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This turkey wild rice soup recipe uses leftover turkey for the coziest post-holiday soup! It’s really hearty, easy to make, and has an irresistible broth.
Try my Thai Turkey Soup or Leftover Turkey Chili next for other creative ways to use up leftover turkey.
Why you’ll love it
There are two types of people, the ones who look forward to the Thanksgiving feast itself and then those who get even more excited about the leftovers. When leftovers are as tasty as they are in this easy turkey soup with wild rice, I have to say I’m in the latter category! This is just such a satisfying and cozy soup.
I’ll also mention this is a one pot meal. Ok, most soups definitely are by nature, but I do want to point out that the wild rice is cooked all in the same pot in this recipe and not separately. Fewer dishes after Thanksgiving is a win for me. When you’re over making sandwiches with leftovers, this comforting turkey mushroom soup is a fabulous option.
What you’ll need
- Onion, carrots, and celery – aromatics to start the soup off right. I prefer sweet (Vidalia) onions.
- Olive oil and butter – for sautéing
- Garlic – I like to mince the cloves effortlessly with a garlic press to bypass sticky fingers and time spent chopping
- Italian seasoning – I always keep a jar of this versatile blend of dried herbs in my spice rack. It’s such a convenient and fragrant combo.
- Flour – to thicken the broth
- Chicken broth – for another layer of flavor
- Wild rice – did you know that technically it isn’t rice at all? It’s the seed of a tall aquatic grass. As for texture, it’s got a bit of a chew to it in comparison to the softer rice you may be used to.
- Turkey – use the shredded leftovers from your Easy Roast Turkey
- Mushrooms – we’re using cremini, which are sometimes labeled as baby bellas
- Heavy cream – it adds a final luxurious touch to the broth. There’s not enough to make this soup calorie heavy!
How to make turkey wild rice soup
This is an overview, and full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
- Prep your ingredients. In a soup pot or Dutch oven sauté the chopped onions, carrots, and celery in the olive oil and butter until softened. Stir in the garlic, Italian seasoning, and flour, and cook for another couple of minutes.
- Whisk in the broth until the flour dissolves. Stir in the rice, and bring to a boil. Cover with the lid ajar, reduce the heat, and simmer for about 15 minutes.
- Add in the shredded turkey and mushrooms. Bring it to a boil again, and then simmer gently until the rice is tender. Stir in the cream, and season with salt & pepper as necessary.
Substitutions and variations
- You could try swapping the wild rice for white rice or brown rice, but keep in mind that you may need to adjust cooking time. Our kitchen has only tested this soup with wild rice. White rice especially cooks much faster.
- This soup will work just as well with leftover Cooked Chicken. Or go ahead and buy a rotisserie chicken!
- You can use a wild rice blend, but note that depending what varieties are included, it could change the color of the soup.
- It’s a versatile soup. Feel free to add any vegetables you have on hand, leave out the mushrooms if they’re not your thing, and so on.
What to serve with turkey soup
- A slice of fresh bread is all you really need to complement this soup. I like sourdough or French bread.
- If you’re craving a big green salad to pair with it after all that Thanksgiving decadence, I recommend dressing it up with my popular Creamy Balsamic Dressing.
Leftovers and storage
- This soup will keep for a few days in the fridge in an airtight container.
- Reheat in a saucepan over a low heat. You may need to add some more broth when reheating if the wild rice soaks up some of the liquid.
- This soup can be frozen for up to 6 months. I recommend freezing it in individual portions.
Did you gobble up this turkey and wild rice soup? If you have any questions or made it, leave me a comment below! You can also find me on Instagram to showcase your creations.
Leftover Turkey Wild Rice Soup
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 2 medium carrots peeled & chopped
- 3 sticks celery chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning or more to taste
- 3 heaping tablespoons flour
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup uncooked wild rice
- 2 cups (or more) cooked turkey meat shredded/cut up
- 7 ounces cremini mushrooms sliced
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup heavy/whipping cream optional
Instructions
- Prep your onion, carrots, and celery. I just roughly chopped the carrots and celery.
- Add the oil and butter to a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery. Sauté for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in the garlic, Italian seasoning, and flour. Cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Whisk in the chicken broth until the flour is dissolved.
- Stir in the rice.
- Increase the heat to high and bring the soup to a boil. Once it's just boiling, cover the pot with the lid slightly ajar. Reduce the heat so it's gently boiling for 15 minutes.
- If you haven't already prepped the turkey and mushrooms, you can do it now.
- Add the turkey and mushrooms to the soup. Increase the heat again so it just comes to a boil, then reduce the heat so it's simmering again and continue cooking the soup for another 15-20 minutes (cover with lid slightly ajar) or until the rice is tender (wild rice does have a bit of "chew" to it, though).
- Stir in the cream (if using). Season soup with salt & pepper as needed.
Notes
- Recipe adapted from here.
- You can use a wild rice blend if you prefer, but keep in mind it may discolor the soup a bit depending on what varieties of rice are included.
- Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Added mini gnocchi and 1 extra can broth. Also a good shake of slap your mama and it is great!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!! Your additions sound delish!
I don’t have any wild rice… Do you think jasmine rice would work?
Hi! I do, but I’d keep an eye on cook time and liquid measurements (like add more broth if it appears to be soaking it up). Let me know how it goes! 🙂
Wonderful recipe for leftover turkey or chicken. I use a blend of black and red wild rice. So good on cold day.
I’m so glad you like it! 🙂
Hi! Can I just buy a box of wild rice with the seasoning And use 1 cup from there? Sorry of the question seems silly but othwrwise it’s a big container of wild rice and I hate to have that sitting in my pantry. Thank you’
I think you probably could do that, Kathy! I’d then be careful to taste it and not add too much extra salt etc. if it’s not needed. Cooking time could also vary depending on what the package directions say, so I’d keep that in mind. Let me know how it goes.
Really yummy. I used leftover fried chicken. Added some broccoli, cabbage, zucchini and cabbage. Great recipe thanx!
Excellent! You’re very welcome!
Has anyone tried to freeze?
I am going to try but use diced potatoes instead of rice. Do you think that would work?
Sure! I think that would be yummy.
I was thinking about making this over the weekend but I don’t have any leftover Turkey. What would you suggest I get from the store? Thanks 😊
Maybe a rotisserie chicken? Or roast a turkey breast then shred it. Or maybe your grocery store’s deli has cooked shredded (or cubed/diced) turkey?
This was a perfect soup for a cold night with turkey leftovers! I added a bit of turmeric…because I sneak it in whenever I can. Thank you for sharing!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!! That’s a good thing to add to soup! 🙂
I made this tonight using leftover turkey from Thanksgiving that I had frozen. I followed the recipe exactly, but made one adjustment: I added two cups of fresh chopped spinach the last few minutes. It was amazing! My son and my husband both loved it, and so did I. I will definitely make this again. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe! 🙂
I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Kimbra!! 🙂 Thanks for commenting!