After-Thanksgiving Creamy Turkey and Rice Soup

This is the best way to use up every bit of the turkey after Thanksgiving! And it's another hearty, heart-warming meal to share with family. Enjoy!

Course Soup

Cuisine American

Servings 16

Author thewanderingrd

Ingredients

1 turkey carcass
4 medium onions, chopped
9 cloves garlic, minced
6 large carrots, chopped
6 large celery ribs, chopped
1 whole bay leaf
1/2 cup butter
16 oz. white mushrooms, chopped
1 cup uncooked long grain white rice (heaping)
1 cup cream
1 t. black pepper
1 t. salt (or to taste)

Instructions

Make turkey bone broth: Place turkey carcass in a large soup pot. Cover carcass with water. Add 1 onion, 2 celery stalks, 2 carrots, 3 garlic cloves, bay leaf and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer 5 to 6 hours. Remove carcass and cool stock in pot. (Instant Pot Directions: break up your turkey carcass and place in a 6 or 8 qt. Instant Pot. Add vegetables and seasonings and fill to MAX line. Set to high pressure for 90 minutes. Quick release; using slotted spoon, remove turkey parts to a plate to cool. Add bone broth plus 4 cups of water to a large stock pot, 10 or 12 qt., to finish cooking.)
In a skillet, add 1/2 butter to melt and then saute remaining onions, garlic, carrots and celery until tender. Remove to a bowl.
In the skillet, saute chopped mushrooms in remaining butter until browned. Add to stock pot along with bone broth. Blend mushrooms using an immersion blender. (This adds flavor and thickness without using flour.)
Add sauteed vegetables, heaping cup of rice, salt, pepper and turkey pieces to stock pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce and simmer for 30-35 minutes or until rice is tender. Stir in cream and serve when warm.

Notes

A serving of this soup (1/16 of the recipe) provides: 200 calories, 21 g carbohydrate (2 g fiber), 9 g fat (22% saturated fat), 11 g protein, and 230 mg sodium. In case you are wondering if this soup is a good choice...the research on saturated fat is not as conclusive as was once thought and many recent studies have suggested it is not as harmful as we were led to believe. I don't typically analyze recipes or keep track of my saturated fat intake, but I also don't eat foods high in saturated fat all day long, every day either. We enjoy this soup once a year and I hope you enjoy it if you try it, too!