Leftover Turkey Rice Soup

If you are looking for a great recipe for your leftover turkey, you found it in this Turkey Rice Soup!

Who needs a way to use their Thanksgiving leftovers (or any leftover turkey…)? Today I bring you a recipe for my favorite thing to make with leftovers: soup!

This Turkey Rice Soup is perfect to make with your leftover turkey because it has all the things in it that you probably already have on hand from your Thanksgiving cooking extravaganza: carrots, onion, celery, garlic, and fresh herbs.

I make my Turkey Rice Soup with butter and a little half and half to give it some creaminess. If you want to make this dairy-free, it’s easy to do. Just use oil in place of the butter to sauté the vegetables and either skip the half and half or use a plain non-dairy creamer.

This is an easy way to make good use of a lot of your leftovers. I just love the flavor of this Turkey and Wild Rice soup and it won’t take you nearly as long as it took to make your Thanksgiving feast.

If you use your turkey bones to make stock this soup will really sing, but it’s also great using chicken stock, so use what you have.

Sherry wine compliments the flavor well here, but if you don’t have it that’s okay, your soup will still be delicious.

The first time I had slivered almonds in my turkey and wild rice soup I knew I’d never go back to leaving them out. Another great addition if you have them. They give the soup an unexpected, but welcome crunch.

If it’s no where near Thanksgiving when you’re reading this, but you still are craving this cozy soup, you can certainly make this soup with leftover chicken as well. It’s just as good!

Ingredients for the Turkey Wild Rice Soup Recipe

4 tablespoons Butter

A well-balanced soup requires good fat content, and butter will do that for our delicious turkey rice soup. It’ll improve the mouthfeel and round out the flavors. Olive oil works, too, if you need this to be dairy-free.

Vegetables

Soup without vegetables? No, thank you! Here are my go-to veggie choices:

• 2 Carrots – I love their orangish-red color. Plus, they add a nice crunchy bite to the soup.
• 1 Large Onions – Yellow onions are your best pick. They have a naturally sweet flavor profile that’ll work great in the recipe.
• 2 Celery Stalks – This one’s for the love of greens. Celery stalks will make your soup fresh and add a nice, sharp, herbal flavor to your comforting soup.
• 3 Garlic Cloves  – The aroma! Yep, that’s what we’re adding this one for. Add three minced garlic cloves and watch them work their magic. Of course, garlic has great medicinal qualities, too. (source)

8 ounces Mushrooms

Depending on the mushroom variety you like, get 8 ounces of sliced mushrooms. I love using cremini or button mushrooms for a delicious umami flavor.

4 Tablespoons Flour

This is our thickening agent. 1-to-1 all-purpose gluten-free flour works if you need your soup to be gluten free. Otherwise, all-purpose flour(unbleached, organic flour is my preference) is what I use here.

Fresh Herbs

I prefer fresh herbs over dried ones because of the flavor and aroma they add to any dish. For this recipe, use a combination of 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme and a teaspoon of chopped fresh rosemary. If you’re using dried versions, you’ll need a lesser quantity. (1 teaspoon of dried thyme and 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary will be good)

4-5 Cups Chicken or Turkey Stock

Since this is a turkey soup, I prefer sticking to turkey broth or stock. It enhances the rest of the flavors of the soup. If you have leftover turkey bones, making homemade turkey stock will make this soup exceptional.

But if you don’t have any, you can easily use chicken broth or stock. The flavor will be slightly different but still very tasty. 4-5 cups of stock will be enough.

1 Cup Uncooked Wild Rice or Wild Rice Blend

Wild rice is long-grain rice with a nuttier flavor. It’s amazing for your heart health and keeps type 2 diabetes under control. Wild rice has a higher protein and antioxidant content when compared to white rice. However, if you prefer sticking to your regular rice, you can use white rice here. Brown rice will work, too. Make sure you alter the cooking time accordingly. You’ll need a cup of wild rice or wild rice blend.

3 Cups Shredded Cooked Turkey

Do you have any leftover Thanksgiving turkey on hand? Well, it’s time to use it! Just shred it into pieces and add it to your homemade turkey soup. You’ll need 3 cups at least. Turkey is an excellent lean protein source. Maybe you have leftover Butter and Herb Roasted Turkey Breast? That will work, too!

1/2 Teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce

Our secret ingredient for that extra punch of flavor! You can use soy sauce in place of it, too.

1/2 Cup Half and Half

Make your soup creamier and more filling with this ingredient. Don’t have any? No worries; use heavy cream or whole milk instead. Need this to be dairy free? Coconut milk (lite or full fat) is a good substitute. If you prefer a more neutral flavor than coconut milk, I recommend the Boathouse Farms dairy-free milk I use in this Non-dairy Chicken Pot Pie Recipe.

Salt and Pepper

Not sure I even need to include this in the list. of ingredients. Of course we need salt + pepper. No one likes a bland soup! Nope!

Optional Ingredients

1/2 Cup Sherry Wine

Just half a cup of it will make your soup shine with a subtle, sweet flavor.

1/4 Cup Slivered Almonds

Almonds and good health go hand in hand. Plus, they’ll add a nice crunch to your soup. You’ll only need 1/4 cup of these.

How to Make Turkey Rice Soup

It’s a simple and fail-proof recipe. Just stick to the steps, and you’ll have a comforting bowl of turkey rice soup ready in no time!

1. Take a large pot or Dutch oven and heat butter in it over medium heat.
2. Add your veggies, season them with salt and pepper, and cook for about 5 minutes.
3. Next, drop in your mushrooms and garlic. Cook for another 5 minutes.
4. Now add the flour and let everything cook for 3-5 minutes.
5. Add chicken or turkey stock, herbs, Worcestershire sauce, and rice.
6. Let everything come to a simmer before covering and simmering some more. Thirty minutes will do.
7. Add your shredded turkey leftovers (and sherry, if you’re using it) and let everything cook for 15-20 minutes, uncovered.
8. Stir in the half and half and dress with slivered almonds.
9. Adjust the seasonings and consistency, and enjoy!

Variations to Try

 

• Chicken and Rice Soup – Use shredded rotisserie chicken, chicken broth, and rice for it. The rest of the recipe remains the same.
• Make it Anti-inflammatory – This Anti-Inflammatory Chicken and Rice Soup is nourishing and delicious!
• Skip the Meat – Making a vegetarian version? Just skip the turkey and add more veggies and use vegetable broth instead. Sweet potatoes would be a great vegetable to add here. You can also add some beans or lentils in place of the lentils.

Tips for Storing Leftover Turkey Soup

Soups are a breeze to store and this Turkey Rice Soup is no different.  Just let your leftover soup come to room temperature before pouring it into an airtight container and storing it in the fridge. It’ll easily survive 3-4 days.

If you want to freeze your tasty soup for later use, skip the rice. Freezing with rice will make your soup mushy and soggy. So, cook your soup without the rice, and add them when you’re ready to serve. This way, you’re looking at four months of freezer life.

If you make this Turkey Rice Soup recipe, or any of my other healthy recipes, please leave a star rating below! It’s so helpful for other readers to see which recipes are tried and true! I’d also love to see it–share your photo of this dish and tag me on Instagram and I’ll feature you!

If you’d like more delicious and healthy soup recipes, scroll below the recipe card and see what I’m loving during this season!

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Healthy Soups Everyone Loves

Is there anything better than soup season? Here are some favorite healthy soups from my website! I hope you find a new one to love.

• Sweet Potato Soup
• Spicy Black Bean Soup.
• Easy Oven Chicken Stew
• Autumn Squash Soup
• Chicken Quinoa Soup
• Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup
• Cold Busting Soup

 

This recipe was first published in 2016. A video was added in 2019 and more details were added to the post text in 2023.