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 way to use up extra turkey.
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
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.
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
Calories: 313kcalCarbohydrates: 28gProtein: 17gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 68mgSodium: 991mgPotassium: 730mgFiber: 3gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 3925IUVitamin C: 20mgCalcium: 72mgIron: 2mg
Debbie Schoening says
Very good flavor. Added cream; used oyster mushrooms; added about 1.5 teaspoons of dried Italian seasoning; mixed chicken and turkey stock
Natasha says
So glad it was a hit for you, Debbie! 🙂
christineess says
Ran out of chicken broth, used 3 cups chicken broth and 2 cups vegetable broth and 1 cup beef broth. Such a great recipe, it could handle my crazy substitutions. Delicious!
Natasha says
I'm so happy you liked it! 😀
Terri says
This was sooo good! I made it with a few tweaks. I used brown rice, light cream and added some spinach for color.
Natasha says
Glad you enjoyed it!
Kim says
This recipe is so good, Natasha! I have made it several times as written, and delivered to people struggling with seasonal viruses. I’m making a second pot this week to use the last bit of turkey meat along with the turkey broth I made. Thank you for sharing such a great recipe!
Natasha says
You're very welcome!! 😀 That's so nice of you to make it for others. Thanks for your review!
Marie says
Made this as the recipe reads, with the exception of 2 heaping TBSP of flour instead of 3. Initially I was worried about the amount of mushrooms, but they reduced down to the perfect amount and perfect flavoring. This has been one of my favorite soups that we have made. It will definitely be a keeper, I've already passed the recipe on to family.
Natasha says
I'm so glad it's a hit, Marie! 🙂
Alexis C says
The wild rice I used from Trader Joe’s took an hour to cook. So I waited until the rice was done before adding the turkey and mushrooms. I also sautéed the mushrooms in butter.
I added the cream to the bowl instead of to the whole pot.
I enjoyed it very much.
Natasha says
So glad you liked it, Alexis!
Nikki says
This was FANTASTIC!!!! Ended up with 2 1/2 times the recipe and added a cornstarch slurry so it was a bit thicker. I used a bit of ground rosemary, thyme, oregano, and McCormick garlic and herbs as my seasonings. So tasty!! The cream kicked it up to a whole new level. Thank you for sharing!!
Natasha says
Thank you so much!
Jeanne Bulriss says
I made turkey broth and used that instead of chicken broth!! Talk about great! This recipe rocks!!! I also used baby portabella shrooms. What a wonderful recipe!!! Last of the thanksgiving dinner!!!
Natasha says
So happy it was a hit, Jeanne! Thanks for your review! 🙂
Christie Chojnacki says
This was yummy! I has brown & wild rice cups that I was trying to use up, so I reduced the liquid and added them in at the end instead.
Natasha says
I'm so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Laurie L says
Your soup recipe is fantastic! I let it simmer probably about 20 mins longer & was pretty generous with the mushrooms. Would happily make this again, next time it will be left over chicken. Thanks for the recipe!
Natasha says
Excellent!! 🙂
Ali Jean says
great recipe, but wild rice takes anywhere from 45 min to an hour so this does not add up correctly for time. I would suggest partially-cooking wild rice in advance that way you’re not wasting tons of broth through the cooking process. My rice was constantly sticking to the bottom of the pot which wouldn’t have happened with shorter cooking time…
Also- I added lemon juice, fresh parsley, and Parmesan rind for added flavor.
Mindy says
Yum! This turned out great
Natasha says
Excellent! Thanks for your review!
Heather says
Added mini gnocchi and 1 extra can broth. Also a good shake of slap your mama and it is great!
Natasha says
I'm so glad you enjoyed it!! Your additions sound delish!
Devin Clark says
I don’t have any wild rice… Do you think jasmine rice would work?
Natasha says
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! 🙂
Patricia ORielly says
Wonderful recipe for leftover turkey or chicken. I use a blend of black and red wild rice. So good on cold day.
Natasha says
I'm so glad you like it! 🙂
Kathy says
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’
Natasha says
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.
Bonny Brown says
Really yummy. I used leftover fried chicken. Added some broccoli, cabbage, zucchini and cabbage. Great recipe thanx!
Natasha says
Excellent! You're very welcome!
JESSICA RIEGER says
Has anyone tried to freeze?
Susan says
I am going to try but use diced potatoes instead of rice. Do you think that would work?
Natasha says
Sure! I think that would be yummy.
Sue says
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 😊
Natasha says
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?
Laura Parks says
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!
Natasha says
I'm so glad you enjoyed it!! That's a good thing to add to soup! 🙂
Kimbra says
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! 🙂
Natasha says
I'm so happy you enjoyed it, Kimbra!! 🙂 Thanks for commenting!
Holly says
This soup is absolutely delicious! I have made it twice now and I think it is in my top 5 all time favorite soups! Thank you for the wonderful recipe!
Natasha says
Wow that's great to hear! Thank you!!
Marie says
Delicious! Will be doing this one again soon! Had a bowl for lunch and one for dinner!!
Natasha says
Awesome!!
Kelly says
My son won’t eat the leftover turkey n wild rice soup w mushrooms I love em but may we leave em out?
Natasha says
I think that should be fine!
Mandi Clark says
Made this last night with leftover thanksgiving turkey and it was a hit! Everyone went back for seconds! There is not one recipe I have made of yours that my family hasn't loved. Well done!
Natasha says
Woo hoo!! So happy to hear that, Mandi! 🙂 XO
Jennifer says
This is an amazing recipe. We used fresh leftover herbs (rosemary, thyme & sage) instead of the Italian seasoning and I tossed in the seasoning packet from the wild rice mix. Otherwise we stuck to the recipe and made about 1.5 times as much as it called for since we had so many mushrooms and rice etc. It turned out sooo delicious. This is a must make!
Natasha says
I'm so glad that it worked out!! Thanks for commenting, Jennifer!
Lorraine Nadeau says
I really like this recipe. A nice change from my usual leftover turkey soup. I cooked brown rice separately and added that and a splash of half and half when serving. Delicious
Natasha says
Wonderful! 🙂
Deb says
The best Turkey Wild Rice Soup I have made! I’m always adjusting recipes, but I didn’t change anything with this recipe. I did add an extra cup of turkey; but that was suggested. Thanks for a great recipe!! (Oh, I did use 2 cups of beef broth because I used all of the chicken broth. But it was great anyhow!)
Natasha says
Wonderful!! I'm so happy you liked it!! 🙂
Brooke says
How might I make this in the Instant Pot?
Natasha says
Hi Brooke! I haven't tested wild rice in the IP and it could be a bit tricky, so I am going to refrain from giving any suggestions. Sorry!
Shelly says
Made this today with left over Thanksgiving Turkey. Easy and delicious! This is the second time I’ve used wild rice in a soup. The first time it disintegrated 🙁 It held up really nice in this recipe! Thanks for sharing!
Natasha says
I'm so glad you enjoyed it and that the wild rice held up! It can be a little tricky to cook with... it takes a long time for it to cook, but then, as you say, it can disintegrate. Thanks for taking the time to leave me a comment, Shelly! 🙂
AC says
Made this for dinner last night and it was delicious! Usually make at least one soup a week and this will join my soup rotation.
Natasha says
I'm so happy to hear it!! Thanks for leaving me a comment! 🙂