This healthy and easy Wild Rice and Leftover Turkey Soup is a simple, wholesome and delicious dinner that takes advantage of your holiday leftovers! Don't have turkey on hand? Use chicken instead!
This healthy and easy Wild Rice and Leftover Turkey Soup is a simple, wholesome and delicious dinner that takes advantage of your holiday leftovers! Don’t have turkey on hand? Use chicken instead!
I originally created this recipe as a simple way to use up leftover chicken or turkey from previous meals. I really don’t like to throw away food, so I’m constantly dreaming up new ways to repurpose the same old stuff — and soups are about as easy as it gets!
The hearty and satisfying wild rice, broth, and veggies make this turkey soup a filling option for cold nights. It reminds me so much of the chicken noodle soup that Mom always gave us when we were sick, and my own boys have come to love it as well.
While extra chicken works great as a substitute in this soup, I wanted to share the recipe with you today because it’s perfectly well suited for a post-Thanksgiving meal. After a busy holiday full of rich food and hours spent in the kitchen, this turkey soup is a lighter option to take advantage of leftover meat while only requiring 15 minutes of prep!
It’s the antidote to all of life’s problems — whether you’re nursing a sick child, in need of some comfort, or just trying to feed your family on a busy weeknight. Mom always knows best!
How do you make the best turkey soup with rice?
Here’s the secret: it’s really easy! I find that I enjoy a meal if I don’t stress over it, so I love a quick supper that only requires a few minutes of hands on time — but still tastes like it simmered all day!
You simply sauté garlic and onion in oil until tender. Add broth, rice and water to the pot; bring to a boil, and simmer for about 35 minutes (or until the rice is tender). Cook vegetables in the soup a bit longer, stir in the leftover turkey at the end, and your easy turkey soup is ready!
Recipe Variations – Healthy Turkey Soup with Rice:
- Instead of turkey, try using leftover chicken — or purchase a rotisserie chicken at the store and use the meat in this soup!
- Replace the wild rice with another type of rice — such as long grain white rice or brown rice. You may have to adjust the cooking time accordingly — white rice tends to cook faster than wild rice, while brown rice will require more time.
- Instead of cutting up fresh vegetables, try stirring in frozen mixed vegetables (such as corn, peas, and carrots) towards the end of cooking. You can pick your family’s favorites!
More leftover turkey recipes that you might enjoy:
- Aunt Bee’s Leftover Turkey Casserole
- Dump-and-Bake Turkey Tetrazzini
- Quick and Easy Homemade Turkey Noodle Soup
Wild Rice and Leftover Turkey Soup
This healthy and easy Wild Rice and Leftover Turkey Soup is a simple, wholesome and delicious dinner that takes advantage of your holiday leftovers! Don't have turkey on hand? Use chicken instead!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 4 cups chicken broth*
- 2/3 cup wild rice blend
- 2 ½ cups water
- 4 carrots, chopped
- 4 celery stalks, chopped
- 8 ounces cooked, diced leftover turkey (or chicken)
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion begins to soften (about 3 minutes).
- Add chicken broth, rice, and water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer (covered) for about 35 minutes.
- Add carrots and celery. Return to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered until vegetables are tender (about 10-15 more minutes). Stir in cooked turkey and simmer just until heated through.
- Season soup with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Serve immediately, or allow to cool completely before storing in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Recipe Notes
*You can substitute with 4 cups of homemade turkey or chicken stock
Cooking for Two? The soup keeps well in the refrigerator for at least a few days, so you can enjoy leftovers for lunch. If you prefer, you can also freeze half of the soup once it has completely cooled. The meal will be ready for you at a later date when you need an easy supper!
Recipe Variations - Healthy Turkey Soup with Rice:
- Instead of turkey, try using leftover chicken -- or purchase a rotisserie chicken at the store and use the meat in this soup!
- Replace the wild rice with another type of rice -- such as long grain white rice or brown rice. You may have to adjust the cooking time accordingly -- white rice tends to cook faster than wild rice, while brown rice will require more time.
- Instead of cutting up fresh vegetables, try stirring in frozen mixed vegetables (such as corn, peas, and carrots) towards the end of cooking. You can pick your family's favorites!
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Ruwani says
November 25, 2016 at 12:55 pmOh my , that looks so comforting Blair ! I love soups with an addition of rice or noodles … kids love them too. Great way to use up leftover turkey 🙂
Blair says
November 25, 2016 at 7:59 pmThanks, Ruwani!
Ashley says
November 26, 2017 at 6:14 pmThe store bought stock, basically a salt lick. Just make your own.
Lizzie says
November 25, 2016 at 3:21 pmLooks great, but the sodium amount really leaped out at me. Where does all that salt come from? The chicken stock? Surely not the turkey or any other ingredients.Low-sodium broth might be the answer ….???
Blair says
November 25, 2016 at 8:00 pmHey, Lizzie! Yep, I think the sodium must be the broth. I would opt for low sodium and then just season to taste from there. 🙂
Lizzie says
November 27, 2016 at 10:31 pmThis is delicious soup. I opted for low-sodium chicken broth, seasoned to taste … and then, voila! Feeling a bit “under-proteined” I put a soft-poached egg in each bowl just before serving. Wowzers was it ever good!
Blair says
November 28, 2016 at 8:38 pmAwesome! So glad that you enjoyed it, Lizzie!
Susana says
November 26, 2016 at 12:21 amThis Looks Delicious! How Could I make This In The Slow Cooker?
Blair says
November 26, 2016 at 4:53 pmHi, Susana! Yes, I think that you could make it the slow cooker, although I have never tried it myself. I would put all of the ingredients in the slow cooker and cook on low for 4-6 hours (or until the rice is cooked through). Let me know if you give it a shot! 🙂
Josh says
December 1, 2018 at 4:42 amI just tried this in my slow cooker 3 hours rice was overdone what a bummer
Kristy from Southern In Law says
November 26, 2016 at 3:26 pmThis is such a delicious way to use up leftovers! I loveee wild rice in soups and this looks so simple and delicious!
Blair says
November 26, 2016 at 4:54 pmThanks, Kristy! Simple and delicious is exactly right!
Stephanie Gonzalez says
November 27, 2016 at 1:26 pmDo I use already cooked rice?
Blair says
November 27, 2016 at 1:39 pmHi, Stephanie! Nope, in this recipe there’s no need to cook the rice first. You can just put the uncooked rice in the pot and it will absorb some of the liquid and cook with the rest of the soup! 🙂
Ileana says
December 22, 2016 at 8:12 pmLove this recipe on using cooked turkey! I was freaking out on a really great recipe to use all of this cooked turkey and so glad I landed on your page. Keep going girl!!
Blair says
December 23, 2016 at 6:54 amExcellent! I hope that you enjoy it, Ileana!
Seda Vash says
December 23, 2016 at 10:35 pmWow, Blair! It was just perfect! Thank you so much. I also added baby portobello mushrooms, no celery, and then fried some garlic and poured it into the soup towards the end…delicious! Hope you have a blessed Christmas! Thank you for sharing!
Blair says
December 24, 2016 at 6:23 amHi, Seda! I’m so glad that you enjoyed it! Your changes sound delicious as well. Thanks for letting me know!
Heather Eagleson says
December 27, 2016 at 8:57 amThis is an excellent recipe and a nice alternative to the typical “turkey and barley soup” that we always make from leftover turkey. I actually cooked the turkey for the first time this Christmas and used a “dry-brine turkey” recipe I found on Pinterest, lol. The turkey came out SUPER moist and delicious and my brother’s g/f commented that it was better than her dad’s, which he cooks in a fryer. Anyways, I added a giant green jalapeno peeper to the turkey stock I made with the leftover bones (after pulling the turkey off) as well as the skins of the onion, as I heard this contains most of the flavor. To the soup itself I added a couple ripe tomatoes (I peeled the skin from), a few red potatoes and a cup of fresh and some sweet corn from the cob. I doubled the recipe and added about SIX cups cubed turkey. It should be good for the family pot-luck I’m attending the 27th!
Blair says
December 27, 2016 at 2:54 pmHeather, I’m coming to YOUR house for Thanksgiving next year! That turkey sounds perfect! Your homemade stock and your additions to the soup recipe must be delicious as well. Thanks so much for sharing your ideas, and enjoy! 🙂
Michelle says
December 29, 2016 at 12:58 pmI notice the recipe calls for garlic, but the instructions don’t indicate when to add it. I assume after the onions have softened?
Sorry, just like to make sure I follow it correctly because I’m known for screwing things up when I go it alone!
Thanks 🙂
Blair says
December 29, 2016 at 1:22 pmHi, Michelle! Sorry about that! Thanks for letting me know about the mistake. 🙂 I updated the recipe to add the garlic into the instructions. You want to put it in the pot with the onion at the beginning. 🙂
Enjoy!
Michelle says
December 29, 2016 at 2:43 pmExcellent, thank you!! Very excited to try this recipe for supper tonight!
Blair says
December 29, 2016 at 4:48 pmYou’re welcome! Enjoy!
Kim says
January 1, 2017 at 12:34 pmThis recipe is great- my soup is fabulous! I used mostly the stock from boiling the turkey carcass and added just a bit of chicken broth. I did have to use 2 chicken bouillon at the end. It tastes better than any soup I’ve made thus far. Thanks!
Blair says
January 1, 2017 at 2:03 pmYay! So glad that you enjoyed it, Kim! I’m sure your homemade broth is amazing!
Annie says
November 8, 2017 at 12:11 amCould you please tell me where the copper pan is from?
Blair says
November 8, 2017 at 6:48 amHi, Annie! I’m so glad that you like the copper pot. It’s actually an old pot that I found at a local antique store here in Central Virginia. Sorry I don’t have a link to a similar one. 🙂
Stephanie says
November 24, 2017 at 7:21 pmHow much does this recipe make?? Would I be able to double it for a large family??
Blair says
November 24, 2017 at 7:25 pmHey, Stephanie! It makes about 8 cups total (4 servings, 2 cups per serving). You can definitely double the ingredients to serve a larger family, and leftovers freeze well. Enjoy!
Maureen says
November 27, 2017 at 3:06 pmCan you use any type of rice?
Blair says
November 27, 2017 at 4:10 pmHi, Maureen! Yes, you can use any rice. If you go with brown rice, you’ll need to cook it longer. If you use white rice, it might need slightly less time than the wild rice. Enjoy!
Suppasprnk60 says
November 28, 2017 at 1:29 pmGot the turkey carcass in a pot of water salt, pepper and a couple branches of fresh sage from my garden. Make the stock then assemble this soup, can’t wait to try this.
Blair says
November 28, 2017 at 5:39 pmAwesome! Enjoy the soup! 🙂
Sarah says
December 17, 2017 at 10:16 pmThis was very plain to me, did I do something wrong, can I add something else?
Blair says
December 18, 2017 at 5:27 amHi, Sarah! I have no idea if you did something wrong since I don’t know what you did. 🙂 A lot of folks love this recipe, but taste is obviously very individual, so what appeals to some might not appeal to you? Or maybe you left out some seasonings? It’s supposed to be a simple soup (similar to Chicken Noodle Soup), but you want it seasoned well so that it doesn’t taste bland. You can always add more of the salt, pepper and seasoning to taste.
Crystal says
January 10, 2018 at 2:36 pmThis is now my go to!
My family loves this soup!
You do need to add more broth after the half an hour and I also add Italian seasoning and maybe some cilantro!
This time I added yellow red and orange peppers instead of celery!
Blair says
January 10, 2018 at 6:09 pmAwesome! Your changes sound delicious, Crystal! 🙂
Amy M says
November 25, 2018 at 10:22 pmFound this recipe tonight and it was easy and most importantly a big hit with my hubamd and picky 6 year old. This recipe is definitely a keeper – thank you!
Amy M says
November 25, 2018 at 10:24 pmAlso I did add some thyme and basil and I suppose I could have added some additional broth.
Blair says
November 26, 2018 at 5:47 amHooray!! I love when a picky child even approves of the recipes! Thanks, Amy!
Lisa A says
November 26, 2018 at 1:29 amThe soup was very good and hearty. I used 5 cups of chicken broth and 2 cups of water. I also added some cubed potatoes with the carrots and celery. The whole house smelled so yummy. I boiled the turkey carcass to get all the meat off and used some of the turkey juice. I liked how the soup came out almost like porridge from the wild rice mix I used fromTrader Joe’s. It made enough for at least 6 meals. I’m going to keep this recipe for sure.
Blair says
November 26, 2018 at 5:45 amWonderful! Thanks, Lisa!
Lisa says
November 27, 2018 at 1:45 amI used brown rice and turkey broth that I just made from our Thanksgiving turkey. It had a slight smoky flavor because we smoked the turkey. I added extra carrots because we love carrots and extra garlic because I always do and it turned out great. Thanks for the recipe. I’ll be making it again with the broth and turkey that are now in the freezer.
Blair says
November 27, 2018 at 5:17 amThat sounds amazing, Lisa! You can’t go wrong with smoked turkey and with extra garlic! 🙂
Brea says
December 1, 2018 at 7:22 pmVery pleased with this recipe – it was delicious. I didn’t have wild rice on hand and used Oronzo instead.
Blair says
December 2, 2018 at 6:04 amWonderful! Thanks, Brea!
Nancy says
December 18, 2018 at 3:30 pmI found this recipe to be very bland.