Put those Thanksgiving leftovers to work in this comforting turkey and wild rice soup. A family recipe passed down from Grammy, this soup is warm, hearty, and easy to stretch to feed a crowd.
Serve it with a basket of warm cloverleaf dinner rolls for a cozy meal.
This recipe was first published on 11/25/2021.
Of all the recipes I’ve shared, this Thanksgiving leftovers turkey soup is especially meaningful. It came from my mother-in-law, who in turn received it from her family. Generations have made it for good reason — it’s simple, filling, and full of flavor.
Make it soon after Thanksgiving and you’ll likely have nearly everything on hand. Instead of discarding the turkey carcass, simmer it for a rich turkey stock to form the base of your soup. You can also incorporate leftover stuffing, mashed potatoes, and gravy to add depth and body.
This soup includes classic soup vegetables — onion, celery, and carrots — plus a few unexpected additions: leftover stuffing, mashed potatoes, and gravy. Those side-dish additions boost flavor and help thicken the broth. Use just a spoonful or two of each; too much can overpower the soup.
What’s in Thanksgiving Leftovers Turkey Soup
It may sound odd to add side dishes to soup, but they work really well. Gravy is essentially concentrated turkey juices so it brings both flavor and thickness. Mashed potatoes and stuffing do the same — just add them sparingly to keep the balance right.
Grammy jokes that after decades of making this soup, Grampy finally realized she’d been stirring side dishes into it all along.
Other ingredients you may want include a green bell pepper, fresh parsley, and fresh thyme. The recipe uses wild rice instead of noodles, so plan to have some on hand. You can also add extra vegetables your family enjoys — frozen corn, peas, or green beans are favorites for us.
Adjust the mix to your family’s tastes: add what they like and omit what they don’t. That flexibility is part of why this recipe works so well.
How to Make Turkey and Wild Rice Soup
There are two main stages: making the turkey stock and building the soup.
Stage 1 — Make the turkey stock: Remove all usable meat from the carcass and set it aside in the fridge for later. Place the carcass and any small scrap bones in a large stockpot with roughly chopped onions, carrots, and celery. Cover with water, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the meat falls from the bones — typically 4–5 hours. The longer it simmers, the more flavorful the stock.
When the stock is done, strain it and discard the solids. Note: the vegetables used to make the stock are not reused in the soup; you’ll start with fresh vegetables for the next stage.
Stage 2 — Make the soup: Return the strained stock to the pot and bring it to a simmer. Add a fresh batch of chopped onions, celery, and carrots, plus diced green bell pepper, minced garlic, wild rice, fresh thyme, and chopped parsley. Stir in any extra vegetables you like (corn, peas, green beans). If you want a thicker soup and more holiday flavor, add a few spoonfuls of leftover stuffing, mashed potatoes, or gravy — but use these sparingly.
Add salt and pepper to taste. Once the vegetables and rice are tender, add the reserved turkey meat just before serving so it remains tender and not rubbery.
For our family, frozen corn, peas, and some fresh green beans are standard additions. I especially like adding Thanksgiving herb stuffing for bursts of fluffy, savory flavor — either mashed into the broth or left as little bites.
Thanksgiving Recipes
- Spatchcock Turkey – a quick, oven-saving turkey method
- Cloverleaf Dinner Rolls – buttery rolls that pair perfectly with soup
- The Best Creamiest Baked Mashed Potatoes – extra rich and comforting
- Cranberry Cheesecake Bars – an easy holiday cheesecake twist
- Pumpkin Roll With Cream Cheese Frosting – soft pumpkin cake with silky cream cheese filling
- Apple Crisp With Oats Topping – a classic warm dessert
- Buttery Olive Oil Baked Honey Carrots – sweet and buttery roasted carrots
- Thanksgiving Herb Stuffing – savory stuffing made with fresh herbs and bread
- Caramel Pecan Shortbread Bars – a sweet bar dessert
Grammy’s Thanksgiving Leftovers Turkey and Wild Rice Soup
30 minutes
5 hours
5 hours 30 minutes
Put all those delicious Thanksgiving leftovers to good use in this turkey and wild rice soup. A family recipe handed down from Grammy, this soup is a bowl full of cozy and comfy. You’ll love just how easy it is to make and how many family members it feeds.
Ingredients
- Turkey carcass and meat, useable meat picked off
- Water
- 5 carrots
- 6 celery stalks
- 2 onions
- ½ green bell pepper, diced
- ½–1 cup wild rice (adjust to broth amount)
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 sprig fresh thyme, finely minced
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
- Salt and pepper
- Optional: extra vegetables like green beans, peas, or corn
- Leftover stuffing (a few spoonfuls optional)
- Leftover mashed potatoes (a few spoonfuls optional)
- Leftover gravy (a few splashes optional)
Instructions
- Pick all usable meat from the turkey, cut into bite-size pieces, and refrigerate until needed.
- Place the turkey carcass and any remnants in a large stockpot.
- Chop 3 celery stalks (including stems), 2 carrots, and 1 onion; add them to the pot.
- Cover with water so the carcass and vegetables are submerged.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, until meat falls from the bones (about 4–5 hours).
- Strain the broth and discard the solids. Return the broth to the pot and bring back to a simmer.
- Chop the remaining onion, celery (3 stalks), and carrots (3); add them to the broth along with diced green bell pepper, wild rice, garlic, thyme, parsley, and any additional vegetables you like.
- Add a few spoonfuls of leftover stuffing, mashed potatoes, or gravy if you want more body and flavor — use sparingly.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- When the vegetables and rice are tender, add the reserved turkey meat just before serving.
- Ladle into bowls and serve warm.
Notes
- Grammy sometimes adds lentils or barley for extra texture.
- Add turkey at the end so it stays tender.
- This recipe is very flexible — include only the vegetables and extras your family likes.
- If you don’t have enough homemade broth, you can supplement with store-bought stock.
- Stuffing, mashed potatoes, and gravy thicken the soup; a little goes a long way.
- Serve with thick, fluffy rolls for a cozy meal.