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Turkey Wild Rice Soup

Turkey Wild Rice Soup – turn your leftover turkey into an easy, creamy, hearty and delicious wild rice soup. Great way to turn leftovers into something completely different!

If you are anything like me, you have lots of leftover turkey after the holidays. I never want to run out of food, so I will make a super large Roasted Turkey or more than one Smoked Turkey Breast. So coming up with something to do with the leftovers is a must!

Chicken Wild Rice Soup has always been one of our favorites and using leftover turkey is a great way to mix it up and have an easy dinner you can eat for a couple days or even freeze for later!

as spoon in a white bowl of turkey wild rice soup

What Can I Make With Leftover Turkey

I am one of those people who doesn’t love leftovers. I need to transform them into something else for me to really like eating them. Every year I like to come up with a couple new things to do with them, so here are a few of my favorites!

turkey wild rice soup ingredients

What You’ll Need

  • Butter
  • Olive Oil
  • Onion
  • Carrots
  • Celery
  • Garlic
  • Flour
  • Chicken Broth
  • Wild Rice or Wild Rice Blend
  • Cooked Turkey
  • Fresh Thyme
  • Heavy Cream
  • Salt & Pepper
a ladle full of turkey wild rice soup

How To Make Turkey Wild Rice Soup

  1. Heat butter and oil in a large stock pot over medium high heat. Add the chopped onions, carrots and celery and cook for 5-6 minutes, until the onions start to soften. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.
  2. Stir in flour and cook for a couple minutes until it it starts to brown slight and no white streaks remaining around the pan.
  3. Whisk in chicken broth and season with salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil.
  4. Reduce heat to a low simmer, stir in the uncooked rice, cover and cook for 40-45 minutes until the rice is tender. Check your package directions for an estimate of the cook time.
  5. Remove the lid, stir in the turkey, heavy cream and fresh thyme. Simmer for 5-10 minutes for the soup to thicken and warm everything through.
a bowl of turkey wild rice soup

Recipe Tips

Do You Cook The Rice First?

Nope, everything cooks together in this soup. It starts with uncooked rice, and simmers in the broth to cook completely. If you happen to have cooked rice you can use it, you would just add it at the end with the already cooked turkey.

How Long Does Turkey Wild Rice Soup Last

This soup will last in the fridge for 3-4 days in an airtight container. You can either microwave or heat in a saucepan to reheat and serve.

What Kind Of Turkey Should I Use

I like to use the white meat, but you really can use any leftover turkey that you have. If you make a Roasted Turkey for the holiday chances are you will have lots leftover. So just dice or shred some and it will be perfect!

Can I Freeze Turkey Soup

Yes! This does make a lot of soup, so unless a lot of your holiday guests are sticking around, you may have leftovers. It is great in the freezer or up to 3 months. Then just thaw and reheat to serve.

a bowl of wild rice soup with a spoonful being taken out of it

What Goes With Turkey Soup

What If I Don’t Have Turkey

This is such a great soup with leftover turkey, but don’t worry if you don’t have leftovers! You can easily make an Air Fryer Turkey Breast for just a small amount of turkey. Or you can use chicken. This Instant Pot Wild Rice Soup uses chicken breasts and is our go-to almost all winter long!

close up bowl of turkey wild rice soup with a spoon

More Great Comforting Soup Recipes

  • Instant Pot Pozole
  • Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup
  • Lasagna Soup
  • Beer Cheese Soup
  • Clam Chowder Recipe
  • Cabbage Roll Soup
  • Minestrone Soup
Yield: 6

Turkey Wild Rice Soup

close up wild rice soup in a white bowl

Turkey Wild Rice Soup - turn your leftover turkey into an easy, creamy, hearty and delicious wild rice soup. Great way to turn leftovers into something completely different!

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 Tablespoons butter
  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 small onion, finely shopped
  • 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
  • 2 ribs celery, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 6 cups chicken broth
  • 1 cup uncooked wild rice (or wild rice blend)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 2 1/2 cups cooked turkey
  • 2 teaspoon fresh thyme

Instructions

  1. Heat butter and oil in a large stock pot over medium high heat. Add the chopped onions, carrots and celery and cook for 5-6 minutes, until the onions start to soften. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.
  2. Stir in flour and cook for a couple minutes until it it starts to brown slight and no white streaks remaining around the pan.
  3. Whisk in chicken broth and season with salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil.
  4. Reduce heat to a low simmer, stir in the uncooked rice, cover and cook for 40-45 minutes until the rice is tender. Check your package directions for an estimate of the cook time.
  5. Remove the lid, stir in the turkey, heavy cream and fresh thyme. Simmer for 5-10 minutes for the soup to thicken and warm everything through.

Nutrition Information

Yield

6

Serving Size

1

Amount Per Serving Calories 372Total Fat 25gSaturated Fat 13gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 10gCholesterol 121mgSodium 1397mgCarbohydrates 16gFiber 2gSugar 4gProtein 21g

Nutrition Disclaimer: All information presented on this site is intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information shared on dinnersdishesanddesserts.com should only be used as a general guideline.

Did you make this recipe?

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Vanessa Becker

Friday 30th of December 2022

Thank You!!

Vanessa Becker

Wednesday 28th of December 2022

I'd like to make this tonight or tomorrow. Can I use Jasmine or long grain white rice? I'm not a fan of wild rice.

Erin S

Wednesday 28th of December 2022

yes, you can use any rice you like, you will just need to adjust the cooking time so you don't over cook the rice.

Sandra

Tuesday 1st of November 2022

Craving for this soup right now! Perfect for this chilly weather!

Tisha

Tuesday 1st of November 2022

This sound so good for cooler weather

Erik

Tuesday 1st of November 2022

Really enjoy soups this time of year. Such a great delight!

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