Crockpot Leftover Turkey Wild Rice Soup Recipe
This Crockpot Leftover Turkey Wild Rice Soup is a comforting and hearty way to transform your holiday turkey or chicken leftovers into a delicious, creamy soup. Featuring wild rice, wholesome vegetables, and aromatic herbs, this recipe is perfect for slow cooking or pressure cooking for a warm, nourishing meal.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 2-3 hours (slow cooker HIGH) or 20 minutes (Instant Pot high pressure) plus sauté time
- Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes (slow cooker) or 45 minutes (Instant Pot)
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Low Salt
Ingredients
Scale
Soup Base
- 1 pound cooked turkey or chicken, shredded or diced
- 1 cup uncooked wild rice, rinsed
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups water
- 8 ounces white mushrooms, sliced
- 1 cup carrots, diced
- 1 cup celery, diced
- 1 cup onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
Seasonings
- 1 teaspoon salt, adjust to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper, adjust to taste
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
Finish
- 1 cup heavy cream (or coconut milk/cream as dairy-free substitute)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (for Instant Pot sauté step)
Instructions
- Prepare Ingredients: Rinse the wild rice thoroughly. Shred or dice the cooked turkey or chicken. Dice the carrots, celery, and onion (mirepoix), slice mushrooms, and mince garlic.
- Slow Cooker Method: Place all ingredients except the heavy cream into the slow cooker. Stir to combine well. Cook on HIGH for 2-3 hours or LOW for 4-6 hours until the wild rice is tender and vegetables are cooked. Stir in the heavy cream, cover, and cook an additional 5-10 minutes to warm through. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.
- Instant Pot Method: Turn on the Instant Pot to sauté mode. Add olive oil, then the carrots, celery, onion, and mushrooms. Cook for 5-7 minutes until softened. Add garlic and cook one more minute. Turn off sauté. Add chicken broth, water, wild rice, cooked turkey, salt, pepper, thyme, and rosemary. Stir to combine, deglaze bottom if necessary. Seal lid and set to high pressure for 20 minutes. After cooking, perform a quick pressure release. Open lid, turn on sauté again, and stir in heavy cream. Cook for a few minutes more stirring to heat through. Season with additional salt and pepper if needed.
- Serve and Enjoy: Ladle soup into bowls and garnish as desired. Best enjoyed warm and fresh.
- Storing and Freezing: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. For longer storage, cool soup completely and freeze in airtight containers or freezer bags for up to 2 months. To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge or reheat directly on warm setting in slow cooker or Instant Pot.
Notes
- You can substitute cooked chicken for turkey if preferred.
- Coconut milk or coconut cream makes a great dairy-free substitute for heavy cream.
- Adjust salt carefully as leftover turkey or chicken may already be seasoned.
- Use the warm setting on slow cooker or Instant Pot to keep soup hot until serving.
- If not a fan of mushrooms, omit or reduce quantity accordingly.
Keywords: leftover turkey soup, wild rice soup, slow cooker soup, turkey wild rice, leftover turkey recipe, creamy wild rice soup
