Creamy Turkey Lemon Rice Soup

By Rena Awada | Updated On December 11, 2021

Need a cozy soup? This healthy Turkey Lemon Rice Soup is the perfect bowl to cozy up to. The perfect family-friendly meal, this recipe will get your dinner on the table in less than an hour!

rice and turkey soup in a red pot with a spoonful of soup

We love an easy one-pot meal and this easy turkey rice soup recipe is just that! We always have a ton of turkey leftover after the holiday season so this is one of our favorite ways to use up what we have on hand so we don’t get bored of eating plain turkey leftovers for a week. Full of protein, vegetables, and rice, this soup will fill you up and warm you up from the insides! Don’t have any leftover turkey, easily swap the turkey with shredded chicken breast or rotisserie chicken. This simple lemon rice soup is so tasty, filling, and easy to make. Perfect for any day of the week!

Why You’ll Love this Turkey Lemon Rice Soup

  • It uses up leftovers. Like we mentioned earlier, we love making this soup with leftover turkey. On top of that, there’s always extra carrots, onions, and celery around whenever we have a holiday meal so this soup uses it up as well.
  • It’s easy. There’s nothing easier to make than soup. Add everything to a pot and simmer til it’s done.
  • It’s tasty. Your family will be reaching for seconds with this flavorful turkey rice soup. Full of herbs and lemon-y flavors, it’s such a cozy and delicious meal that it’s hard to not like it.

Ingredients You’ll Need

This is just a list of ingredients you will need to make this healthy Turkey Rice Soup. Full measurements are listed further down below.

  • Olive oil
  • Onion — chopped 
  • Celery stalks — chopped 
  • Carrots — peeled and finely chopped
  • Garlic — smashed and minced  
  • Red bell pepper — diced
  • Leftover cooked turkey — shredded
  • Basmati rice
  • Kosher salt and pepper
  • Fresh herbs: rosemary, Fresh sage, Fresh thyme
  • Bay leaf 
  • Broth or stock – use chicken or vegetable stock
  • Gluten free flour 
  • Coconut cream
  • Lemon
Overhead image of ingredients needed for turkey rice soup.

How to Make This Creamy Turkey Rice Soup

  • Saute the vegetables: Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or stock pot over medium heat. Saute the onion, celery, carrots, pepper, and garlic until soft, 4-5 minutes. Stir in the basmati rice and continue to cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring often.
Vegetables diced into similar sized pieces.
  • Add in more ingredients and boil: Add the leftover turkey, seasonings, herbs, and stock. Mix well to combine and bring to a boil.
  • Add in the thickener: Meanwhile, in a small bowl whisk well the flour with 2 tbsp water and stir it into the soup.
Ingredients in a pot before adding in the stock.
  • Add in the rest of the ingredients and simmer: Once the soup boils, reduce the heat to low and add the coconut cream and lemon juice. Cook on low for 18-20 minutes, or until the rice is done. 
  • Adjust if needed and enjoy! Remove and discard the bay leaf and adjust the seasoning, if needed. Season the turkey rice soup with thyme and enjoy!
Turkey soup with a slice of lemon in a pot.

Tips and Substitutions

  • Turkey: Feel free to swap the turkey with shredded chicken. To save on time, you may use shredded Rotisserie chicken. If you want to keep this vegetarian, you can use a different protein such as chickpeas.
  • Vegetables: Add more or swap vegetables of your choice if you’d like! If you have leftover spinach, broccoli, peas, green beans, etc.
  • Rice: If you have cooked leftover rice, you can simply just stir it into the end of the soup. If you use a different type of rice, be sure to adjust the timing accordingly (ie. wild rice and brown rice takes longer than white rice). 
  • Make sure you stir into the pot a few times during cooking, to avoid the rice sticking to the bottom. 
Overhead photo of turkey rice soup in a Dutch oven.

FAQs

Can I use dried herbs instead?

If you don’t have fresh herbs, you can use dried herbs instead. For every one tablespoon of fresh herbs, swap for one teaspoon of dried herbs.

How do I make this ahead of time?

This soup holds up great when reheated so you can make this ahead of time. Simply allow the soup to cool and then transfer it to an airtight container into the fridge. 

Can I make this without rice?

If you’re not a fan of rice, feel free to leave it out. Consider adding more veggies if you prefer. You may add noodles or beans.

What can I serve with turkey rice soup?

Here are a few salad recipes I think go well with my turkey soup: Parmesan Zucchini Corn Salad, Butternut Squash Salad, Cucumber, and Tomato Salad, Avocado Tomato Salad, and my Mexican Street Corn Salad

Turkey soup with a slice of lemon in a pot.

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Close up of soup on a spoon.

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rice and turkey soup in a red pot with a spoonful of soup

Creamy Turkey Lemon Rice Soup

Need a cozy soup? This healthy Turkey Rice Soup is the perfect bowl to cozy up to. The perfect family friendly meal, this recipe will get you dinner on the table in less than an hour!
5 from 2 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Soup
Cuisine: American
Diet: Low Fat
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 441kcal
Author: Rena

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 large onion chopped
  • 2 celery stalks chopped
  • 3 medium carrots peeled and finely chopped
  • 3-4 cloves garlic smashed and minced
  • 1 red bell pepper diced
  • 3 cups leftover cooked turkey shredded
  • 1 cup basmati rice
  • 1 tsp kosher salt or to taste
  • 1/2 tsp ground pepper
  • 1 tsp fresh rosemary chopped
  • 1 tbsp fresh sage chopped
  • 5 sprigs fresh thyme leaves picked
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 5 cups broth or stock
  • 1 tbsp GF flour
  • 8 oz coconut cream one can
  • 1 large lemon juiced

Instructions

  • Heat the oil in a dutch oven or stock pot over medium heat. Sautee the onion, celery, carrots, pepper, and garlic until soft, 4-5 minutes. Stir in the basmati rice and continue to cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring often.
  • Add the leftover turkey, seasonings, herbs and stock. Mix well to combine and bring to a boil.
  • Meanwhile, in a small bowl whisk well the flour with 2 tbsp water and stir it into the soup.
  • Once the soup boils, reduce the heat to low and add the coconut cream and lemon juice.
  • Cook on low for 18-20 minutes, or until the rice is done. Make sure you stir into the pot for a few times during cooking, to avoid the rice sticking to the bottom.
  • Remove and discard the bay leaf and adjust the seasoning, if needed.
  • Season with thyme and enjoy!

Notes

  • Turkey: Feel free to swap the turkey with shredded chicken. If you want to keep this vegetarian, you can use a different protein such as chickpeas.
  • Vegetables: Add more or swap vegetables of your choice if you’d like! If you have leftover spinach, broccoli, peas, green beans, etc.
  • Rice: If you have cooked leftover rice, you can simply just stir it into the end of the soup. If you use a different type of rice, be sure to adjust the timing accordingly (ie. wild rice and brown rice take longer than white rice). 
  • Make sure you stir into the pot a few times during cooking, to avoid the rice sticking to the bottom. 

Nutrition

Calories: 441kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 64mg | Sodium: 659mg | Potassium: 667mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 5793IU | Vitamin C: 41mg | Calcium: 66mg | Iron: 2mg
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Ellie says

    5 stars
    Absolutely delicious! Thank you so much for this comforting and EASY recipe!

    I subbed ground turkey bc that’s what I had and used brown rice for more nutrients. Save your celery, onion and carrot scraps in the freezer over time and use them to make this! I did that and it turned out great!

  2. Shannon says

    5 stars
    My 9-year-old son chose this recipe for me to make for dinner. We didn’t have leftover turkey but I used 1 pound of ground turkey. I put the turkey in with the onions to brown it and then added the other vegetables. It turned out fantastic! I will definitely make this again.

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