You probably ended up here because you're looking for a way to use up your leftover Thanksgiving turkey, but I have to say this turkey and rice soup is so good it might have you looking for more excuses to make turkey just to have some on hand for soup night. It's packed with savory flavor and it is one of my favorite cozy soups for cold weather.
This delicious turkey rice soup is filled with tender turkey pieces, plenty of vegetables, rice and a rich, flavorful broth. It's the perfect meal to make with Thanksgiving leftovers, when you can't possible eat another turkey sandwich.
If you love this leftover turkey soup recipe, you will also love my chicken and rice soup.
Ingredient Notes
This easy soup recipe uses simple ingredients that can be found in any grocery store. It is both gluten free and dairy free as written.
- Gluten-Free Flour Blend - A little flour is used to thicken the broth in this soup. Because it's such a small amount of flour, you can easily swap it for all-purpose flour if you're not on a gluten-free diet. If you like your broth to be thinner, just omit the flour from the recipe.
- Turkey Broth - After Thanksgiving, you can easily throw the turkey carcass in a pot to make your own delicious turkey broth. Other times of year, you can buy turkey broth or chicken broth. If you're using store-bought broth, make sure to buy a brand marked gluten free since broths commonly have hidden gluten ingredients. Pacific Foods is my favorite brand.
- Cooked Turkey - This soup recipe is a great way to use up your leftover turkey meat. At other times, I make my air fryer turkey tenderloin just to use in this recipe. It's an easy way to enjoy turkey year round.
- Long Grain White Rice - I recommend Basmati rice here, although it does absorb nearly all of the liquid during storage. You can opt for wild rice if you prefer that, but you will need to increase the cooking time or partially cook the wild rice before adding it to the soup.
See recipe card for full ingredient list and quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- Not Gluten Free - Simple replace the gluten free flour with an equal amount of all-purpose flour.
- No Turkey Broth - Use gluten-free chicken stock or chicken broth in the same measure.
- Make Turkey and Wild Rice Soup - Precook the wild rice or increase the cooking time to ensure it is cooked through.
- Make a Thinner Broth - Skip the addition of flour, which slightly thickens the broth in this soup.
- Ground Turkey Soup - Instead of diced turkey, you could substitute ground turkey which is available year round at most grocery stores. Simply brown it in a little oil before adding it to the soup.
How to Make Turkey and Rice Soup
This turkey soup recipe is fairly easy to make and only takes about 45 minutes on the stove. I used a 5 quart Dutch Oven pot here, but any large soup pot will work fine.
STEP 1: Add the oil, carrots, onion, and celery to a large pot over medium heat. Cook until the vegetables have softened, while stirring occasionally. It will take about 10 minutes.
STEP 2: Add the flour, minced garlic, rosemary, thyme, salt and black pepper to the pot. Continue to cook while stirring constantly for another 2-3 minutes.
STEP 3: Add the turkey broth to the pot and stir well. You will notice the broth thickens slightly. Cover and bring to a simmer.
STEP 4: Once the broth is simmering, add in the cooked turkey and the rice. Reduce to medium-low heat, cover and continue to cook until the rice is done, about 20 minutes. Stir occasionally to avoid rice sticking to the bottom of the pot.
Expert Tip
The rice will continue to absorb liquid from the soup as it sits. I don't mind this, but if you do, you can cook the rice separately and add it right before serving.
Storage
Store leftover soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. When reheating, I recommend adding a couple of tablespoons of water to your bowl before microwaving to loosen up the broth.
How to Make Turkey Broth
It's easy to make your own broth from the leftover turkey carcass.
On the Stove Top
- Add the turkey bones along with enough water to cover the carcass to a large soup pot or Dutch oven pot.
- Bring it to a boil and skim off any foam from the top of the pot.
- Add in assorted vegetables (either scraps or fresh vegetables). I usually add some onion, celery and carrots. I skip the herbs and seasoning because I will add that when I make the soup.
- Simmer for 2-3 hours until the broth is very flavorful.
- Pour through a mesh strainer and allow to cool before storing.
In the Instant Pot (My Preferred Method)
- Place the carcass, vegetables and cold water in the Instant Pot.
- Seal the vent and cook on manual high pressure for 40 minutes.
- Once the cook time has elapsed, allow the pressure to naturally release completely before opening the lid.
Broth Storage
Store in sealed containers, I use mason jars, in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. If you prefer to freeze, make sure to leave at least 1 inch of head room. Freeze for up to 3 months.
More soup recipes to try:
If you try this recipe, please leave a 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 star rating and let me know how you liked it in the comments below.
Recipe
Turkey and Rice Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 Cup Carrots sliced in ¼" thick coins
- ½ Cup Yellow Onion diced
- ¼ Cup Celery sliced ¼" thick
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 2 Tablespoon Gluten Free 1-to-1 Flour Blend or all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon Dried Rosemary
- 1 teaspoon Dried Thyme
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
- 6 Cup Gluten Free Turkey Broth or chicken broth
- 2 Cup Cooked Turkey cut into bite sized pieces
- ¾ Cup White Rice uncooked
Instructions
- In a large soup pot or dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat.3 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- Add the onion, carrots and celery to the olive oil and cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Stir occasionally to avoid sticking or burning.½ Cup Yellow Onion, 1 Cup Carrots, ¼ Cup Celery
- Add the garlic, herbs, salt, pepper and flour to the pan. Stir to coat the vegetables. Cook for 2-3 minutes, while stirring constantly.2 cloves Garlic, 2 Tablespoon Gluten Free 1-to-1 Flour Blend, ½ teaspoon Dried Rosemary, 1 teaspoon Dried Thyme, ½ teaspoon Salt, ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
- Add the turkey broth. Stir well. Cover and bring to a simmer.6 Cup Gluten Free Turkey Broth
- Once simmering, add the rice and cooked turkey. Cook until rice is done, about 20 minutes.¾ Cup White Rice, 2 Cup Cooked Turkey
- Serve immediately. Rice will continue to absorb the liquid after cooking.
Notes
Tiffany is the recipe developer, stylist and food photographer behind Well Fed Baker. As a lifelong baker who had to go gluten free and dairy free in 2016, Tiffany strives to share allergen friendly recipes that never feel like they are free from anything.
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