Turkey and Wild Rice Soup is the perfect way to use up leftover turkey! This one pot creamy turkey soup recipe is delicious, comforting, hearty and will fill you right up!
Don’t forget the dinner rolls or cornbread to serve alongside this delicious soup!
When the holidays roll around, we’re inundated with sweets and treats and all the fixings for the perfect holiday meal. After Thanksgiving or Christmas comes and goes I find myself with leftover turkey that needs to be used up. Sandwiches are always a good idea but this leftover turkey soup is even better.
Turkey Soup with Rice
Leftover turkey soup with rice is one of the most comforting and beloved dishes we make during the fall and winter. We enjoy turkey year round and frequently like to make this easy Crockpot Turkey Breast or Roast Turkey Breast on the weekends. Whenever we have leftover turkey, this is the soup we make.
I’ve used wild rice today but you can use brown rice or even white rice in this recipe if you prefer. If you opt for white rice, the cooking time is actually dramatically reduced since it doesn’t take as long to cook.
Don’t love wild rice? Brown rice is a great substitute! If you decide to use white rice instead, you will need to simmer the soup for 10 to 15 minutes less.
What do I serve with Wild Rice Soup?
This creamy turkey soup recipe is warm and comforting and filled with turkey, carrots, mushrooms and rice. This soup can be eaten on its own or as a hearty side dish with dinner. We like to eat it with some sort of homemade bread or roll on the side. Here are some ideas:
What You’ll Need
You are going to love how easy this creamy turkey soup recipe is! As always, you can find a printable recipe card at the end of this post. Now let’s take a look at what you’ll need to have on hand:
- olive oil – instead of olive oil, you can use grape-seed, vegetable, canola, or even coconut oil.
- carrot – peeled and chopped.
- celery – chopped.
- yellow onion – Other types of onion, like red, sweet, white, or shallots, can also be used for this recipe.
- mushrooms – I used white mushrooms for this recipe, but any type of mushroom is fine.
- Italian seasoning – use my homemade seasoning blend or store-bought.
- garlic salt
- all-purpose flour
- turkey broth – can be replaced with chicken, beef, or vegetable broth instead.
- wild rice – If you don’t use wild rice, I would recommend brown rice since it has a cook time that is similar to wild rice. If you decide to use white rice instead, you will need to simmer it for 10-15 minutes less.
- turkey – cooked chicken or Rotisserie chicken works beautifully in this recipe!
- heavy cream – half and half, whole milk, or even heavy cream are options to use here.
How To Make Wild Rice Soup
- Heat olive oil over medium high heat.
- Cook the carrots, celery, and onion until the onions are translucent and the carrots and celery are soft.
- Add in the mushrooms, Italian seasoning, and garlic salt.
- Whisk in the all-purpose flour.
- Pour in the turkey broth and wild rice and bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer.
- Simmer for 40 to 50 minutes or until the wild rice is cooked through and tender.
- Stir in leftover turkey and heavy cream.
- Ladle into bowls and serve warm.
Storage Information
Refrigerator: You can store this Turkey and Wild Rice Soup in the refrigerator. If you used leftover turkey, make sure your leftover turkey hasn’t been stored in total for more than 3-4 days. The same amount of time goes for cooked rotisserie chicken, pulled pork, or shredded beef if you decided to substitute any of that.
Freezer: Let the soup cool completely before transferring to a freezer safe airtight container. Good for up to 3 months.
Trish’s Tips and Tricks
- Make sure you have all of your ingredients chopped and measured out beforehand. This is a basic cooking “must-do,” but one that I must remind myself to do on a consistent basis!
- Every cooktop and range is different. If you feel like something may overcook or not cook enough, feel free to change the heat settings or the timing of something and check for the doneness of the ingredients instead. This is especially important in soup.
- Add extra broth or water when the consistency of the soup is too thick for your liking. I like to keep extra water around because I tend to find some soups too salty and strong, so adding some water is a go-to strategy for me. Much of this is personal preference, so taste your soup often to make sure you like it. On the other hand, if you would like to thicken your soup, make a quick slurry by whisking together 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of liquid (broth, water, milk) and then whisking into the soup.
- Don’t forget to check your wild rice at the end and make sure it is all done!
More Soup Recipes
- Zuppa Toscana Soup
- Crockpot Ham and Bean Soup
- Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
- Ham and Cabbage Soup (Instant Pot)
- Chicken Enchilada Soup
- Sausage Kale Soup
How To Make Turkey and Wild Rice Soup
Turkey Rice Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large carrots peeled and diced
- 1 stalks celery chopped
- ½ large yellow onion diced
- 1 cup mushrooms chopped or sliced
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1½ teaspoons garlic salt
- 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 3 cups turkey broth or stock (can use chicken broth)
- ⅓ cup wild rice uncooked
- 2¼ cups cooked turkey shredded or cubed
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream or half and half, optional
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat up the olive oil over medium high heat. Add in the carrots, celery, and onion. Cook 2 to 3 minutes or until the onions are translucent and the carrots and celery are softened around the edges.
- Add in the mushrooms, Italian seasoning, and garlic salt. Stir everything together and lower the heat to medium low.
- Whisk in the all-purpose flour and cook for 4 minutes on medium low heat or until all the vegetables are thoroughly coated in the flour and fork tender. Stir occasionally so that nothing burns. This extra cooking will allow the soup to thicken up later.
- Pour in the turkey broth and wild rice and bring to a boil on medium high heat. Reduce to a simmer on medium low heat.
- Cover and let simmer for 40 to 50 minutes or until the wild rice has cooked through and is tender. Uncover and take soup off of heat.
- Stir in leftover turkey and heavy cream. Let sit for 3 to 5 minutes or until the turkey is heated through. It shouldn’t take long. If needed, place the soup back on low heat until the turkey is heated.
- Ladle into bowls and serve warm.
Holly N says
Turkey and wild rice soup is one of our all time favorites!! I love how easy this recipe is.