Turkey Wild Rice Soup
This super simple turkey wild rice soup completely transforms that pile of leftover turkey you have in the refrigerator following Thanksgiving dinner. With the addition of fresh cremini mushrooms and a rich broth, this is sure to be a favorite for years to come! If you don’t have any leftovers or turkey broth, you can easily substitute cooked chicken and chicken broth for an equally delicious soup!
A hallmark of Thanksgiving, and many other holidays this time of year, is leftovers! Though I love a turkey sandwich as much as the next person, I love finding new ways to use what we have in the fridge after a big meal.
Pairing the meat with rice and fresh mushrooms, this soup only takes about 15 minutes to prep and an hour to cook. So easy!
Making turkey wild rice soup – step by step Instructions
- Heat oil in a large pot (or Dutch oven) over medium-high heat. Add chopped onions and mushrooms, stirring until tender (6-7 minutes).
- Add garlic and stir for another minute.
- Pour in broth, rice, and bay leaf. Cover with a lid, and bring to a simmer.
- Reduce to medium-low heat and add leftover turkey.
- Simmer until rice is tender and cooked through, about 45 minutes.
- Remove bay leaf and serve!
Serving ideas
This soup goes perfectly with bread – literally ANY bread. You can use some leftover dinner rolls, but one of my very favorite loaves of bread to pair with soup is Irish soda bread, which is incredible with a smear of salted butter. Simple no-knead bread is also great to dip in the soup, thanks to its perfect crusty edges.
With this soup being so hearty, a delicious salad makes this a full meal. Roasted butternut squash salad with warm cider vinaigrette (another great way to use leftovers!) is a perfect pairing.
Storing and reheating instructions
The long-grain wild rice keeps its shape when frozen, rather than soaking up too much moisture – which is what makes this turkey wild rice soup one that is superb for storing and freezing.
- Storing: Once completely cool, the soup can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Freezing: This soup can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 6 months. Soups expand when frozen, so make sure you leave 1 to 2 inches of space at the top of the container. You can also place a piece of plastic wrap against the surface of the soup before putting the lid on to help prevent freezer burn.
- Thawing: It is always best to let the soup thaw in the refrigerator for 1-2 days before eating, if possible. This allows the soup to come back together and the flavors to meld again. If you don’t have time to thaw out your turkey wild rice soup, you can put the container in a warm water bath until it thaws enough to put in a saucepan.
- Reheating: Place the soup in a saucepan that will hold the amount of soup you are heating, put the saucepan over medium heat and allow the soup to come to a full boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for at least 5 minutes, adding more broth or water if needed.
Love cozy soups? I have you covered with more of my favorites!
- 10 Best Soup, Stew and Chili Recipes
- Creamy Potato Leek Soup
- Cream of Mushroom Soup
- Cheddar and Ale Soup with Potato & Bacon
I hope you’ll try this turkey wild rice soup and love it! If you do, I would so appreciate it if you would take a moment to come back and leave a rating below. Thank you so much! ❤️️
Turkey Wild Rice Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 1 cup (160 g) chopped onion
- 4 cloves (4) garlic , minced
- 6 cups (1.44 l) turkey broth
- ¾ cup (120 g) long grain wild rice
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 cups (397.6 g) cooked turkey, cut into bite-size pieces
- ¼ cup (15 g) chopped parsley
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the mushrooms and onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 6 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute, stirring.
- Add the broth, rice, and bay leaf, cover and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium low, add the turkey, and simmer until the rice is cooked through and tender, about 45 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaf then stir in parsley, salt and pepper and serve.
Notes
- Turkey: You can substitute cooked and chopped (or shredded) chicken in place of the turkey.
- Turkey Broth: This is easy to find in stores around Thanksgiving, but if you don't have access to it, simply substitute chicken broth.
- Mushrooms: You can omit the mushrooms if desired.
- Creamy soup: Add up to 2 cups of heavy cream or half-and-half to add a creamy texture to the soup.
- Storing: Once completely cool, the soup can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Freezing: This soup can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 6 months. Leave 1 to 2 inches of space at the top of the container for expansion; you can also place a piece of plastic wrap against the surface of the soup before putting the lid on to help prevent freezer burn.
- Thawing: Thaw in the refrigerator for 1-2 days.
- Reheating: Place the soup in a saucepan over medium heat and bring to a full boil, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for at least 5 minutes, adding more broth or water if needed.
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
Photography by Lauren Grant.
Our second edition of turkey soup. The first was a broth from the stock made from the carcass & now this. Two entirely different types both exceedingly yummy. The addition of the cider vinegar was inspired, it did brighten the flavor.
It was first day of deer season here, hubby enjoyed it when he came in from the cold.
I will make again. Thank you for a different soup!
I used the leftover turkey carcass from Thanksgiving for stock. Didn’t have much turkey left, so used 16 ounces of mushrooms. This was a great soup. I did add 1 Tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to ‘brighten it up’ as noted in a prior post. Leftovers in freezer for another day! Thanks, Michelle!!
I made this today and it was really good. I did add the salt (1t) with the rice. I also added 1T lemon juice to brighten it up. My grandma always said add a little acid. It was very good! Will make again!
Yes! A delicious, thrifty, simple recipe. I use our stock friendly kitchen scraps along with an older chicken carcas (saved in the freezer) for the stock.
The rice adds such a sweet nuttiness.
Thanks for the inspo!
Such a GREAT idea to freeze it. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve tossed out the rest of a rotisserie chicken from Costco because I didn’t feel like making soup that week. Now I know to freeze it! I learn soooo many helpful tips from Michelle’s blog and also from her community of readers. It’s awesome!
On the wild rice measure….is that 3/4 cup cooked or uncooked?
Have the turkey carcass simmering on the on the stove and looking forward to this simple soup when the snow comes in tomorrow!!!
Hi Kaylyn, The rice is uncooked. Enjoy!
I pinned this as a reminder to my holiday board on pinterest. When I click on the pinned link from pinterest I get a message that it’s blocked as it may contain spam. I pinned directly from your site.
Hi Danita, I apologize for that issue – I contacted Pinterest yesterday and there was an error on their end that has been remedied. You should be able to pin without an issue now.
Thanks Michelle, the Pinterest link works now. I made the soup this past weekend and it was easy to make and a nice hearty soup for dinner. I used a tri-blend (red, purple & white) jasmine rice I had in the pantry vs the wild rice. I served the soup with a warm loaf of sourdough bread.
I made this soup last night and it was so easy to make yet so delicious! This is just what I needed to slow down and enjoy what was left of my holiday. Thanks for sharing!
I like that this recipe is so easy, using whatever leftovers I have. It’s one of those use-what-I-have-in-my-pantry-and-corners-of-fridge meals. :-) Comfort food at it’s best.
I was not a huge fan of the soup. I’m pretty sure that’s my fault and not yours, though. Our turkey (which I didn’t cook) was sort of funny tasting. AND – I don’t really like rice (or wild rice). But I often see recipes with rice that LOOK amazing, and have so many other great flavors, that I convince myself that this will be “the one” – and then I’m always reminded that I really just don’t like rice. My fault.
Made this tonight for dinner and it was fabulous! Rave reviews from both me and my fiance. Thanks so much! My only suggestion is maybe a bit more broth? I’m not sure if I let too much cook off but I added in 2 more cups at the end since I didn’t think it was enough! Awesome recipe! :)
Looks beautiful! It’s spring here (NZ) so not really soupy weather. I am curious… how do you have left over turkey BEFORE thanksgiving?! We don’t celebrate thanksgiving here, in fact no one even noticed is was today! I look forward to moving to Canada where I can delight in creating a thanksgiving meal like you will be doing today (well, tomorrow here). Enjoy :)
I made some turkey in advance so I could share leftover recipes!
Looks so delicious! Perfect for chilly evenings :).
This looks like the perfect way to use up my Turkey left overs! Delish!
I made a similar soup last year with leftovers and I still remember how good it was! Looking forward to making it again :)
Have a great Thanksgiving!
Looks LOVELY!
What a great recipe! I have been planning all week for what I am going to make with the leftovers, this will make the list for sure!! I have a 13 pound turkey for 3 people (one of which is a 6 year old), I think I will have plenty left to make this and many other delicious things! Thanks!
Have a great Thanksgiving!
Love this recipe!
What a great looking recipe — I’ll have to hold out some of our wild rice from our stuffing just for this :) Happy Thanksgiving!
Yum! My Husbands favorite leftovers is Turkey and gravy on Wonder bread! Yuck! For me, a turkey panini sandwich with turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce! Yum, dam I want one now, but I have to wait!
Happy Thanksgiving!!
This recipe just got added to the What To Do With The Leftovers list. Looks great!
After all of the work, I do not mind repeating the meal as leftovers. In fact after hosting the event I relax and almost enjoy the meal more the following day. However,as much as I love Thanksgiving dishes it leaves me craving tomato. So much of veggie trays make it onto a pizza by Saturday.