Turkey Wild Rice Soup

4.89 from 18 votes

This creamy turkey wild rice is so comforting and hearty! It's a very simple and easy recipe, and a great way to use Thanksgiving turkey leftovers.

Prep Time15

Cook Time45

Total Time1

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Servings: people

Calories: 284kcal

Author: Tania

1 cup uncooked wild rice blend yields about 2.5 to 3 cups cooked rice, see note below
Olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 medium carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
4 cloves fresh garlic, minced
2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon dried oregano
8 ounces sliced baby bella mushrooms
⅓ cup all-purpose flour
6 cups chicken broth plus more as needed
2 cups diced cooked turkey breast chicken works too
1 cup half-and-half or heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook rice according to package directions.
In a large Dutch oven or pot, heat about 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil to medium heat. Sauté the diced onions, carrots and celery until softened, about 10 minutes.
Add the minced garlic, thyme, dried oregano, and sauté for another 2 minutes until fragrant. Add the sliced mushrooms and cook for another 3 minutes.
Stir in the flour evenly over the vegetables, stirring to coat evenly for another 2 minutes to cook off any raw flour taste. Then, gradually pour in the 6 cups of chicken broth, stirring to dissolve the flour and break up any lumps. Bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer for about 10 minutes, half-covered. It will thicken as it heats up.
Stir in the cooked rice and cooked turkey meat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring back to a boil and then simmer for another 5 minutes, or until heated through. If needed, add more broth until desired consistency.
Finish it with half-and-half until warm. Serve with bread or crackers. Enjoy!

Wild rice blend: For this recipe, I use Lundberg brand “wild rice blend,” which is a combination of wild rice, brown rice, and red rice.
How much rice to cook: For this recipe, you need about 2.5 to 3 cups of cooked rice, which is the equivalent to 1 cup uncooked rice.
Freezing: Skip the dairy addition. Freeze for up to 3 months in containers. To reheat, thaw in the fridge overnight first, or reheat from frozen in a pot.
Store leftovers in sealed containers, and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Substitutions and variations:

Baby bella mushrooms: Cremini or white mushrooms.
Thyme: If using dried thyme, use about ⅓ of the amount of fresh.
Vegetable add-in ideas: Corn, green beans, spinach
Any kind of rice will work here. You can even use short pastas, such as ditalini, arancini di pepe, or bowtie pasta.

Disclaimer: Nutritional values (per serving) are approximates only.