for your leftover turkey and wild rice soup to taste salty.
- Your leftover turkey was salty.
- You might have used salted butter while sauteing veggies.
- You might have not used low sodium chicken or turkey broth.
Variations
- Smoked Turkey - If you have leftover smoked turkey then you could add that to your soup to add more flavor.
- Wild Rice brown rice mix - You can use Wild and brown rice blend for a hearty texture.
- Half and Half or Evaporated Milk - Instead of Heavy Cream, you can use half and half.
How to store leftover wild rice soup?
This recipe makes a big batch of beautiful soup that you can plan to save for rainy days.
To store this wild rice soup, I allow it to cool down completely and transfer it to a ziplock bag.
What Rice is best for Turkey Mushroom Soup?
The best rice to use for this Turkey Mushroom Soup is ofcourse Wild Rice Blend! Al dente Wild Rice blend has a nutty taste and chewiness to it which I love.
And it's impossible to overcook wild rice, so there are no worries about rice getting mushy in a soup. And of course, even the leftovers have perfect al dente rice, which is firm and chewy!
Is Wild Rice Healthier than White Rice?
Wild Rice is actually healthier than Brown Rice and ofcourse White Rice. Wild Rice has 30% less calories than brown rice. For example 1 cup of cooked wild rice has just 166 calories and 1 cup of cooked brown rice has 216 calories!!
Wild Rice has 25% more protein than brown rice. Also, Wild Rice is rich in antioxidants, magnesium, zinc, and phosphorous.
Can I use a different rice?
Yes, of course! However, the soup WILL TASTE DIFFERENT
- Brown Rice: Cooks for the same amount of time but not as chewy in taste once cooked and served in the soup
- White Rice: for 11/2 cups of white rice, use only 3 cups of water. Also, add the rice right at the end and cook only for 12-15 min. White Rice overcooks easily, making the soup mushy. So be careful not to overcook the rice.
- Leftover Cooked White Rice: Add it at the end and add only 1 cup of water or broth. Finally, add the heavy cream, stir to combine, garnish and serve.
Can I make this gluten-free?
Yes! Use gluten-free flour blend. Rest all the ingredients are gluten-free.
What do I serve this with?
You can serve this soup with:
- Crispy Bread
- Tossed Salad
More Leftover Turkey Recipes
- Garlic Sesame Turkey Stuffed Zucchini Boats
- Italian Turkey Meatballs in marinara sauce
- Easy Turkey lasagna Recipe
- Instant Pot Turkey Breast
- Turkey Tetrazzini
- Turkey Enchiladas Recipe
- Air Fryer Turkey Meatballs
- Turkey Chili in a Crockpot
Leftover Turkey Mushroom and Wild rice soup
INGREDIENTS
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 16 oz Baby Bella Mushrooms same as cremini mushrooms (thinly sliced)
Veggies
- 4 medium Yellow Onions diced
- 8 stalks Celery about 3 cups, chopped
- 8 large Carrots cut in small rounds
- 3 cloves Garlic fresh, minced
- 2 medium sweet potatoes cut in rounds
Other Ingredients
- 12 cups Low-sodium chicken broth or Turkey broth
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon Traders Joe's Truffle Powder seasoning
- Kosher Salt & Freshly ground black pepper
- 5 sprig fresh thyme
- 1 large bay leaves
- 1½ cup quick cooking wild rice blend I prefer RiceSelect Brand
- 4 cups cooked turkey meat (shredded or cut up)
- ¼ cup Lemon Juice
- 1½ cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary chopped
- 2 teaspoon fresh parsley chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh sage chopped
INSTRUCTIONS
- Melt 4 tablespoons unsalted butter in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat.
Cook Veggies
- Add 4 medium-diced yellow onions and 3 cups of chopped celery into the stockpot. Sauté until the onions are soft and translucent.
- Add 3 cloves of fresh garlic and sauté for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Add 2 medium chopped sweet potatoes and 8 medium chopped carrots. Cook for another 10-12 minutes until tender.
- Add in ½ cup All purpose flour, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, and 1 teaspoon Traders Joe's Truffle Powder seasoning.
- Whisk in low-sodium chicken broth or turkey broth, 2 cups at a time. Stir continuously because you don't want the flour to form lumps.
- Depending on the thickness desired, increase or decrease the quantity of broth. Keep in mind, that the broth will thicken further when it cooks the rice. I have used a total of 12 cups of broth.
- Stir in 5 fresh sprigs of fresh Thyme and 2 bay leaves.
Cook Leftover Turkey and Baby Bella Mushrooms
- Add in 4 cups of cut or shredded cooked Leftover Turkey (or Rotisserie Chicken) and 16 oz (4 cups) thinly sliced baby bella mushrooms, Increase the heat to high and bring the soup to a quick boil. Then, bring the heat all the way to a low and simmer for 25-30 minutes.
- Stir in quick-cooking wild rice blend and increase the heat to high. Once it starts to boil, cover with a lid (slightly ajar) and reduce the heat to medium.
- Allow the soup to simmer for 25-30 minutes or until the rice cooks thoroughly. Keep in mind that wild rice tends to taste quite chewier.
- Turn off the heat and stir in 1½ cups of Heavy cream. You can replace heavy cream with evaporated milk or half and half.
- Remove thyme stems and bay leaves.
- Stir in fresh chopped rosemary, parsley, and sage.
- Serve with crispy bread and tossed salad.
- To store this soup, allow the soup to cool down completely. Transfer to a ziplock bag and freeze it for 3 weeks. You can even refrigerate the soup for upto a week. Reheat the soup in the microwave or in the stove until warm.
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