Description

This turkey and wild rice soup is a perfect way to use up leftover turkey meat and bones from your holiday birds. But it's so delicious you can and should make it any time of year (not just when there's a whole turkey carcass left over from the holidays). Deeply flavored with homemade turkey stock, butter, sweet heavy cream, turkey, carrots, shallots, leeks, celery, white and wild rice, plus a pinch of fresh herbs -- this is my take on Maggie's famous turkey soup (which is the best turkey and rice soup I've ever eaten).

Ingredients

2 turkey legs or thighs or other bone-in turkey pieces, patted dry
2 to 2 1/2 quarts homemade turkey or chicken stock (or store-bought) (2 to 2.35L)
1 cup heavy cream (240g)
2 cups cooked black or wild rice (340g)
1 cup cooked white rice (170g)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (30g)
2 tablespoons butter (30g)
1/4 cup leeks, diced (white and light green part only) (30g)
3/4 cup shallots or onion, diced (100g)
3/4 cup carrots, diced (100g)
2/3 cup celery, diced (85g)
2 garlic cloves, smashed
parsley, finely chopped, to taste
1/8 teaspoon poultry seasoning (optional)
3 leaves of fresh sage (optional)
15 individual leaves of fresh rosemary removed from the stem (optional)
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, or to taste
freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

*You may use about 3 cups of leftover cooked or roast turkey to speed up this recipe. If you don't have a cooked turkey, using two medium-sized turkey legs (or other equivalent-sized bone-in turkey meat) should yield about 3 cups of cooked turkey meat. From two turkey legs, I ended up with 14 ounces (400g) of cooked meat which was just over 3 cups.

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Instructions

Make the turkey stock and cook the turkey legs. Skip to Step 2 if you're using leftover cooked turkey or store-bought broth. Heat a 5 to 6-quart pressure cooker (or Instant Pot, or large stock pot) over medium-high heat, and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. When the oil is hot, but not smoking, add the turkey legs and sear them on all sides until golden brown. Add leftover roasted turkey (or chicken) bones and 2 to 3 cups of leftover vegetable ends and peels (like carrots, onions, celery, and leeks). *I save all of my leftover vegetable peels and pieces in a bag in the freezer for making homemade stock, but you may sub 1/2 carrot, 3/4 onion, and 1/2 celery rib. Cover the turkey, bones, and vegetables with 4 quarts of water and add 1 teaspoon of salt, bring to high pressure, cook for 30 minutes and allow it to release naturally. When the pressure cooker has released, remove the turkey legs to a bowl to cool and strain the stock through a fine mesh sieve to remove the bones and vegetables. Skim the desired amount of fat from the stock and set aside. When the turkey legs are cool enough to handle, debone the meat and chop or shred into bite-sized pieces and set aside while you prepare the soup.
Sauté the vegetables. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the butter to a large pot set over medium heat. If you made the stock in Step 1, this is the second of your 2 tablespoons. Add the shallots, leeks, carrots, smashed garlic cloves, poultry seasoning, herbs, a sprinkle of salt, and sauté for 7 to 8 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and the onions are translucent.
Add the turkey stock and turkey meat. Add the turkey stock and meat to the pot and season with salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil and immediately reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes to allow the flavors to meld together. Remove the garlic cloves from the soup and discard.
Add the rice and the heavy cream. Add the cooked rice and heavy cream and simmer for 10 more minutes, or until everything is warmed through. Garnish with parsley if desired and Enjoy!

Notes

Onions. Substitute white or yellow onion for some or all of the leeks and shallots. Aim for about 1 cup (125g) of chopped onion total.
Rice. Use all white rice, all wild, or a mix. The recipe is written for a mix.
Stock. Homemade turkey stock is best, but homemade chicken stock or store-bought broth works.
Cream. Maggie's version does not skimp on butter or heavy cream. Add more for a richer pot, or leave the cream out entirely for a lighter turkey and rice soup.
For a thicker soup (using the roux method). Add 1 tablespoon of flour to the sautéed vegetables and cook 4 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly, before adding the stock.

For a thicker soup (using the rice method). Toast the uncooked rice in the butter and oil until fragrant and slightly opaque, then add the vegetables and continue cooking the rice until tender before the turkey goes in. This way you're actually cooking one cup of uncooked rice directly in the soup, which naturally thickens it.
Increase the amount of heavy cream to make this soup even more luxurious. I kept it on the lighter side, but Maggie's soup does not skimp on real butter or heavy cream, so use as much or as little as you'd like.

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Category: Soups & Stews
Method: Stovetop
Cuisine: American

Nutrition

Serving Size: 2 Cups