Leftover Turkey Soup with Cream of Chicken & Wild Rice
Leftover cream of turkey soup with rice is a savory soup using leftover turkey, fresh herbs, and spices. This dish is easy to make and one of the best leftover turkey soup recipes.
The best part of this meal is you’ll never waste any delicious turkey from Thanksgiving. And freezing a batch of leftover turkey soup makes for a simple dinner idea with plenty of homemade taste.
What a relief, dinner made in 30 minutes or less.
Another fast leftover turkey soup is Leftover Turkey Noodle Soup. Yum!
I mean, What’s not to love about a cozy soup with fresh herbs, vegetables, and leftover turkey?
Serve with cheddar bay biscuits or an olive garden copycat salad and you have the perfect meal.
Recipe Highlights
- This cream of turkey soup with wild rice yields 7-8 side soup servings.
- You may use any type of wild rice you prefer however, my favorite is Uncle Ben’s wild rice. And Uncle Ben’s fast-cooked rice can be cooked in 10 minutes making this an easy dinner idea.
- Boil thick green parts of leek in soup to extract more vitamin C and fiber.
- This soup is a great way to use those fresh vegetables, herbs, and spices from the garden.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Shredded Left Over Turkey or Ozo Plant Based Rotisserie-Style Chicken
- Chopped Celery, Ribs
- Chopped Leek
- Sliced Carrot
- Diced Mushrooms
- Water
- Knorr Chicken Bouillon Powder or Orrington Farms Vegan Chicken Broth Base
- Uncle Ben’s Wild Rice or any brand of wild rice you prefer
- Butter or Open Nature Plant-Based Butter
- Minced Garlic
- Cream Of Chicken Soup or Vivian’s Live Again Mushroom Soup Mix
- Bay Leaf
- Italian Seasoning
- Parsley
- Salt & Pepper
If you would like to make this dinner idea a healthy vegan option. Substitute the above products with recommended vegan options.
Open nature plant-based butter is my favorite vegan butter to use.
Ozo Plant-Based Rotisserie Style Shredded Chicken is one of my favorite plant-based chicken options. This vegan alternative has 15 grams of protein and is a great source of fiber.
Orrington Farms Vegan Chicken Broth is a vegan broth with no artificial flavors or colors and this vegan chicken broth is gluten-free. It’s also available in beef broth. Yum!
Vivian’s Live Again Creamy Mushroom Soup Mix is gluten-free, dairy-free, and nut free. Making this a great alternative to cream of chicken soup mix or cream of mushroom soup mix. To make this delicious cream of chicken alternative all you do is add water.
How to Make Cream of Turkey Soup with Rice
- Wash & chop all produce. Wash and chop all produce, set aside.
- Heat butter & mushrooms in stockpot. Heat butter and chopped mushrooms in a stockpot until mushrooms are soft.
- Add celery,white part of the leek, & carrots. Add chopped celery, diced white part of leek, and sliced carrots. Heat until softened.
- Heat minced garlic & fresh herbs. Heat minced garlic and fresh herbs and cook until garlic is slightly browned.
- Stir in water & heat to boil. Stir in water & heat to boil. Once water reaches a rapid boil return the pot to a simmer. Simmer on medium heat for 10 minutes. Return soup to a rapid boil stir in uncle Ben’s fast cooked wild rice.
- Cover the pot and simmer. Cover the pot with lid and simmer on low heat with lid. Simmer until the rice is softened. Stir in thick slices of green top of the leek the last 5 minutes of cook time to extract more vitamin c and fiber into the soup. Add shredded turkey or plant based chicken the last 5 minutes of cook time to warm. Viola! Cream of turkey soup with rice is ready to serve.
Related Questions
How to Store Leftover Wild Rice Soup?
Store leftover turkey wild rice soup in an airtight container for 3-4 days. Always go off the date the meat was cooked to ensure that the soup will be at peak freshness. The best way to store this soup would be to make a big batch and freeze the broth. Freezing soup will keep soup fresh for 3-4 months. A recipe tip: Only freeze meat, broth and vegetables.To prepare soup after previously being frozen all you have to do is defrost a batch of soup is defrost in the fridge for two days or if in a rush place frozen soup in a warm water bath and allow to defrost in a bowl of warm water.
What is the best way to freeze turkey and rice soup?
To ensure that none of your wild rice soup is soggy when reheated. I would recommend preparing a batch of just the broth, vegetables, and leftover turkey. Follow the instructions on the recipe card but skip the part where the wild rice is added. Freeze broth with the leftover turkey and vegetables in a freezer-friendly airtight container and label. Broth-based soups can last 3-4 months if the soup is stored properly in the freezer. When it’s time to serve cream of turkey soup boil a box of Uncle Ben’s fast-cooked rice.
I love to use Tafura storage containers when meal prepping. These storage containers are leakproof and stack nicely. Allowing For more space in the fridge or freezer when storing. These kitchen gadgets are also freezer safe and microwavable safe.
Cream of Turkey and Rice Soup
Leftover Cream of turkey and wild rice soup is a savory soup with fresh vegetables, herbs, and spices. The best part? This soup can be made in 35 minutes making this an inexpensive, easy, dinner idea.
Ingredients
- 2 cups of shredded left over turkey or ozo plant based rotisserie style chicken
- 2 chopped celery, ribs
- 1 chopped leek
- 1 sliced carrot
- 1/2 cup diced mushrooms
- 6 cups of water
- 3 teaspoons knorr chicken bouilon powder or orrington farms vegan chicken broth base
- 1 6.2 ounce box of uncle Ben's wild rice or any brand of wild rice you prefer
- 1 teaspoon butter or open nature plant based butter
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 can of cream of chicken soup or Vivian's live again mushroom soup mix
- 2 bay leaf
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon parsley
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Wash & chop all produce. Wash and rinse 1 leek, 2 celery ribs, and 1 carrot. Peel the outer layer of carrot using a potato peeler. Removing any discolored spots.
- Chop white parts of leeks. Chop white parts of leek and place in a bowl of cold water. Rinse dark green leeks with cold water and place in bowl along with chopped leeks. Let soak 5 mins. Drain in a colander, rinse again, and set aside.
- Slice carrot. Slice carrot into equal sized slices and set aside.
- Heat butter & mushrooms in stockpot. Heat 1 teaspoon of butter and 1/2 cup diced mushrooms in a stockpot for 1-2 minutes.
- Add celery,white part of the leek, & carrots. Add chopped celery, diced white part of the leek, and sliced carrots.
- Heat minced garlic & fresh herbs. Heat minced garlic and fresh herbs on medium heat. Cook until garlic is slightly browned. About 2 minutes.
- Stir in water & heat to boil. Stir in 5 cups of water & 3 teaspoons of knorr chicken bouillon and heat to boil. Once water reaches a rapid boil lower heat to a simmer and simmer for 10 minutes on medium low heat.
- Bring stockpot back to boil. Bring stockpot to a boil and stir in a box of Uncle Ben's fast-cooked wild rice, seasoning packet,cream of chicken soup, and 1 cup of water.
- Cover and simmer. Cover and simmer on low for 10-12 minutes. Add left over shredded turkey last 5 minutes of cook time along with green tops of leeks.
- Discard bay leaf and green tops of leeks. Remove bay leaf and green tops of leek. Viola! Homemade leftover cream of turkey soup is ready to enjoy!
Notes
- Remove first two layers of fresh leeks.
- Rinse and wash leek thoroughly. Leeks are one of the dirtiest vegetables.
- For a vegan friendly soup replace some ingredients with vegan substitutions listed in ingredients section.
- This recipe is a great way to use fresh herbs from the garden.
- You can freeze broth in a freezer friendly container. Do not freeze wild rice, rice gets mushy when un thawed.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1 cupAmount Per Serving: Calories: 210.5Total Fat: 58.4gCholesterol: 45mgSodium: 299.88mgCarbohydrates: 20.42gFiber: 1.03gSugar: 1.44gProtein: 15.46g