This hearty turkey rice soup is cozy, simple, and comes together in just one pot with white rice and vegetables in about 30 minutes, making it perfect for using up leftovers and warming up a busy weeknight!

Overhead shot of turkey rice soup with parsley and lemon.

5 star review

“This was delicious! The whole family loved it. The flavor was wonderful. Loved the clean ingredients.”

– Jodi
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Easy Turkey Rice Soup with Leftover Turkey!

I don’t know about you but I love finding new & delicious ways to repurpose leftovers, especially when it comes to cooked turkey meat, or leftover Thanksgiving turkey like this ultra-juicy Slow Cooker Turkey Breast! This easy turkey soup and rice is the quintessential way to repurpose any leftover turkey meat into a delicious, veggie-packed weeknight dinner. Plus there’s so many ways you can customize it to make it your own, and I’ve included notes and suggestions, below, on substitutions and swaps.

Welcome to My Kitchen! Let’s Make Turkey Soup with Rice

Sauted onion in a blue Dutch oven.
Sauted onions, carrots, and celery in a blue Dutch oven.
Turkey, vegetables, and rice in a blue Dutch oven.
Ladle of turkey rice soup from a blue Dutch oven.

Tested Variations for My Favorite Turkey Soup

  • Spicy: Add ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes along with the Italian seasoning.
  • Creamy: Add 3/4 cup cream along with the lemon juice at the end.
  • Ground Turkey: Saute 1 pound of ground turkey (white or dark meat) in 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium high heat in a large skillet. Saute, stirring occasionally, until just cooked through. Add the cooked ground turkey in place of pre-cooked turkey in this recipe.
  • With Noodles: Skip the rice and add 1 cup cooked pasta such as egg noodles, elbow, penne, or any shape instead of the rice. Cook according to package instructions.
Overhead shot of turkey rice soup with parsley and lemon.

Key Ingredients

  • Cooked turkey: A great use for leftover turkey, feel free to use white meat, dark meat or a mixture. I like shredding the meat, but you can also chop it if you prefer. See notes, above, for using ground turkey.
  • White rice: Any long grain white rice will work for this recipe, including jasmine or basmati. I did not test this recipe with par-boiled, so if you give it a try, let me know how it goes in the comments.
  • Chicken stock: Use bone broth, homemade chicken stock or homemade turkey stock for extra flavor. You can also use turkey stock or vegetable stock in place of chicken stock.
  • Onion: If you don’t like or can’t eat onions, feel free to skip them in this recipe.
  • Carrot: Whole, chopped carrots yield the best flavor for this soup.
  • Celery: Chopped fresh celery works best.
  • Italian seasoning: Use poultry seasoning or rubbed sage if you don’t have Italian seasoning.
  • Lemon juice: Don’t skip the lemon juice, as it add such a lovely fresh flavor and brightens everything up at the end!
Overhead shot of turkey rice soup with parsley and lemon.
5 stars (9 ratings)

Turkey Rice Soup (Hearty, One-Pot, Ready in 30!)

by Robyn Conley Downs
Servings: 6
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 25 minutes
Total: 30 minutes
This hearty turkey rice soup is cozy, simple, and comes together in just one pot, so it's perfect for using up leftover turkey and warming up a busy weeknight.
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Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 medium yellow onion, diced
  • 1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt, divided
  • 1 cup chopped carrot
  • 1 cup chopped celery
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon no-salt added Italian seasoning
  • ½ cup long-grain white rice
  • 3 cups cooked turkey, chopped or shredded
  • 1 quart chicken stock (or turkey stock),
  • 2 cups water

To Add at the End

  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Equipment

Instructions 

  • In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat.
  • Add the onion, ¼ teaspoon salt, and cook until slightly softened, about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Add the carrot, celery, and additional ¼ teaspoon salt, and cook 3 more minutes, stirring frequently.
  • Add the garlic, Italian seasoning, and rice. Cook for 1 more minute, stirring constantly.
  • Add the turkey, chicken stock, water, and remaining 1 teaspoon salt, stirring to combine.
  • Cover, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer, covered, for 20 minutes, or until the rice is tender.
  • Uncover and add the lemon juice, stirring to combine. Taste and add additional lemon juice or salt if desired.

Notes

  • Make it Creamy: For a creamy version, add 3/4 cup heavy cream at the end of the cook time.
  • Rice: Be sure to use uncooked long grain white rice for this recipe, not instant or par-boiled, as it will come out mushy.
Course: dinner, Soup
Cuisine: American

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 1 (of 6), Calories: 261kcal, Carbohydrates: 20g, Protein: 30g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 69mg, Sodium: 613mg, Potassium: 596mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 3736IU, Vitamin C: 4mg, Calcium: 64mg, Iron: 2mg
Nutrition disclaimer
Did you make this recipe?If you do, be sure to share it on Instagram and tag me at @realfoodwholelife so I can see!

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