Leftover Turkey and Rice Soup

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Leftover Turkey and Rice Soup to finish off those Turkey Day leftovers.

Last week was a whirlwind – family in town, cooking the feast and then the looming question after hosting Thanksgiving: what to do with all the leftovers. I hate wasting food, but luckily, getting creative with leftovers is one of my favorite tasks. I think I’d be really good on “Chopped: Leftover’s Addition.”

This broth-y, Leftover Turkey and Rice Soup has minimal ingredients, two of which are already cooked and is so incredibly easy to make.

Preparing the Leftover Turkey and Rice Soup

This soup has minimal ingredients on purpose. After feasting on pies and mac and cheese for a few days, I craved simple, light foods.

You can easily swap out turkey for leftover chicken in this recipe. Since the turkey and the rice is already cooked, it’s crucial to add them AT THE END. Adding these too early will cause the rice to overcook, as well as the turkey.

For herbs, I used fresh rosemary, fresh sage and fresh curly parsley (because they’re surprisingly still clinging to life in our garden!). The rosemary and sage need to be chopped VERY finely. Please don’t leave them in chunks – getting a big bite of rosemary will be reaallly unpleasant!

And that’s it! A simple, light soup done in under 30 minutes, for a quick dinner or lunch.

Print Recipe

Leftover Turkey and Rice Soup

A broth-y quick soup to use up the last of the Thanksgiving turkey.

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time15 mins

Course: Appetizer, Dinner

Keyword: leftovers, thanksgiving,

Servings: 4 people

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 3 Cloves Garlic, minced
• 1/2 Cup Onion, finely diced
• 3/4 Cup Carrots, finely diced
• 1/4 Cup Celery, finely diced
• 1 Tbsp Fresh Rosemary, minced
• 1 Tbsp Fresh Sage, minced
• 32 Ounces Chicken Stock I used Kirkland Organic
• 12 Ounces Leftover Roasted Turkey, diced
• 1 - 1½ Cup Cooked White Rice
• Fresh Italian Parsley
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions

• Add olive oil to a heavy bottomed pot over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add garlic and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Then add the onions, celery, and carrots. Add the rosemary and sage and stir.
• Pour the chicken stock into the pot and bring to boil. Let the soup cook until the carrots are tender, about 6-8 minutes, then remove the soup from heat.
• Add the turkey and the cooked rice and stir. Taste the soup and add salt and pepper to you preference. Sprinkle parsley on top and serve hot.

Notes

• If you'd like a richer soup, add a little heavy cream to the soup.
• I used chicken stock, not broth. Stock has a much stronger flavor so don't swap these.