Leftover Turkey Wild Rice Soup
Leftover Turkey Wild Rice Soup made with cooked turkey mixed with vegetables and wild rice in a creamy broth, ready in less than an hour!
This Leftover Turkey and Wild Rice Soup is the best way to use up Thanksgiving leftovers, made with cooked turkey meat mixed with sautéed veggies and wild rice in a creamy broth. It’s comfort food that’s still delicious but not too heavy after Thanksgiving dinner.
If you loved this recipe, you may also love my Leftover Turkey Soup, and my Leftover Turkey Pot Pie Casserole!
Table of contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Cozy and Comforting – This is the perfect comfort food that’s not too heavy, but cozy enough for a cold night, especially during soup season!
One Pot – This creamy turkey rice soup is made using just one pot, because who wants to do more dishes the day after a Thanksgiving feast?
Ingredients You’ll Need
Turkey. This is the perfect way to use up leftover Thanksgiving turkey! You can also make this year round with leftover chicken or a shredded rotisserie chicken.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil. I use a little bit of olive oil to help saute the vegetables first, adding another level of flavor.
Butter. A little bit of butter helps thicken the soup when the flour is added, and adds flavor. I like to use unsalted butter, so I can control the salt level in the dish.
Onion. You can use Vidalia onion which is on the sweeter side, or a yellow or white onion.
Carrots & Celery. This adds a nice sweet and savory note to the soup.
Garlic. Using fresh garlic cloves will give you the best flavor, but you can use garlic powder to make this even faster.
Sliced Mushrooms. I use cremini mushrooms for a really nice umami flavor in the soup. These are also called baby bella mushrooms.
Wild Rice. There are different wild rice blends available, so make sure that you choose a gluten free one that’s not mixed with other grains.
I use uncooked wild rice for this recipe. Make sure to wash the rice, because the soup will thicken with flour and cream, and you don’t want the extra starch from the rice.
Gluten Free Flour. Any gluten free all purpose flour will work for this recipe, we’re just using it to thicken the soup.
If you’re not gluten free, just use regular flour.
Broth. I like to use chicken broth, chicken stock, turkey stock, turkey broth, or vegetable broth. Any of these will work.
Heavy Cream. This adds a nice creamy texture to the soup. You can also use half and half or whole milk.
Spices. I like to keep this easy with some Italian seasoning, bay leaves, kosher salt, and black pepper.
Kitchen Tools
For this creamy soup recipe, you’ll need a medium sized dutch oven or soup pot.
How to Make Leftover Turkey Wild Rice Soup
In a medium sized dutch oven, add the olive oil, onion, celery, carrots, and mushrooms. Cook until the onions are translucent, about 5-7 minutes.
Add the spices, garlic, and butter and stir until completely melted.
Add the flour and stir everything together. Cook until the flour begins to turn brown and smell slightly nutty, stirring often, about 1-2 minutes.
Add two cups of chicken broth and stir together with the flour mixture, making sure there’s no clumps of flour in the broth.
Stir in the rest of the broth, rice, and bay leaves. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring often.
Once time is up, add the turkey meat and simmer an additional 20 minutes, or until the rice is tender and completely cooked through. Stir in the heavy cream, remove and discard the bay leaves, and serve with fresh parsley on top.
Recipe Variations
- You can make this with other types of rice, like brown rice or jasmine rice. Check the rice at 20 minutes to see if it’s cooked through or needs more time.
- Make this with whatever veggies you have in the fridge! Try spinach, kale, parsnips, zucchini, or peas.
- Make this dairy free with canned coconut milk instead of cream, and a gluten free vegan butter.
- Add a pinch of red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, or hot sauce for a spicy version.
- Add a touch of lemon juice right at the end for a bright fresh flavor.
Recipe Tip! If you’re using turkey that was brined the first time it was cooked, you might not need to add salt to this recipe. You can add more salt and pepper at the end of the recipe, if needed.
Frequently Asked Questions
If your soup is still too thin, whisk 1-2 tablespoons of cornstarch with 1/4 cup cold water. Stir into the soup and let it thicken for a few minutes. If it’s too thick, stir in more broth until you reach the desired texture.
Recipe Tip! Add the cream towards the end of the recipe. This helps prevent it from curdling with the heat.
More Soup Recipes
- Creamy Sweet Potato Soup
- Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Sausage and Potato Soup
- Cabbage Chicken Soup
- Instant Pot Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Storage
Keep in mind that the time starts from when you first stored the leftover turkey, so if you make this the day after cooking the turkey, you can refrigerate for 2-3 days in an airtight container.
Freeze for 2-3 months in a freezer safe container.
Cooking Tips
- I recommend washing the rice before cooking with it. This helps get rid of extra starch on the rice, which can thicken the soup too much.
- Add a little bit of the chicken stock first to make sure the flour mixes smoothly, before adding the rest.
- Add extra time as-needed until the rice is fully cooked. The cooking times can very depending on the rice blend you use.
- Try to cut the vegetables to about the same size, so they finish cooking at the same time.
- Sautéing the vegetables helps build flavor in the soup. Cook them down until they’re soft and caramelized.
Tried this recipe? ⭐ Leave a review and share what worked best for you—your tips help other home cooks get the same delicious results!
Leftover Turkey Wild Rice Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium Vidalia onion, chopped
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 3 medium carrots, peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 medium celery ribs, chopped
- 4 medium garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup gluten free all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups gluten free wild rice, uncooked, washed
- 8 cups chicken broth, gluten free, low sodium
- 2 whole bay leaves
- 3 cups cooked turkey meat, boneless, skinless, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
Equipment
- 1 Dutch oven or medium to large soup pot
Instructions
- In a medium sized dutch oven, add the olive oil, onion, celery, carrots, and mushrooms. Cook until the onions are translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Add the spices, garlic, and butter and stir until completely melted.
- Add the flour and stir everything together. Cook until the flour begins to turn brown and smell slightly nutty, stirring often, about 1-2 minutes. Add two cups of chicken broth and stir together with the flour mixture, making sure there's no clumps of flour in the broth.
- Stir in the rest of the broth, rice, and bay leaves. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring often.
- Once time is up, add the turkey meat and simmer an additional 20 minutes, or until the rice is tender and completely cooked through. Stir in the heavy cream, remove and discard the bay leaves, and serve.
Notes
- There are different wild rice blends available, so make sure that you choose a gluten free one that’s not mixed with other grains.
- I recommend washing the rice before cooking with it. This helps get rid of extra starch on the rice, which can thicken the soup too much.
- Add a little bit of the chicken stock first to make sure the flour mixes smoothly, before adding the rest.
- Add extra time as-needed until the rice is fully cooked. The cooking times can very depending on the rice blend you use.
- Try to cut the vegetables to about the same size, so they finish cooking at the same time.
- Sautéing the vegetables helps build flavor in the soup. Cook them down until they’re soft and caramelized.
- If you’re using turkey that was brined the first time it was cooked, you might not need to add salt to this recipe. You can add more salt and pepper at the end of the recipe, if needed.
- Add the cream towards the end of the recipe. This helps prevent it from curdling with the heat.
Nutrition
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