Soul-Warming Creamy Turkey and Wild Rice Soup

A few weeks ago, it was Thanksgiving in Canada and with that brings all things turkey! Seeing as how Thanksgiving was a little different this year, my little family of three didn’t know what we were going to do with all of our leftover turkey, so I decided to make a turkey soup. With the cold weather approaching, soup is the perfect way to use leftovers and warm you up from the inside out. 

This creamy turkey and wild rice soup has tons of flavour, creaminess and a splash of lemon that lightens it up. My whole family LOVED it, especially my 4-year-old who kept asking for more until the pot was empty. Usually, we like to freeze our leftover soup for a cold/sick day – however, this soup didn’t make it to the freezer! And I was asked to make more by the end of the week, too!

The first step is to make the broth, which I started right after dinner. After I removed all of the meat from the turkey, I placed the bones in a crockpot on low for 4-5 hours with the rest of the ingredients. Slowly simmered turkey bones make a rich, nutritious and flavourful broth. It also contains many important minerals and amino acids that support digestive health. If you don’t have the ingredients to make your own bone broth, store-bought is good too! Once done, I poured the broth into a glass container, let it cool and placed it in the fridge overnight. In the morning, there was a layer of fat that had settled on top – I scooped it out and discarded it.

This has become our families favourite soup and I can’t wait to make it again at Christmas with all of our leftovers. Eating a bowl of this soup is like getting a big, soul-warming hug. 

Soul-Warming Creamy Turkey and Wild Rice Soup

Ingredients

For the broth: 

• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar
• Water (just enough to cover the bones)
• 2 celery rib, roughly chopped
• 2 carrots, roughly chopped
• 1 medium to large onion, quartered
• 1 tsp of dried sage
• 2-3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
• salt and pepper, to taste

For the soup:

• 1/2 cup cashews, soaked
• 1/4 cup of water
• 10 cups of turkey broth or any bone broth
• 2 tbsp of olive oil
• 2 cups of celery, chopped
• 2 large onions, diced
• 1 tsp of salt
• 1 tsp of dried poultry seasoning
• 4-6 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 bay leaf
• 5 sprigs of thyme
• 1/2 cup of butternut squash 
• 6 medium to large carrots, chopped
• 4 cups of leftover cooked turkey, white and dark meat
• 1.5 cups of wild rice blend
• 1/4 cup juice from 1 large lemon
• 1 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh sage, chopped
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

• Place cashews in a bowl and add water to cover by a couple of inches. Soak for 3-4 hours or overnight. Drain and rinse. 
• Transfer the cashews to a high-speed blender and add 1/4 cup of water. Blend on high until a creamy cashew milk is achieved. Set aside (this will be to add to the soup at the end for an additional rich creaminess). 
• In a large pot, melt the olive oil over medium heat. 
• Add the diced celery and onions to the pot and sauté for 5 minutes, until the onion is translucent. 
• Add the salt and poultry seasoning and continue to sauté for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add the garlic and stir until fragrant. 
• Add the chopped carrots and butternut squash, saute for 2-3 minutes. 
• Slowly add the bone broth, along with the thyme and bay leaf. Cover with a lid and bring to a boil.
• Once boiling, add the turkey and reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes, until the butternut squash and carrots are tender. 
•  Add the rice, cover and bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for an additional 15-20 minutes. 
•  Reduce heat to low, stir in the cashew cream, lemon juice and the remainder of the herbs (rosemary, sage, parsley). 
•  Remove the bay leaf and thyme sprigs, season with salt and pepper to taste and serve!