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Turkey Wild Rice Soup Recipe

Wondering what to do with leftover turkey? This creamy turkey wild rice soup recipe is a delicious way to use up turkey leftovers that's different from the same old same old.

I love turkey so much I always buy one the moment they go on sale for the season, at least a few weeks before Thanksgiving itself.

Since it's just the two of us we always have a ton leftover. I'm happy to eat a few sandwiches and turkey and dressing bowls but after a while I'm certainly ready for something different.

Related: 60+ Ideas For What To Do With Leftover Turkey

This year has been so unseasonably cold already I couldn't help but ponder a recipe for turkey soup, especially since I always like to make a turkey bone broth from the leftover bones.

I also had some leftover fresh veggies, half and half, and wanted to make something with wild rice so putting together this turkey wild rice soup recipe was a no brainer.

Turkey Wild Rice Soup Recipe photo in a white bowl garnished with chopped parsley

Can You Freeze Turkey Rice Soup?

I've never frozen this soup so I can't say for sure how it would turn out. I would start with a small batch to freeze versus freezing the whole recipe if you're curious.

I will say that the texture of the overall soup may be off upon thawing due to the dairy. The texture of the rice may also be impacted since it's already been cooked.

If you intend to freeze any of the soup I would definitely leave the rice out and then stir in warmed rice right before serving.

Turkey Wild Rice Soup Recipe photo showing the steps to make the soup: browning mushrooms, sauteeing veggies, making roux and adding liquids

How To Make Turkey Soup

Here are some of my tips for making homemade turkey soup.

Leftover turkey soup is one of the easiest recipes to make thanks to already having the protein cooked. You can use dark or white meat or both. It's a really great way to use leftover white turkey meat that can otherwise end up dry when reheated.

You can also save time by using prechopped veggies as most grocery stores now sell mirepoix all chopped and ready to go.

I always make a homemade bone broth with leftover turkey and/or chicken bones and keep it in the freezer. However, you can absolutely use premade canned or boxed broth.

I recommend using warmed broth and half and half because this will help prevent your soup from becoming lumpy. This also helps in gravies, too.

I haven't tried using just milk in this recipe. It should work out okay, the soup will likely just not be quite as rich or thick as normal.

You can also use any type of rice you want for this turkey soup recipe. I like the bite of wild rice but actually had a hard time finding just wild rice locally.

I ordered some wild rice online to have on hand for next time and used a wild rice blend from Trader Joe's this time which was excellent.

If you wanted to use white or brown rice or even the frozen rice you steam in the microwave that should be fine.

What To Serve With Turkey Soup

This is a hearty all-in-one meal thanks to all the protein and veggies, but I absolutely love having bread to dunk into the soup to enjoy with it. Here are some homemade bread recipes and desserts to go with the soup.

Turkey Wild Rice Soup Recipe Picture of overhead shot with Pinterest text
prepared creamy turkey wild rice soup with chopped parsley garnish in a white round bowl

Turkey Wild Rice Soup Recipe

Yield: 12 1-Cup Servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes

Wondering what to do with leftover turkey? This creamy turkey wild rice soup recipe is a delicious way to use up turkey leftovers that's different from the same old same old.

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add 10 ounces mushrooms and cook until they start to brown stirring occasionally, about 2 - 3 minutes.
  2. Add the ½ cup butter to the mushrooms and stir until melted. Add in the 3 chopped carrots, celery ribs, and onion. Cook until tender stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.
  3. Reduce heat to medium and stir in 2 minced garlic cloves and ½ cup all-purpose flour, coating all of the veggies. Keep stirring and cook for one minute.
  4. Slowly stir in 4 cups of broth and 2 cups of half and half until well combined. Bring to a simmer cooking until slightly thickened and stirring occasionally.
  5. Stir in 2 cups cooked wild rice, 3 cups turkey, and 2 teaspoons dried thyme. Bring back to simmer and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  6. Season to taste with about ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
  7. Serve and enjoy! Leftovers can be refrigerated up to 3 days. I love using the Rubbermaid Brilliance containers because they include steam holes in the lid for easy mess-free microwaving. I haven’t tried freezing this soup but the texture may be off upon thawing due to the dairy.

Notes

You can use chicken instead of turkey or any kind of cooked rice you prefer.

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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1 Cup
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 340Total Fat: 19gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 121mgSodium: 289mgCarbohydrates: 15gFiber: 2gSugar: 4gProtein: 26g

Nutrition information may not be accurate. Nutrition information is calculated automatically by and provided by Nutritionix. Exact nutrition information depends on the specific ingredients, brands, and amounts you use.

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