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Healthy Leftover Turkey Wild Rice Soup

white bowl of healthy turkey and wild rice soup with another bowl of soup in the background.
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★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

This healthy leftover turkey wild rice soup is a creamy, delicious, hearty soup made with whole grain wild rice, leftover turkey, and no cream for a light but comforting meal made with Thanksgiving leftovers! (gluten-free, nut-free)

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 white onion, diced
  • 2 large carrots, sliced into coins
  • 2 stalks celery, sliced
  • 4 oz mushrooms, sliced
  • 6 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves removed and stems discarded (or 2 tsp dried thyme)
  • 1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3/4 cup whole grain wild rice
  • 6 cups vegetable, chicken, or turkey broth (see notes to make broth from the turkey carcass)
  • 2 cups leftover cooked turkey, shredded
  • 3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt (optional)

Instructions

  1. In a large heavy-bottomed pot, heat oil over medium-low heat. Add garlic, onions, carrots, celery, and mushrooms. Cook, stirring, until vegetables are slightly softened, about 5 minutes.
  2. Add wild rice, broth, turkey, thyme, salt and pepper. Stir and cover.
  3. Simmer 45 minutes or until rice is fully cooked. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
  4. Remove 1/3 cup broth from the soup and let cool slightly. Stir into the Greek yogurt.
  5. Pour yogurt mixture into soup, slowly, while stirring. This will prevent the yogurt from curdling.
  6. Serve immediately.

Notes

To make homemade broth from the turkey carcass:

  • Remove the meat from the turkey carcass and set aside for later. Add the bones to a large stockpot.
  • Add a bay leaf, a couple cloves of smashed garlic, a few sprigs of fresh herbs (such as thyme, rosemary or parsley), a quartered onion, a celery rib, and a large carrot (You can also use onion, celery and carrot scraps if you have them). Throw in a few peppercorns, a glug of apple cider vinegar, and a pinch of salt. Cover everything with enough water to submerge.
  • Cover the pot and simmer at least an hour.
  • Strain the liquid and discard the solids.
  • The salt level will vary based on the broth you used - low sodium, homemade, etc. Add more or less salt to taste.
  • If you use regular wild rice instead of whole grain, the soup will only take about 20 minutes to cook.
  • To make this soup dairy-free, simply leave out the yogurt, or use full-fat canned coconut milk or cauliflower puree instead. You won't need to temper these, just add them to straight to the soup at the end of cooking.
  • Feel free to use heavy cream instead of yogurt and skip the tempering step if you'd like.
  • This recipe can also be made with chicken.
  • Leftovers freeze well.

Keywords: healthy turkey wild rice soup, leftover turkey wild rice soup, turkey wild rice soup without cream

Find it online: https://livelytable.com/turkey-wild-rice-soup/