Turkey Wild Rice Soup
Published 11/22/2022 • Updated 11/30/2022
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This Turkey Wild Rice Soup is rich, creamy, and cozy. It’s the perfect soup for holiday leftovers and is super easy to store and enjoy later.
Creamy Turkey Wild Rice Soup
There’s something about a steaming bowl of warm, creamy soup that just gets you all warm and fuzzy inside. Creamy broth, savory veggies, aromatic herbs and spices, tender turkey, and a hearty wild rice blend make this turkey wild rice soup the ULTIMATE comfort food.
Turkey wild rice soup is our favorite go-to when cooking for the holidays, as it doesn’t take up any oven space. Got turkey leftovers? This soup will take care of it. Just whip it up the day after a holiday, adding any leftovers you see fit for a tasty, no-waste meal.
Why you’ll love it!
Creamy Broth: This broth uses whole milk and a nice roux to get the soup thick and creamy!
Leftover-Friendly: Turkey wild rice soup makes the perfect leftover turkey soup recipe. So don’t waste any turkey and make this yummy soup! It’s also super easy to store for later.
Hearty Soup: The turkey, wild rice, and veggies come together to make for a cozy meal that will fill you right up.
Main Ingredients
Turkey Meat: You can’t have turkey wild rice soup without juicy, tender turkey! You can even use leftover Thanksgiving turkey if it’s that time of the year. You can use either white or dark meat, and you’ll need about 3 cups, shredded.
Veggies: Veggies play a big role in this delicious soup. Here’s what you need:
- yellow onion
- bella mushrooms
- butternut squash
- carrots
- celery
- peas
Wild Rice: Wild rice adds a level of sustenance and heartiness that other types of rice simply cannot compete with. It also pairs SO well with the rich and creamy broth. Yum!
Spices/Broth: We used a homemade turkey broth flavored with a spice bundle of thyme and rosemary that is out of this world! Don’t have turkey broth? Any broth will do!
How to Make Turkey Wild Rice Soup
This hearty wild rice and turkey soup is one for the books! It’s great as a leftover turkey recipe or a simple, comforting meal at home.
The BEST part is combining all the elements together at the end and watching the soup come to life. (I’m hungry just thinking about it.) Happy cooking!
COOK RICE
First, boil a pot of salted water and add 1 cup of rice. Turn the heat to a simmer and cook the wild rice for about 45 minutes. When the rice is cooked, strain and set aside.
COOK VEGGIES
Heat a large pot or Dutch oven with olive oil over medium/high heat. Then add your diced onion and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Add the chopped mushrooms and salt and toss, allowing the mushrooms to cook for another 5 minutes.
Next, add the garlic, butternut squash, carrots, and celery to the pot. Season with salt and pepper and cook for about 4-5 minutes so the squash caramelizes with the other veggies.
ADD HERBS & TURKEY
Create an herb bundle of thyme and rosemary and place it in the pot. Pour your broth and one cup of whole milk over the veggies and stir. Bring to a gentle boil. Then, add the turkey to the pot and reduce the heat to a simmer for approximately 5 minutes.
MAKE YOUR ROUX
Grab a separate saucepan and heat over medium heat. Add butter and allow it to melt. Then add the flour and whisk until combined. Let it cook for 1 minute before pouring the remaining milk into the pan. Whisk until it becomes a thick roux.
COMBINE & MIX
Now it’s time to bring everything together! Scrape your roux into the large pot containing all the other ingredients and whisk until there are no more lumps.
Then add in the peas and cooked rice and mix. Simmer for 5-10 minutes until the soup begins to thicken.
REST & enjoy!
Remove the pot from the heat and take out the herb bundle. The soup will need to rest for about 10-15 minutes, but you can rest it longer if you like a thicker consistency.
Enjoy your easy turkey soup!
How to Make a Roux
No need to be intimidated by the roux in this soup! You’ll whip it up no problem while the rest of your soup cooks to perfection in these 4 easy steps. Plus, there is no cornstarch involved!
- In a medium saucepan (separate from the soup), you’ll heat butter over medium/high heat.
- When the butter is fragrant, add flour to the saucepan and whisk together until a paste forms.
- Then, slowly whisk the milk into the mixture, stirring consistently until the milk thickens (this usually takes 4-6 minutes).
- You’ll add the roux into the soup at the very end. Voila!
How to Cook Wild Rice – 2 Ways!
We walk you through. the two easiest ways we like to cook wild rice HERE, and you can choose between:
- Instant Pot wild rice
- Stove top wild rice
Another method if you’re looking for quick and easy is to buy a packet of already cooked wild rice. Most major grocers carry it, and it truly does make this portion of the recipe easy peasy.
Recipe Substitutions
Turkey: This turkey soup is perfect for leftover Thanksgiving turkey, but should you not have any extra turkey on hand, you can absolutely use a store-bought rotisserie chicken or shredded chicken breasts instead.
Veggies: This soup is made with Thanksgiving leftovers, so feel free to add your favorites. We used butternut squash, peas, and carrots. You could add any of your favorite leftovers as well!
Broth: Any broth works, but we prefer to use our homemade chicken or turkey broth!
try it!
Homemade Turkey Stock
Homemade turkey stock is so easy to make. This recipe is excellent for using up a turkey carcass around the holidays and leftover vegetables.
How to Store Wild Rice Soup
Got leftovers? Here are a few storage tips to follow to make sure your soup lasts for as long as possible!
Refrigerator: Transfer the soup into a glass container and seal tightly. Refrigerate for up to 5 days.
HOW TO FREEZE Turkey WILD RICE SOUP
- Let your soup cool completely before transferring into a freezer-safe gallon-size bag or Tupperware.
- Seal and then place in the freezer.
- Will last for up to 3 months.
- To reheat, let thaw on the counter and then transfer into a large pot on the stove or even reheat in your slow cooker.
Turkey Wild Rice Soup
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked wild rice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ large yellow onion, diced
- 8 oz. bella mushrooms, roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt, separated
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups ½-inch cubed butternut squash, peeled (sweet potato works, too)
- 2 large carrots, chopped into half moons
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 8 cups homemade turkey broth, or any broth
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 cups whole milk, separated
- 4 cups shredded or chopped cooked turkey
- 1/3 cup butter
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup frozen peas or fresh English peas
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add 1 cup of wild rice to the pot. Turn the heat to simmer and let the wild rice cook for about 45 minutes or until it begins to crack and curl. When the rice is done, strain the water from the rice and set aside.
- While the rice is cooking, heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium/high heat and add olive oil. Once the olive oil is fragrant add the onion to the pot and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Add the chopped mushrooms and a pinch of salt, toss and allow the mushrooms to cook off some liquid for about 5 minutes.
- Next, add the garlic, butternut squash, carrots, and celery, to the pot and season with the remaining salt and pepper. Cook for about 4-5 minutes to allow the squash to caramelize a bit with all the other vegetables.
- Tie the thyme and rosemary together with cooking twine and place the bundle into the pot and pour the broth, Worcestershire, and one cup of whole milk over the vegetables and stir. Bring the soup to a gentle boil. Add the turkey to the pot, reduce the heat and allow the soup to simmer for about 5 minutes.
- Heat a separate small saucepan over medium heat and add the butter to the saucepan. When the butter is melted add the flour and whisk the two together. Let the mixture cook for 1 minute and then pour the remaining 1 cup of milk into the pan. Whisk until all the ingredients are combined and the mixture is a thick roux.
- Scrape the roux into the large pot with all the other ingredients. Whisk all of the ingredients together until there are no lumps. Add the peas and cooked rice to the pot, mix, and allow the mixture to simmer for 5-10 minutes or until it begins to thicken.
- Remove the pot from the heat and remove the herb bundle. Let the soup rest for 10-15 minutes. The longer the soup rests, the thicker it will get. If you want a thicker consistency, let it rest longer. If you want a thinner consistency, eat the soup right away or add more broth.
Tips & Notes
- This soup is made with Thanksgiving leftovers so feel free to add your favorites. We used butternut squash, peas, and carrots. You could add any of your favorite leftovers as well.
- If you want to keep this dairy free you can make a roux with olive oil and almond milk, though keep in mind that will change the taste of the soup.
- Please salt and pepper to taste. The saltiness of the soup is determined by what type of broth you use. We used a homemade turkey broth.
Watch It
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Photography: photos taken in this post are by Ashley McGlaughlin from The Edible Perspective.
