Put your leftover turkey to good use in this earthy and hearty, Homemade Turkey Wild Rice Soup. Fresh vegetables and herbs, cooked wild rice and leftover turkey in a creamy and luxurious soup. Comfy and cozy, perfect for a cold blustery day.
I love the day after Thanksgiving. No, not because of Black Friday, which used to be the case but I’m more about Cyber Monday these days. Shop in my pj’s? Yes Please. No, the reason I really look forward to the day after T-day is the leftovers. Nothing is better than a big plate of leftover Thanksgiving dinner. But after that one plate of leftovers, I’m usually bombarded with more turkey than side dishes and hey, that’s okay because I just make a big batch of this turkey wild rice soup! And now you can too.
However, if it’s March or any other day that’s not right after Thanksgiving, then you can roast up a few turkey legs to use or substitute shredded cooked chicken. Do your thing.
I love wild rice. It’s texture and earthy flavor. I eat it with salmon or add it to salads, and it swells while adding a chewy [in a good way] texture in soups. Specifically this soup. Turkey wild rice soup is a recipe I’ve wanted to share for forEVER. It’s luxuriously creamy and filled with veggies, turkey, herbs and love.
To Make This Turkey Wild Rice Soup You Will Need:
- butter
- olive oil
- onions
- carrots
- celery
- garlic
- fresh rosemary
- thyme
- bay leaf
- unbleached all-purpose flour
- turkey stock [or low sodium chicken broth]
- half & half
- leftover turkey
- cooked wild rice
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
In a large Dutch oven, melt 4 tablespoons of butter with 2 tablespoons olive oil on medium-low heat.
Then add in 1 cup diced yellow onion, 1/2 cup carrots sliced into half moons and 1/2 cup sliced celery. You can adjust the quantity to 3/4 to 1 cup of celery and carrots, I’m the only one here who doesn’t mind them but the rest of my family, likes less of them. Cover and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
Next add in 2 minced cloves of garlic, 1 [heaping] teaspoon of both minced fresh thyme and rosemary. Cook for one minute.
Then sprinkle with 6 tablespoons of all-purpose flour.
Stir the flour into the butter and cook for 1 minute.
Continue stirring while slowly pouring in 4 cups [1 quart] turkey stock and 4 cups half & half.
Drop in the bay leaf and increase the heat to medium to medium-high heat and stir occasionally until soup has thickened slightly. Keep in mind that you will be adding rice and continuing to simmer the soup, so at this point the soup should be thick but still a little on the thin side.
Don’t worry, if it gets to thick once the rice expands, you can add more broth.
Serve, ladled into bowls with freshly ground black pepper and crackers or a crusty loaf of bread with butter and extra black pepper.
I hope you find this homemade turkey wild rice soup to be so comforting and filling, like a warm hug from me to you.
Did things just get weird? 😉
Enjoy! And if you give this Homemade Turkey Wild Rice Soup recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!
Turkey Wild Rice Soup
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup diced yellow onion
- 1/2 cup carrots slice into half moons, about 2 medium carrots
- 1/2 cup sliced celery, about 2 small stalks
- 2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
- 1 heaping teaspoon rosemary, minced
- 1 heaping teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, minced
- 6 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour
- 4 to 6 cups turkey stock, or low-sodium chicken broth
- 4 cups half & half, (see notes)
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 cups turkey, leftover, chopped
- 2 cups cooked leftover wild rice
- kosher salt, or to taste
- freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Melt butter and olive oil in a large Dutch oven. Add onion, carrot and celery with a generous pinch of kosher salt. Cover and cook for 8 to 10 minutes on medium heat until tender. Stir occasionally.
- Next, stir in the garlic, rosemary and thyme. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes before sprinkling in the flour. Stir and cook the flour for 2 to 3 minutes before pouring [while stirring] in the turkey stock or low-sodium chicken broth and then half & half. Drop in the bay leaf and bring the soup up to a simmer on medium heat.
- Once the soup has thickened slightly, add in the turkey and wild rice. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the soup is thick and the rice has swelled. Season with kosher salt and black pepper to taste. Wether you use turkey stock or low-sodium broth with depend on how much salt you will need.
Notes
Buy the Cookbook: Simply Scratch : 120 Wholesome Homemade Recipes Made Easy Now available on Amazon »
THANK YOU in advance for your support!
Made it and loved it! I did add more stock to the soup after they rice swelled. About a cup and a half? Also, I had to make sure I gave it a good stir now and again while the rice was cooking. It kept sticking to the bottom of the pot.
So delicious and fragrant, plus all the warm and fuzzies of hot soup on a cold day.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Myriam!
Very tasty and healthy soup to from you with major nutrients
My whole family loved this! It was creamy and delicious. Perfect use of leftover Thanksgiving ingredients.