Looking for a leftover turkey soup recipe? This creamy soup is a delicious way to transform leftover turkey from Thanksgiving or other holiday dinner into an enjoyable and nourishing meal. Keep in mind that it’s best if you incorporate your own homemade stock or bone broth, made from the turkey bones and carcass that remain from your celebratory meal. I have simple directions you can follow using my spice mix here.
What I love about this soup is not just the flavor, but how easy it is to pull out of the refrigerator to heat up at any moment. The addition of rice makes it so filling and satisfying. The bacon and herbs uplift this dish to gourmet standards. Just thinking about it mouthwatering!
Make plenty of it. Share it with leftover turkey soup with friends. This 2020 holiday season has been difficult for many of us and there is nothing quite like a delicious chowder to cheer up the people in your life. Be ready to receive a lot of love and appreciation because this soup is so enjoyable.
Also consider adding more flavor by drizzling in some leftover gravy or shoveling in a bit of stuffing into the soup. Not too much, though. I’d suggest about one to two cups of stuffing about 30 minutes before the end of the cooking time. If you add gravy, do so just before the chowder is done and thank me later.
If you’d like to watch how I made this soup, you can join me and my friend Marisa on YouTube (Click here to watch.)
INGREDIENTS
- 3/4 cup cooked wild rice or brown rice (about 5 ounces),
- 2 1/2 cups water for cooking rice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 3-ounce packages sliced pancetta (Italian bacon), diced (or bacon)
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 12 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced (about 5 1/2 cups)
- 2 carrots, diced
- 1 teaspoon dried crushed rosemary (or 1 tbsp. fresh rosemary)
- 2 tsps. Cumin
- 2 tsps. Coriander powder or (seeds crushed)
- 2-3 Tbsp. Anchovy Paste
- 2-3 Tbsp. or more of Fish Sauce (to taste)
- 1 cup of dry white wine
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped shallots
- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) salted butter
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour (or gluten-free flour)
- 10 cups Turkey Stock
- 2 to 4 cups chopped cooked turkey meat (reserved from the carcass)
- 1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels (optional)
- Chopped fresh parsley
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream (or full-fat coconut milk)
PREPARATION
- To cook the rice, bring 2 1/2 cups water, rice, and 1/4 teaspoon salt to boil in a medium pan. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until rice is tender but still firm to bite. I undercooked the rice by just cooking it half the amount of time. (This will vary on the variety of rice; 30-45 minutes). Drain; set aside.
- Heat the oil in a heavy large soup pot over medium heat. Add pancetta or bacon and cook until browned, stir often, about 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer pancetta or bacon to paper towels to drain.
- Add mushrooms to the pot and cook until it begins to brown, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl. Add the butter. Add carrots and celery. Cover; cook until vegetables begin to soften, stirring regularly, about 5 minutes.
- Add shallots; stir until soft, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle the flour and stir for 1 minute. Add cumin, coriander, rosemary, and white wine. Increase the flame to burn off the alcohol for about 1 minute. Add in anchovy paste and fish sauce.
- Return the mushrooms to the pot. Mix in Turkey Stock; bring to boil, stirring occasionally.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and partially cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Add rice, pancetta or bacon, turkey meat, and corn (is using) to soup. Simmer to meld flavors together, about 10 minutes. Stir in cream or coconut milk. Season to taste with salt and pepper or add more anchovy paste and fish sauce.
- DO AHEAD: This chowder can be made 3 days ahead of time. Cool slightly. Chill uncovered until cool. Cover and keep chilled. Rewarm over low to medium heat before serving.
- Divide soup among bowls, sprinkle with parsley and serve.