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    Recipes » Soup

    Turkey and Rice Soup

    Published: Nov 23, 2020 · Modified: Nov 23, 2020 by Marissa Stevens · 24 Comments

    Gluten FreeQuick Meals

    This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe
    turkey and rice soup served in a white bowl

    Warming and light, Turkey and Rice Soup is a wonderful way to enjoy leftover turkey. Tender turkey, vegetables and rice are swirled in a savory broth and finished with a splash of fresh lemon juice and a bright blend of parsley, lemon zest, and garlic. A welcome and restorative meal after days of decadent eating.

    Turkey and Rice Soup served in a white bowl

    With this simple soup recipe, using ingredients that you likely have on hand, you'll be serving up steaming bowls in just 30 minutes.

    Jump to:
    • Ingredients You Need to Make Turkey and Rice Soup
    • What makes this the best Turkey and Rice Soup?
    • Should I rinse rice?
    • Recipe Options
    • How to Make Turkey Stock
    • More Ways to Enjoy Leftover Turkey
    • How to Make Turkey and Rice Soup
    • Turkey and Rice Soup
    • 💬 Comments

    Ingredients You Need to Make Turkey and Rice Soup

    Turkey and Rice Soup Ingredients on a white marble board
    • Leftover Turkey: White meat, dark meat or a blend.
    • Onion: Yellow, white, or sweet onions work well.
    • Butter: Salted or unsalted.
    • Carrots: Peeled or unpeeled, your choice!
    • Celery: This is a good way to enjoy those outer ribs that you may have removed for the more tender ribs beneath.
    • Broth: Turkey broth (or homemade turkey stock - instructions below), or chicken broth or stock.
    • Rice: Long grain white rice. Rinse your rice if you like a brothier soup as the outer starch will thicken the soup, particularly if you reheat it. (I don't mind this and typically don't rinse the rice.)
    • Lemon: Juice and zest.
    • Parsley: Flat leaf or curly, your choice.
    • Garlic: A couple of fresh, fat garlic cloves.
    • Kosher Salt: To taste.

    What makes this the best Turkey and Rice Soup?

    The splash of fresh lemon juice and sprinkle of gremolata at the end elevate this comforting soup from ordinary to extraordinary. Gremolata is a versatile Italian condiment, a simple blend of minced parsley, garlic, and lemon zest. It's just the thing to enhance and brighten savory flavors.

    Should I rinse rice?

    Rice has a powdery starch coating that can be rinsed off, so should you rinse it? It depends on what you're cooking. If you're boiling rice on its own, you should rinse it first to prevent the grains from sticking together, or worse, getting gummy. In soup, the powdery starch will thicken the broth (particularly in any leftover soup). So if you want a thinner, brothy soup, rinse your rice. If you don't mind a thicker soup, there's no need to rinse.

    Turkey and Rice Soup served in white bowls

    Recipe Options

    • You can make this with wild rice or brown rice, but note that they have a longer cooking time (~45 minutes). Cook the rice separately and add it along with the turkey at the end, just long enough to reheat.
    • If you're making this soup from leftover Thanksgiving turkey, I recommend making stock from the turkey carcass. It's easy and gives this soup wonderful flavor! Instructions on making turkey stock from scratch below.
    • Love lemon? Increase the juice and zest to one full lemon.

    How to Make Turkey Stock

    Homemade turkey stock tastes amazing and is easy to make. Here's what to do:

    1. Add the turkey carcass and, if you like, the little bag of treasures that you’ve pulled from the turkey before roasting (neck, etc.) into a large pot or, ideally a stock pot, and add enough water to cover.
    2. Then add two quartered onions, a large handful or two of fresh parsley, a few ribs of chopped celery, a handful of black peppercorns and a bay leaf if you like. 
    3. Bring this to boil then reduce the heat and leave simmering away for a few hours, until you decrease the volume of liquid by about half and your stock has a rich, golden color.
    4. Let it cool, then strain out the solids and either enjoy it within a week or freeze in canning jars (make sure you leave a couple of inches for the liquid to expand).

    More Ways to Enjoy Leftover Turkey

    • Turkey Pot Pie (A lighter version of the classic with a puff pastry crust.)
    • Turkey Pot Pie Soup (I love to serve this with Pie Crust Crackers made from scraps of my Lard Pie Crust.)

    How to Make Turkey and Rice Soup

    Step 1: In a 3-quart saucepan, sauté onion in butter over medium heat for 3-5 minutes, or until softened. Stir in celery, carrots, broth, and rice; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until rice is nearly tender, 10 to 12 minutes.

    • cooking diced onions
    • vegetables and rice in turkey broth
    • turkey broth vegetables and rice boiling

    Step 2: While soup cooks, stir together lemon zest, parsley, and garlic in a small bowl. Juice lemon in separate bowl.

    • gremolata in a white bowl
    • fresh lemon juice in a white bowl

    Step 3: Stir turkey meat into soup and cook just until heated through. Add lemon juice and stir. Ladle into bowls and garnish with parsley, garlic, and lemon zest mixture (gremolata). Serve hot.

    • adding shredded leftover turkey to soup
    • stirring turkey and rice soup
    Turkey and Rice Soup served in a white bowl

    Turkey and Rice Soup

    Marissa Stevens
    It's the splash of fresh lemon juice and sprinkle of fresh parsley, lemon zest, and garlic at the end that makes this soup irresistible.
    4.91 from 10 votes
    Save Recipe Saved! Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 20 mins
    Total Time 30 mins
    Course Soup
    Cuisine American
    Servings 6 people
    Calories 237 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 tablespoon butter
    • 1 large onion diced small
    • 3 ribs celery thinly sliced into half moons
    • 2 large carrots thinly sliced
    • 8 cups chicken broth or homemade Turkey broth (see recipe note #1)
    • ¾ cup long grain white rice (see recipe note #2)
    • ⅓ cup minced flat leaf parsley
    • 2 medium cloves garlic minced
    • ½ medium lemon juice and zest
    • 2 cups cooked turkey shredded, ~10 ounces
    • kosher salt to taste

    Instructions
     

    • Melt butter in a 3-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add onion; cook and stir until softened and translucent, 3-5 minutes.
    • Add celery, carrots, broth and rice. Bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer 10-12 minutes, until rice is tender, but still has a little bite.
    • Meanwhile, zest lemon into a small bowl and add minced parsley and garlic; stir to combine. Juice lemon half into separate small bowl. Set both bowls aside.
    • When rice is tender, add turkey meat; cook and stir until heated through, 2-3 minutes. Stir in reserved lemon juice and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with parsley mixture. Serve.

    Notes

    1. Homemade turkey stock (instructions in post) or chicken stock make this soup even better!
    2. Rinse your rice if you want to remove the powdery surface starch that can thicken the soup.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 237kcalCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 18gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 64mgSodium: 1224mgPotassium: 536mgFiber: 2gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 2160IUVitamin C: 25mgCalcium: 53mgIron: 2mg
    Keyword comfort food, kid friendly, light, low calorie, winter
    Tried this recipe?I'd love to see it! Tag me on Instagram at @pinchandswirl or leave me a comment and rating below.
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Kara says

      March 29, 2022 at 4:19 pm

      5 stars
      So So 😊 yummmmmm

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        March 31, 2022 at 9:54 am

        So glad you enjoyed it, Kara!

        Reply
    2. Linda Kairys says

      March 27, 2022 at 1:34 pm

      The gremolata took it over the top. Absolutely love the flavors of this soup. Mine although purple due to the heirloom carrots I used and the rustic flavors of a mix of white and wild rice brought it to a new place for me...I will definately use this recipe again.

      Reply
      • Linda Kairys says

        March 27, 2022 at 1:35 pm

        5 stars
        I forgot the 5 star review.. noteworthy

        Reply
        • Marissa Stevens says

          March 27, 2022 at 2:08 pm

          I'm so glad you enjoyed this soup, Linda! Thank you for coming back to let me know.

          Reply
    3. Deborah says

      November 27, 2021 at 4:56 pm

      5 stars
      Well this certainly was a labor of love! Making the stock, the soup (picking the carcass), the gremolata. . . I think I used every pot, bowl, colander, kitchen tool and inch of counter space today. I found myself wondering if it was worth the effort. Then we sat down to steaming bowls of homemade soup and WOW it was worth it! Gremolata is something new to me and it really made the soup sing. And for all the effort, we’ve plenty left for tomorrow, Sunday game day. Thank you, Marissa, for a fresh new take on leftover turkey.

      Reply
    4. Holly KOrus says

      November 26, 2021 at 1:06 pm

      4 stars
      Nothing is perfect but this is close.

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        November 27, 2021 at 4:42 pm

        So glad you enjoyed this, Holly!

        Reply
    5. Dennis Yannakos says

      December 17, 2020 at 2:14 am

      5 stars
      A bowl of warm soup for a cold day! Perfect! Thank you for sharing!

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        December 17, 2020 at 8:34 am

        My pleasure! Thanks, Dennis.

        Reply
    6. Liz says

      November 28, 2020 at 5:13 am

      5 stars
      We're having turkey tetrazzini tonight, but there should be enough leftover turkey for your fabulous soup! It will be nice as the snow moves in...ugh.

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        November 29, 2020 at 10:13 am

        I bet you make a mean turkey tetrazzini, Liz! Definitely save a little turkey for this soup - I promise it's a keeper. And yes, snow, we've got it in the forecast too...

        Reply
    7. David @ Spiced says

      November 24, 2020 at 4:12 am

      5 stars
      This is a great reminder to make turkey stock this year! I'll be honest that some years I forget it - or just pass on it as I'm too tired to deal with it after making the entire meal. But I'm doing it this year - this soup looks amazing, and I'm sure it has so much flavor thanks to the stock and extra turkey!

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        November 24, 2020 at 11:16 am

        It's so good, David! Always nice to have homemade turkey stock, right? So much better than store bought.

        Reply
    8. Katherine | Love In My Oven says

      November 23, 2020 at 8:13 pm

      5 stars
      Perfect timing for this cozy looking soup, Marissa! We always make turkey soup after Thanksgiving. Yours looks so warming and delicious!

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        November 24, 2020 at 11:15 am

        Thanks, Katherine! I hope you'll give this one a try!

        Reply
    9. Muna Kenny says

      November 23, 2020 at 7:13 pm

      5 stars
      This soup has everything I need right now, so hearty and looks delicious. I love the taste of lemon in soups. Thanks for sharing 🙂

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        November 24, 2020 at 11:16 am

        My pleasure, Muna! Thank you for your kind comment.

        Reply
    10. Ben | Havocinthekitchen says

      November 23, 2020 at 3:51 pm

      5 stars
      Turkey (chicken) & rice soup is an ultimate comfort yet not overly heavy recipe that is deeply associated with my childhood (As a kid, you got sick - you got a bowl of chicken soup! Best remedy ever!) You're also right that it's a great way to eat cleaner/healthier after all the decadent and festive meals. I'm even a little bit jealous that you might have some turkey leftovers after celebrating Thanksgiving 🙂 Delicious!

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        November 24, 2020 at 11:18 am

        So true about the ultimate comfort food, Ben! Sometimes I think that I enjoy meals from leftovers even more than the main meal.

        Reply
    11. dorothydunton says

      November 23, 2020 at 2:55 pm

      Hi Marissa! This sounds so comforting! It's just going to be the two of us this year so I'm making a couple of bacon wrapped turkey tenderloins. No carcass to make stock so I'll make due with chicken stock .My favorite part of Thanksgiving is the leftovers. 🙂

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        November 24, 2020 at 11:18 am

        Hi Dorothy! I bet those turkey tenderloins will be incredible. I'm with you on the leftovers. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, my friend.

        Reply
    12. angiesrecipes says

      November 23, 2020 at 5:41 am

      Simple, warming and delicious...a perfect soup recipe, esp. if you have some leftover turkey or chicken.

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        November 24, 2020 at 11:18 am

        Thank you, Angie!

        Reply

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