Creamy Turkey Wild Rice Soup is Easy to Make and Easy to Freeze.

This recipe is a great way to use leftover holiday turkey.

Creamy turkey wild rice soup originated from my Thanksgiving turkey leftovers. It’s simple to make, easy to freeze and a healthy way to feed your family on busy nights.

Creamy Turkey Wild Rice Soup

• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1 cup chopped carrot
• 1 Tbsp olive or vegetable oil
• 8 Tbsps flour
• 6 Tbsps butter
• 2 cups milk
• 5 cups turkey broth
• 3 cups diced cooked turkey meat
• 1.5 cups of cooked wild rice
• Salt, pepper, herbs to taste

Make your carrots small enough they are easy to eat and won’t take long to cook but not too small. Add olive oil or some of your broth to a frying pan and saute the veggies. You want the onion fully cooked and some bite left in the carrot. The carrot is going to soften more when frozen, thawed and reheated so don’t over cook it.

Now take your stock pot and melt the butter with a med-high heat. Add the flour and whisk it well, it will combine easily. Keep whisking and add about a quarter of the broth, when that thickens add the rest of the broth. Whisking still, add the milk and let this come to a boil to thicken. You want it to coat a spoon but not get too thick. When it’s thick enough remove it from the heat.

Add your cooked onion and carrot, diced turkey and cooked wild rice to the broth mixture.  Taste for seasoning. Add salt and pepper and season to taste,  this will vary based on the flavor of the broth you used. I like to use homemade turkey broth. If the broth you used was a little bland add some other herbs, oregano is good in this recipe.

Your soup is ready to serve or cool before going into the freezer.

How to Freeze Creamy Turkey Wild Rice Soup
Freeze your  soup in hard plastic containers or freezer bags in portions based on the size of your family. If you use freezer bags make sure to let them freeze flat so they take less freezer space, stack better and thaw faster. Laying them flat in single layers on a cookie sheet helps.

 I freeze in individual sized portions of approximately 2 cups each for a single meal like a lunch or for 2 people to have along with a sandwich, calzone or salad for one meal.  

This recipe makes about 12 cups of soup.

How to Reheat 
Cook soup from frozen in a saucepan, add about 1/4 cup water to the pan to keep the milk and rice from burning. I use medium heat and leave the lid on the pan. A 2 cup portion from frozen takes around 10 minutes to cook. Stir once or twice and your Creamy Turkey Wild Rice Soup is ready when it starts bubbling. No need to boil since it’s already cooked. You can also thaw this a day or two ahead to make reheating easier.

If you froze your soup in microwave safe dishes you could reheat it from frozen or thawed in the microwave. Frozen soup will take longer to cook and will need to be stirred a few times. Exact cooking times will vary based upon the portion size and microwave strength. 

How can I make this even healthier?
Wild rice is incredibly healthy to go with it’s great flavor so use it if you can find it. 

Broth is essential to the flavor in this recipe and good for you. Plus, broth made with bones helps us utilize protein more efficiently. For the most nutrients use homemade broth with bones and vegetables not caned or boxed store bought broth.

Add more vegetables!  Consider what will freeze well and mix it into the master batch or add when ready to serve. Mushrooms would be my first choice. Cauliflower, or corn would also work well.

What if I can't find wild rice at my local store?
Consider a mix of wild and brown rice, which seems to be the most common way wild rice is packaged anyway. Brown rice could also be used and still has a nice nutty flavor. 

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