It's nearly inevitable that holidays that call for turkey will also leave one with leftover turkey. Add this to your repertoire. Perfect for leftover roast turkey, this turkey and rice soup comes together with earthy mushrooms, fresh herbs and wild rice in a light creamy broth base that gets added depth of flavor from nutty Parmesan cheese and a bright finish from lemon juice and zest.
This is the turkey and rice soup that consistently gets raves and recipe requests – and the one I make after every turkey-centric holiday. (When someone is under the weather or just needs a little extra attention, I make it using chicken.)
This is one of those recipes that my taste-testers continually asked “when are you posting that recipe?” It is a turkey and rice soup that is so, so good and absolutely divine when made with homemade Roasted Turkey Stock and leftover Madeira and Shallot Gravy for added flavor. Add a ½ cup of leftover gravy to this soup is a fantastic use for leftover gravy!
Every now and then I make something that I know is going to work well before I set out to make it. This turkey and mushroom soup is AMAZING. I don’t even know if I’ll ever make another one again. (That is a strong statement coming from someone who has a food blog.) Turkey, mushrooms and rice all make sense, but the thing that makes this shine is the nutty Parmesan and the bright citrus punch from the lemon juice and zest.
If you are thinking about turkey soup with kickier global flavors, try these other leftover soup recipes from The Savory Tart:
Ingredients
- unsalted butter
- yellow onion
- carrots
- celery
- cremini mushrooms
- garlic cloves
- fresh or dried thyme
- fresh or dried sage
- fresh or dried
- Worcestershire sauce
- uncooked wild rice
- dry white wine (optional)
- turkey or chicken stock (use my homemade Roasted Turkey Stock)
- bay leaves
- shredded turkey
- heavy cream or half-and-half
- leftover gravy (optional)
- Parmesan cheese
- lemon
- kosher salt
- fresh ground black pepper
See recipe card for quantities.
Jump to RecipeInstructions
I just love it when I can make the entire meal in one pot. Plan on spending about 25 minutes chopping and prepping and then just let it simmer for 45 minutes or so.
Heat butter in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until softened.
Add mushrooms and garlic, stirring to combine. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are soft and slightly golden.
Stir in the Worcestershire sauce, thyme, sage and rosemary, stirring to combine until fragrant.
Add rice and cook it for 2 to 3 minutes to toast the grains.
Pour in the wine, and cook until reduced by half, about 5 minutes.
Add the turkey or chicken broth and bay leaves and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook for 45 to 60 minutes or until rice is tender.
Stir in the turkey.
Add in the cream and Parmesan stirring until Parmesan is incorporated.
Add the lemon zest and lemon juice.
Continue to cook for 5 to 8 minutes until turkey is heated through. Add kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.
Hint: If you don't have turkey? Sometimes I just feel like having roast chicken for dinner as a solo and buy one intentionally knowing that most will be shredded and tucked away in the freezer for future chicken salad, quesadillas, enchiladas -- or in this case, chicken and rice soup!
Substitutions
- Mushrooms - Not everyone likes them, so you can leave them out if you want -- or just divide the soup and leave them out of part of the soup. That said, substitute pretty much any readily available mushroom -- shiitake, portobello, or good old fashioned white mushrooms.
- Parmesan Cheese - Substitute Grana Padano, Pecorino Romano are great substitutes. But finely grated gruyere, gouda or cheddar will add the right amount of sharpness.
- Fresh Lemon -- If you need to substitute fresh lemon with what you have in the door of your fridge, add a ¼ cup to start. And then to taste.
- Fresh Herbs -- Fresh are optimal, but dried are without a doubt far more convenient. The rule of thumb is 1 teaspoon dried herbs for every tablespoon of fresh herbs. (There are some herbs that don't follow this rule -- like dill or basil where you will need a higher proportion of fresh herbs.)
- Gluten Free - This is naturally gluten free as long as you leave out the optional gravy.
Variations
- Fennel and Dill -- I'm a huge fan of fennel. Substitute the celery for 1 cup of diced fennel and substitute the rosemary and sage for a ¼ cup chopped fresh dill. (And don't forget to add in the fennel fronds!)
- Turkey Sausage - Instead of shredded turkey, substitute turkey sausage. Prior to cooking the vegetables, brown 16 ounces of turkey sausage and transfer to a paper towel to drain. Drain any remaining fat in the stock pot and continue at step one. (Pork sausage would work well here too, but then it is no longer "chicken soup".)
- Turkey and Cheddar - Substitute the grated Parmesan with 1 cup of finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese. (Leave out the lemon.)
- Truffles Anyone? -- Make it fancy. Why not? When serving, shave a fresh truffle over the top. Or drizzle with truffle oil. Or, there is a product that I absolutely love having on hand in my cupboard -- Sabatino Truffle Dust. Stir in a few teaspoons or to taste.
Equipment
- soup/stock pot or Dutch oven
- microplane or grater
Storage
This is so, so good immediately but the flavors really meld if left to rest overnight in the fridge (or in my case spending the night outside on a cold winter patio!) This will store in the refrigerator covered for up to four days.
Store in the freezer in an airtight container or zippered bag for up to 3 months.
Recent Recipes
Trending Recipes
🍽️ Recipe
Lemon Turkey, Mushroom and Wild Rice Soup
Equipment
- soup pot, stock pot or Dutch oven
- microplane or grater
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 1 cup diced carrots
- 1 cup diced celery
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms (Baby Bella), trimmed and sliced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh minced thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
- 1 tablespoon fresh minced sage (or 1 teaspoon dried sage)
- 1 tablespoon fresh minced rosemary (or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary)
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup uncooked wild rice, rinsed and drained
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 2 quarts (8 cups) turkey or chicken stock
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 cups cooked shredded turkey
- 1 cup heavy cream or half-and-half
- ½ cup leftover gravy (optional)
- ½ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
- zest and juice from half a lemon
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
Instructions
- Heat butter in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until softened.
- Add mushrooms and garlic, stirring to combine. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are soft and slightly golden. Add the Worcestershire sauce, thyme, sage and rosemary, stirring to combine until fragrant
- Add rice and cook it for 2 to 3 minutes to toast the grains. Add the wine, and cook until reduced by half, about 5 minutes.
- Add the turkey or chicken broth and bay leaves and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook for 45 to 60 minutes or until rice is tender.
- Stir in the shredded turkey, cream, Parmesan, lemon zest and lemon juice and continue to cook for 5 to 8 minutes until chicken is heated through. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Comments
No Comments