Turkey and Wild Rice Soup

5 from 1 vote

A flavorful hearty soup to make with Thanksgiving turkey leftovers. If you're out of turkey, try it with leftover chicken.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Servings: Yield 2 quarts

Calories: 212kcal

Author: Sally Cameron

Equipment

Large pot 4-5 quarts

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil
1 cup chopped onion half a large onion
1 medium leek, chopped use white and light green parts only
3 ribs celery chopped
3 medium carrots chopped
2 large garlic cloves chopped fine
2 cups chopped leftover turkey or chicken, about 11 ounces
1 ½ cups cooked wild rice or wild rice blend or brown rice
1 tablespoon fresh chopped thyme leaves ½ teaspoon dried
4 cups turkey broth or chicken broth
1-2 bay leaves
½ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper

Optional garnish

1 tablespoon fresh chopped Italian parsley
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a large heavy soup pot, 4-5 quarts, over medium heat. Add the onion, leek, celery, and carrots. Cook for about 7 minutes until soft, stirring. Turn down the heat if needed, you don't want the vegetables to brown. Add the garlic and cook another minute.
Stir in the turkey, then the herbs, wild rice. Stir and cook for 3-5 minutes, then add the broth and bay leaves and bring to a simmer. Cook for about 15 minutes for flavors to blend and soup to heat through. Season with salt and pepper and soup is ready to serve.
Sprinkle with parsley and parmesan if desired.

Notes

If you freeze or refrigerate this soup, you might need a little extra broth as when it sits the rice can absorb some of the broth. For brothier soup, add another cup or so of broth.

If you want to make the soup ahead of time, cook the rice and store it separately from the soup so it does not get mushy and absorb a lot of broth, then add it when you're heating the soup.

Nutrition