Turkey Rice Soup Recipe

Turkey rice soup is a fantastic way to use up leftover turkey after the holidays. Healthy, flavorful and easy to make. And oh, so comforting! Plus, it freezes well, making it a good option for meal prepping.

A ladle dipping into a white saucepan full of turkey rice soup.

Turkey Rice Soup, or really any turkey soup recipes, are a "must" for post- holiday meals. Truth be told, it's hard to convince my family to give the top ranking to anything but my Light Turkey Corn Chowder. It's a family and reader favorite!

However, it seems there are some new contenders in the ring. This turkey rice soup and my Instant Pot Turkey Soup with noodles. It's nearly impossible to pick a favorite!

Serve turkey soup with a green salad, such as my family's favorite Apple Pecan Salad. Or try Maple Pear Salad with Goat Cheese.

What's to love about this soup

FLAVOR: There's something about the flavor of turkey soup that's so comforting. Herbs, vegetables and garlic combined with piping hot broth and tender cooked turkey. Heavenly!
SO EASY! Broth-based soup recipes are as basic as you can get. Saute the veggies, simmer the broth and rice (or pasta) and add the cooked meat. Easy, right?
FREEZER-FRIENDLY: Soup is ideal for meal prep! Once the soup cools, store it in freezer-friendly containers for 3 to 4 months. Perfect for last-minute meals.

A gray bowl filled with a broth soup with turkey and rice.

Ingredients and Substitutions

TURKEY: Use leftover roast turkey. I used turkey breast, but dark meat (thigh), or a combination of the two, can be used. Alternatively, swap out the leftover turkey with leftover cooked chicken. A rotisserie chicken from the store works brilliantly! Or make a poached chicken breast on the stovetop or Instant Pot shredded chicken.
VEGETABLES: White or yellow onion, a large carrot and a large stalk of celery.
GARLIC: Use 3 large cloves of garlic.
OLIVE OIL: A couple of teaspoons to sauté the vegetables. If you prefer an oil-free version, saute the vegetables with a little water or broth.
HERBS: I used dried thyme, rosemary and sage. Add fresh parsley at the end. Fresh herbs can be used, but you'll need a larger amount. If using fresh herbs in place of dried, use three times the amount that's listed in the recipe. For example, instead of 1 ¼ teaspoon dried thyme, use 3 ¾ teaspoons fresh thyme.
BROTH: Low-sodium chicken broth.
RICE: Brown rice adds a nice dose of fiber. I used brown basmati rice, but other varieties work, too. Avoid using short-grain brown rice for this recipe. It is much stickier than a long-grain brown rice. Wild rice is also a good option. If you prefer to use white rice, decrease the amount of liquid by a couple of cups and lower the simmer time to about 20 minutes (or until the rice is done).
SEASONING: Season with kosher salt and ground black pepper.

How to make Turkey Rice Soup

The general instructions for a broth-based soup are very simple: Sauté the aromatics, add the herbs and spices, simmer the broth and add remaining ingredients at the end. Let's talk details…

SAUTÉ THE AROMATICS: Start by heating a drizzle of olive oil in a large saucepan set over medium heat. I like to use a large, enameled cast iron saucepan for soups, but any large saucepan works. Add the onions, carrots and celery. Sauté the veggies until the onions is tender and translucent. That should take about 6 to 8 minutes.

GARLIC AND HERBS: Add the minced garlic, rosemary, thyme, sage, salt and pepper. Cook for one minute while giving it a good stir.

Collage of steps for making turkey rice soup. Ingredients in a large white saucepan.

ADD BROTH AND RICE: First, rinse the rice in a fine mesh sieve to remove any extra starch. Add the rice and broth to the saucepan. Give it a stir.

BOIL AND SIMMER: Turn up the heat and bring the mixture to a boil. Once the broth is boiling, turn the heat to somewhere between medium-low and medium. The goal is to keep the broth at a lively simmer. Cover the saucepan. Cook until the rice is tender, which takes about 45 minutes, depending on the heat of your stovetop and the variety of rice. Take a bit of the rice (careful, it will be hot!) to test for donesness.

STIR IN TURKEY: Remove the soup from the heat and stir in the cooked turkey.

SERVE: Taste the soup and add more salt and pepper if needed. Stir in the parsley and ladle the soup into bowls.

Make-Ahead, Storage and Reheating

Turkey rice soup tastes even better the next day!

STORAGE
Cool the soup to room temperature, transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator.

The storage time limit depends on how long ago the turkey meat was roasted. For example, if the turkey was roasted on Thanksgiving (Thursday in the U.S.), the turkey meat is good for 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator, according to the USDA. If you make the soup the next day (Friday), the soup should be eaten or frozen by Sunday.

FREEZE
When stored properly, turkey soup can be frozen for 3 to 4 months. There are a couple of freezer storage options. For both, first cool the soup to room temperature.

The first option is to store the soup in a freezer-safe airtight container (or several containers), such as these glass ones.

Alternatively, ladle the cooled soup into resealable freezer bags. Lay the sealed bags flat on a baking sheet and pop the whole thing into the freezer. Once the soup is frozen, store the bags horizontally or vertically in the freezer.

DEFROST AND REHEAT
Remove the soup from the freezer and allow it to defrost in the refrigerator overnight. Alternatively, use the defrost function on your microwave.

If reheating a large batch of soup, I find it easiest to reheat it in a saucepan on the stovetop. For just a bowl or two, I use the microwave.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use white rice?

Yes, with a couple of adjustments. First, first white rice cooks in less than half the time as brown rice. About 20 minutes should do the trick, though be sure to test for doneness.

Since the soup simmers for less time than with brown rice, less broth is needed. Reduce the amount by about 2 cups.

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Turkey Rice Soup Recipe

Turkey rice soup is a fantastic way to use up leftover turkey after the holidays. Healthy, flavorful and easy to make!

4.50 from 10 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Soups

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Thanksgiving Leftovers, Turkey Soup

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 55

Total Time: 1 10

Servings: Servings

Calories: 225kcal

Author: Dara Michalski | Cookin' Canuck

Ingredients

2 teaspoons olive oil
½ yellow or white onion chopped
1 large carrot cut into thin half-circles
1 large celery stalk chopped
3 garlic cloves minced
1.25 teaspoon dried thyme
¾ teaspoon crushed dried rosemary
¾ teaspoon dried sage
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon ground pepper
8 cups low-sodium chicken broth or more if needed (See Note 1)
¾ cup brown rice rinsed well (See Note 2)
3 cups chopped or shredded cooked turkey breast (see Note 3)
3 tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan set over medium heat.
Add the onions, carrot and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens and becomes translucent.
Add the garlic, thyme, rosemary, sage, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
Pour in the chicken broth and stir in the brown rice. Bring the broth to a boil, then reduce the heat so that the liquid is at a lively simmer. On my stove, that's between medium-low and medium, but varies from stove to stove.
Cover the saucepan. While cooking, stir the soup occasionally, scraping gently along the bottom of the saucepan with a wooden spoon, to make sure the rice isn't sticking. Cook until the rice is tender, about 45 minutes. This will vary, depending on the rice and stovetop heat. Tasting the rice (careful, it will be hot) is the best way to test for doneness.
Remove the soup from the heat and stir in the turkey and parsley. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if necessary.
Add additional broth if too much of it cooked down while simmering.

Notes

Note 1: If the broth cooks down too much while the soup simmers, you may want to stir in more broth at the end. Be sure to heat the soup for a couple of minutes if you do so.

Note 2: I use brown basmati rice, but other varieties work, too. Avoid using short-grain brown rice for this recipe. It is much stickier than a long-grain brown rice.

Note 3: Feel free to use either light (turkey breast) or dark (thigh) roasted turkey meat, or a combination of the two. The nutritional information was calculated using cooked turkey breast.

Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I provide nutritional information for my recipes as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using the LoseIt! calculator. While I attempt to provide information that is as accurate as possible, you should calculate the nutritional information independently before relying on it.

Nutrition

Tried this recipe?If you make this recipe, I'd love to see it on Instagram! Just use the hashtag #COOKINCANUCK and I'll be sure to find it.

This post was first published on November 22, 2022 and updated on November 20, 2024.

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