Slow Cooker Turkey and Rice Soup
Make a hearty bowl of warm Turkey and Rice soup. Don’t make one more turkey sandwich with your leftover Thanksgiving turkey!
My creamy turkey and rice soup recipe is a great way to use up leftover turkey after Thanksgiving or a good Rotisserie chicken during the winter months.
Thanksgiving feast leftovers are really only good for one day and then we don’t care for it anymore. But you can make your leftover turkey carcass into a completely different meal by making a big pot of creamy soup.
Make a hearty bowl of warm Turkey and Rice soup or also see my Turkey Pot Pie recipe.
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How To Make Turkey and Rice Soup
Because we really hate to waste food, there are so many different ways to use up leftover turkey, not the least of which is sandwiches. But one can only stand so many turkey sandwiches, right? Making a nice big pot of Turkey soup is the answer, especially with rice and fresh veggies. So let’s do it.
This soup recipe uses fresh vegetables, turkey meat, and flavorful broth for a simple way to make comfort food during the colder months. Both slow cooker and stovetop Dutch oven recipes are included for your convenience.
I used white rice in my recipe but you can substitute brown rice or even a wild rice blend if you like. Adjust the cooking time for the rice accordingly.
Ingredient List
- 2 cups cooked turkey, chopped or shredded
- 4 large carrots, peeled and chopped
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 1 tsp rubbed sage
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 64 oz turkey broth
- 1 cup uncooked rice, white rice, or brown rice
Instructions
Step 1
Prepare your meat and vegetables. Chop or shred your turkey. Scrape the skin from the carrots and chop them into bite-size rounds. Chop the celery into bite-size pieces.
A roasted turkey leftover from holiday meals is just fine for this recipe. You can call it your leftover turkey soup recipe if you like.
Tip
Want to make this comforting soup recipe but not the day after Thanksgiving? No problem. Chop or Shred your leftover turkey meat, bag it, tag it, and freeze it. Use it when you are ready within a couple of months.
Step 2
Add turkey, carrots, and celery to the crockpot. Then add the spices and turkey broth to the Crockpot. See next step for adding the rice now or later.
Set the temperature to high for perfect soup in 4 hours or low for 6-8 hours.
This is my favorite Crockpot. Simple with great reviews.
Step 3 Cooking the rice
You may add the rice now, for a thicker broth; or wait if you want more of a liquid broth. If you wait, you will stir in the rice for the last 45 minutes of cook time.
Step 4
Serve and enjoy!
How to Make Turkey and Rice soup on the stovetop
Follow all of the above instructions except add the ingredients to a Dutch oven or large soup pot. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.
Reduce to medium heat and add the lid. Simmer, stirring occasionally for about 30-45 minutes until vegetables are tender.
Then add the rice and cook for about 20 more minutes until the rice is tender. Serve and enjoy!
Substitutions for Turkey and Rice Soup
No turkey leftovers? No problem, you can use boneless, skinless chicken or even a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store. Of course, then it will be chicken and rice soup. Feel free to buy a small turkey and boil the meat off the bone or you can even use ground turkey. If using ground turkey, be sure to brown and drain the meat before adding to the pot.
Substitutions for turkey broth are okay also. Vegetable stock, chicken stock, or even low-sodium chicken broth.
Rice substitutions are good too. You can use Brown rice or Wild rice if you like. Adjust the cooking time accordingly. Brown rice takes longer to cook than white rice.
Creamy Turkey and Rice Soup Recipe
This soup recipe uses fresh vegetables, turkey meat, and flavorful broth for a simple way to make comfort food during the colder months. Both slow cooker and stovetop Dutch oven recipes are included for your convenience.
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked turkey, chopped or shredded
- 4 large carrots, peeled and chopped
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 1 tsp rubbed sage
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 64 oz turkey broth
- 1 cup uncooked white rice
Instructions
- Prepare your meat and vegetables. Chop or shred your turkey.
- Scrape the skin from the carrots and chop them into bite-size rounds.
- Chop the celery into bite-size pieces.
- Add turkey, carrots, and celery to the crockpot.
- Then add the spices and turkey broth to the Crockpot and set the temperature to high for perfect soup in 4 hours or low for 6-8 hours.
- You may add the rice now, for a thicker broth; or wait if you want more of a liquid broth. If you wait, you will stir in the rice for the last 45 minutes of cook time.
Stovetop Instructions
- Follow all of the above instructions except add the ingredients to a Dutch oven or large soup pot. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.
- Reduce to medium heat and add the lid.
- Simmer, stirring occasionally for about 30-45 minutes until vegetables are tender.
Notes
Chicken can be substituted for the turkey in this recipe.
More Soup Recipes
Low Carb Creamy Turkey and Mushroom Soup with ground turkey
Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup with double noodles, you can also use turkey if you like
Easy White Beans and Ham soup, use your leftover ham in this soup recipe
Easy Homemade Vegetable soup, a family favorite for many years
Country Style 15 Bean Soup made from scratch, you will be surprised which meat I use
