This leftover turkey and rice soup is simple, nourishing and delicious. It comes together in 45 minutes, from prep to serving, plus it helps you put leftovers to work instead of waste.
The main ingredients for the turkey rice soup are fully cooked already which cuts down the cooking time significantly. The vegetables, herbs and spices add a ton of flavor without requiring a lot of work.
Soups are a great way to use leftover ingredients. Like turkey and rice soup, this creamy ham and wild rice soup, chicken and rice soup and chicken tortilla soup feature leftover ingredients and make wonderful weeknight meals.
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Ingredients
- Oil – Olive oil works well, but you can use your favorite oil that is suitable for sautéing.
- Produce – Onions, carrots, celery and garlic add flavor to the soup.
- Herbs and Spices – Keep it simple with black pepper and fresh thyme. If fresh thyme is not available use dry thyme, add a pinch to ¼ teaspoon. You may also need a little salt at the end, we use kosher salt.
- Broth – We use chicken broth here, but if you have turkey broth that will work well too.
- Turkey – Use leftover cooked turkey or purchase cooked turkey breast from the market. Cut it into bite sized cubes or shred it for a rustic look.
- Rice – Leftover white rice is used in this turkey soup. You can also use a ready to serve rice variety.
Recipe tips
- Use more, or less rice in this soup depending on how brothy you like it. The more rice you add the thicker the soup will be.
- If you are sensitive to salt use low sodium broth and adjust the salt at the end if needed.
- If you do not have leftover rice, it is easy enough to make. If you need a good recipe, try this white rice recipe with step-by-step instructions. You can also use a prepackaged cooked rice variety.
- If you do not have leftover turkey, but still want a delicious, easy and cheap soup then pick up cooked turkey breast at the supermarket. You can get it at the deli, tell them not to slice it just give you a chunk. They also sell prepackaged cooked turkey breast.
- It’s best to use a heavy pot to make soups, stews and chili (try this turkey white bean chili). They hold the heat better and come back to a simmer quickly after ingredients are added in. We use a 3.7 quart enameled cast iron pot, and it works well.
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery. Gently cook the vegetables for 5 minutes, stir frequently.
- Add the garlic and black pepper, cook for 1 minute stirring almost constantly.
- Add the broth and thyme to the pot. Raise the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium-low, cover the pot and simmer the soup for 10 minutes. Simmering store-bought broth for a few minutes with the aromatics and spices gives it a homemade taste. It adds to the total cooking time but is totally worth it when it comes to taste.
- Add the cooked turkey and cooked white rice to the pot. Raise the heat to medium-high and let it come back up to a simmer. Cover the pot and lower the heat to medium-low.
Cook the turkey rice soup for another 10-12 minutes to let the flavors come together. Stir occasionally and keep it at a simmer; lower the heat if necessary.
Use tongs to remove the thyme twigs and discard. Taste the soup and add salt if needed. As a reference, we added ¼ teaspoon to ours. Serve and enjoy!
Storing and reheating
Store the soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. To freeze the soup, store it in an airtight container. Remember to leave enough room to allow for expansion when freezing, an inch or two should do it. Freeze the soup for 2-3 months.
Gently, reheat the soup in a covered saucepan over medium-low to low heat until it comes to a gentle simmer – or reheat in the microwave.
You may also like these easy soup recipes:
- Smoked Sausage Soup
- Sausage Minestrone Soup
- Vegetable Beef Soup
- Turkey Meatball Soup
- Sausage Tortellini Soup
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Turkey and Rice Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 Small Onion finely diced
- 1 Large Carrot sliced into rounds or half rounds depending on their size (about 1 cup)
- 1 Celery Rib sliced or diced
- 2-3 Garlic Cloves minced
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
- 4 cups Chicken Broth or turkey broth if you have some
- 2 Thyme Sprigs plus extra for garnish if desired
- 8-10 ounces Cooked Turkey cut into bite sized cubes or shredded
- 1¼ – 1½ cups Cooked White Rice
- Salt to taste if needed at the end
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. When the oil is hot, but nowhere near smoking, add the onion, carrots and celery. Gently cook the vegetables for 5 minutes until the onions start to soften and become translucent, stir frequently.
- Add the garlic and black pepper and cook for 1 minute, stirring almost constantly.
- Add the broth and thyme to the pot. Raise the heat to medium-high and bring it to a boil (the liquid will take about 3-4 minutes to boil).
- Lower the heat to medium-low, cover the pot and simmer the soup for 10 minutes.
- Add the cooked turkey and cooked white rice to the pot. Raise the heat to medium-high and let it come back up to a simmer (it should only take 2-3 minutes). Cover the pot and lower the heat to medium-low.
- Cook the turkey rice soup for another 10-12 minutes to let the flavors come together. Stir occasionally and keep it at a simmer; lower the heat if necessary.
- Use tongs to remove the thyme twigs and discard. Taste the soup and add salt if needed. As a reference, we added ¼ teaspoon to ours. Serve and enjoy!
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