The Unsmoked Turkey Leftovers

This year for Thanksgiving we did it! We had the family over and cooked that big ol’ scary bird! Ok… so maybe we cooked that big ol’ scary bird a few days earlier. Once I realized the size of such said animal – I mean fowl… I realized we didn’t have a prayer of fitting everything in the oven we needed. I’d read online that you could cook it ahead, make your own turkey stock, then reheat that big ol’ thing sliced nicely in the crockpot on low for the main meal. Worked amazingly well. Well… despite the fire… yes – the fire. Nothing major – a small grease fire in the oven– but big enough to cause the entire house to fill with smoke, set off both smoke alarms… quite an exciting time! No worries – the food was all safe and tasted great!
What does all of this have to do with soup? Ahh… Turkey Soup – see the link there? We used our leftover turkey and broth and made soup. Our broth turned out so well it was almost a gel – from what I hear that means we did it right. When I made the soup I did add an extra 2 cups of homemade chicken broth just to make sure we had enough liquid. Great soup for a chilly day.

Turkey, Mushroom & Wild Rice Soup
What you need!
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 ounces mini portabella mushrooms, sliced
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped carrots
4 garlic cloves, minced
6 cups turkey or chicken broth
¾ cup long grain wild rice
1 bay leaf
4 cups cooked turkey, cut into bite-size pieces
¼ cup chopped parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

Make it!
Heat oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the mushrooms, onions, and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 6 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute, stirring.
Add the broth, rice, and bay leaf, cover and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium low, add the turkey, and simmer until the rice is cooked through and tender, about 45 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaf then stir in parsley, salt and pepper and serve.