Turkey and Wild Rice Soup with Garlic Oil

This healthy-ish soup gives a break from the traditional Thanksgiving flavors while creating a new delicious meal with the leftover meat. I like the texture the wild rice adds paired alongside a mix of celery, carrots, onion and Tuscan kale.

Turkey and Wild Rice Soup with Garlic Oil

Key Ingredients in This Recipe

• Turkey – This is a great way to use up leftover Thanksgiving turkey. I typically find the white meat from the turkey breast dry so I love to add it to this soup for added flavor.
• Mirepoix – A base of carrots, celery and onion are sautéed to create a flavorful base for this soup.
• Roux – Flour is cooked in fat, in this case olive oil, before the broth is added to thicken the soup.
• Rice – Wild rice is nutty with a firm texture; it’s not actually rice, it’s a semi-aquatic grass with edible grain. It can be swapped with long-grain rice in this recipe if desired.
• Garlic – I fry up some thinly sliced garlic in vegetable oil to drizzle over the top for a flavor punch and additional crispy texture.
• Chicken stock – Either store-bought chicken broth or homemade can be used in this recipe. I like to make turkey broth from the leftover bones after Thanksgiving dinner – get tips to make it here. Easily swap for the chicken broth in this recipe.

How to Make Turkey and Wild Rice Soup

For the soup:

1. Sauté vegetables. Heat a large saucepan over medium heat, add the olive oil and heat through. Add the celery, carrots and onions and sauté until the onion is tender, about 5 minutes.
2. Make a roux. Add the flour and stir to combine. Let the roux cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute until it’s a pale golden brown.
3. Simmer soup. Add the stock, stirring to combine. Season to taste with salt then add the rice. Simmer the soup on medium-low heat until the rice is tender and some of the grains have burst open, about 30 minutes.
4. Add turkey and kale. Stir in the shredded turkey and kale, simmering for an additional 10 minutes, until the kale has wilted. Stir in the heavy cream.

For the garlic oil:

1. Crisp garlic. Add the vegetable oil to a small saucepan and heat over medium-low heat. Add the sliced garlic and fry, stirring occasionally until the garlic is crisp, about 5 minutes.

For serving:

1. Assemble and serve. Ladle the soup into bowls and drizzle with the garlic oil just before serving.

Tips and Tricks for This Recipe

• Shredded chicken can easily be substituted for the turkey in a pinch. 
• Ground chicken or turkey can also be sautéed in a pan ahead of time and added in place of the shredded meat.

Other Recipes to Try

If you enjoy this recipe, I recommend checking out these:

• Thanksgiving Turkey Meatballs
• Thanksgiving Leftover Turkey Panini
• Turkey Sandwich with Apple Hatch Pepper Chili

Turkey and Wild Rice Soup with Garlic Oil

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Serves 6

US Customary – Metric

Ingredients:

For the soup:

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 4 cups chicken broth
• Kosher salt, as needed
• ½ cup wild rice
• 1 pound shredded, cooked turkey meat
• 1 small bunch Tuscan kale, ribs removed and roughly chopped
• ¼ cup heavy cream

For the garlic oil:

• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

Instructions:

For the soup:

• Heat a large saucepan over medium heat, add the olive oil and heat through. Add the celery, carrots and onions and sauté until the onion is tender, about 5 minutes.
• Add the flour and stir to combine. Let the roux cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute until it’s a pale golden brown.
• Add the stock, stirring to combine. Season to taste with salt then add the rice. Simmer the soup on medium-low heat until the rice is tender and some of the grains have burst open, about 30 minutes.
• Stir in the shredded turkey and kale, simmering for an additional 10 minutes, until the kale has wilted. Stir in the heavy cream.

For the garlic oil:

• Add the vegetable oil to a small saucepan and heat over medium-low heat. Add the sliced garlic and fry, stirring occasionally until the garlic is crisp, about 5 minutes.

For serving:

• Ladle the soup into bowls and drizzle with the garlic oil just before serving.

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