Turkey and Wild Rice Soup

If you’re reading this because you have leftover turkey and you’re not sure what to do with it, I got you covered! This turkey and wild rice soup is perfect for using up leftover turkey from the holidays! Personally, I think leftover turkey meals are better than eating turkey the day of Thanksgiving anyway. You can also sub the turkey in this recipe for chicken and make it all winter long!

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Turkey and Wild Rice Soup

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Ingredients

  

• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 3 carrots
• 4 celery stalks
• 1 onion
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 Tbsp garlic, chopped
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 4 cups low sodium chicken stock or broth
• 2 chicken bouillon cubes
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 1/2 cups wild rice
• 2 – 2 1/2 cups cooked turkey, chopped or shredded
• 1 cup half & half I use fat free, but full fat will work fine too
• fresh cracked pepper to taste
• crushed red pepper flakes to taste

Instructions

 

• Clean and dice carrots, celery and onion.
• Heat olive oil in a pasta pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Sautee diced carrots, celery and onion until slightly softened – about 5 minutes.
• Season with salt and pepper. Do not over season with salt – you only need a pinch.
• Add chopped garlic and cook until fragrant – about 1 minute.
• Add flour to the pan a few tablespoons at a time, stirring until flour coats all the veggies.
• Slowly add broth or stock, one cup at a time. Stir well in between adding each cup. Make sure to scrap any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
• Add bay leaf, bouillon cubes, rice and turkey.
• Bring to boil.
• Reduce heat, cover and simmer according to rice package instructions. The rice I use simmers for 30-35 minutes.
• When rice is cooked through, remove from heat and add half & half. Stir to combine. Remove bay leaf.
• Top with fresh cracked pepper and red pepper flakes if desired.
• Serve it up with a baguette for dipping and enjoy!

My husband is not a soup guy, but he now requests this turkey and wild rice soup for dinner in the winter months. It’s very hearty and absolutely delicious. Besides, how many days in a row can you eat a turkey sandwich with stuffing and cranberry sauce after the holiday meal?

REHEATING NOTES

When reheating the leftover soup, you may need to add additional chicken broth as this soup thickens as it sits in the refrigerator. It is just as tasty as leftovers and makes for a great lunch to bring to work or the office.

VEGGIE CHOPPER

For recipes like this, I highly recommend a veggie chopper. It makes chopping veggies for soups and stews a breeze and cuts down on prep time for each recipe. I really love this veggie chopper! I use it all the time. In the summer, I use it for pasta salads.

If you’re a soup lover like me, you might also want to check out my Roasted Bell Pepper and Tomato Soup! It’s so comforting on cold winter days. I’ve also included a grilled cheese garlic bread recipe on that post that will make you question the way you’ve been eating grilled cheese with tomato soup!

Thanks for stopping by my corner of the internet!

-The Chic(ish) Chick

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