The Best Leftover Turkey Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or avocado oil
- ½ cup chopped carrots
- ½ cup chopped celery
- ½ cup finely chopped onion
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme or 1 teaspoon fresh, chopped
- ¼ teaspoon crushed dried rosemary or 1 teaspoon fresh, chopped
- 6 cups chicken or turkey broth/stock, I use low-sodium
- ½ to ¾ cup brown rice or brown rice blend (see note)
- 2 teaspoons salt, I use coarse, kosher salt
- Pinch of black pepper
- 1 cup half and half (see note)
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 3 to 4 cups cooked, chopped leftover turkey
Instructions
- In a 6-quart saucepan or pot, heat the butter and oil until hot over medium heat. Add the carrots, celery, onion, thyme and rosemary and cook, stirring often, until vegetables are slightly tender, 3-4 minutes.
- Add the broth, rice, salt and pepper. Bring the soup to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until the rice is tender. The exact time will depend on variety of rice and package directions. For a brown and wild rice blend, the time will be about 30 minutes.
- Whisk together or blend the half and half and flour until smooth and there are no lumps. Stir the flour mixture into the soup, whisking quickly, and simmer gently until slightly thickened, 5-6 minutes.
- Stir in the cooked turkey and heat through. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper, if needed. Serve.
Notes
Brown Rice: long grain brown rice, jasmine or basmati brown rice, or a brown rice blend work great in this soup. You can also sub white rice or a wild and brown rice blend. The key is to adjust the simmering time based on the variety of rice you are using.
Half and half: you can sub in milk for the half and half (although the soup won't be quite as silky and creamy). I suggest using 1% or 2% (not skim).
Turkey: yes, you can use leftover cooked chicken if you don't have turkey.