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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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This soup is easy to throw together and delicious. I love the chew of the wild rice. This is a great way to use up your turkey (or chicken) leftovers. My preference is to add the cream, but it is good without also.
I’m so glad you like this one!
This recipe was so good! I used a leftover turkey breast I froze from Thanksgiving, and a small amount of the drippings. It’s everything I hoped it would be! Your recipes are awesome.
Aww that’s so nice to hear, Jos!! 😀 Thank you!
This was easy and delicious! Thank you for sharing your recipe.
You’re very welcome, Terry!
If this is leftover turkey, why use chicken broth, why not just make turkey broth from turkey?
Because most people won’t do that. They want a quick and easy recipe after doing the production of a Thanksgiving feast, and they are likely to have chicken broth on hand already. You can of course make turkey stock/broth if you prefer… I think that would make this soup extra special.
How do I leave 10 stars? Seriously. I’m very thankful I found this recipe today. I added a bit more veggies, turkey and freshly cooked turkey broth, and I used a box of wild rice that had dried mushrooms with it that no one could detect (my people don’t like mushrooms). But I can’t remember ever eating a yummier soup. We ate leftover cornbread with it, and now we’re all very content. I’m so happy there are leftovers! I bragged all over it on FB and posted a link. 🙂 Thank you!
Thank you so much, Tammy!! 😀 I appreciate you sharing the link!! XO
Have made this frequently….always great. Thank-you!
That’s great!! You are very welcome, Tamsin!
I made this tonight for dinner and it was delicious! I didn’t have any Italian seasoning so I just added oregano, basil, thyme, parsley, and fennel seed. And I didn’t measure any of that-I just put some in. The only other difference was that instead of 3 heaping tablespoons of flour I just used a leveled 1/4 cup of flour.
I’m so glad it was a hit, Doug!
Made it tonight. Delicious and easy to prepare. Directions followed with no variations. I’ll definitely make this again
Thrilled to hear that! 😀
Excellent soup. Only feedback I have is my wild rice pkg took 1 hour to cook.
Glad you liked it! Yes, it seems to vary a bit from brand to brand.
Delicious! Will make again. Thank you!
Fantastic! 😀