Spice up your turkey and rice soup with curry and coconut milk for a delicious take on a classic, comforting soup. It tastes great with chicken, too.
I grew up watching people throw turkey bones out after Thanksgiving dinner. It’s just what everyone did. I had no idea that what was being thrown out would one day become my favorite part of Thanksgiving.
Once I realized you could simmer bones from roasting a turkey (or chicken) and use it to make a so-good-for-you bone broth that you could turn into soup, I was hooked. Guys, it’s SO good! Okay, I also grew up with canned soups, so maybe you can understand my revelation here.
In the years since this discovery I have regularly made hearty vegetable soup (our standard cold-fighter) and a lot of traditional noodle soup. And since I appreciate the health benefits of homemade bone broth now I’m always looking for more ways to use our broth and leftover meat in soups and stews.
So I came up with this turkey and rice soup flavored with curry powder and made creamy with coconut milk. It’s an incredibly flavorful soup that has quickly become our family’s favorite. It’s just as good with chicken, too, so you don’t have to wait until Thanksgiving to make this soup!
Curried Turkey and Rice Soup
Adding lots of vegetables to soups make them one-dish meals, always a goal around here as well as in your busy households, too. This turkey and rice soup is full of onions, garlic, carrots, celery and spinach. Don’t have spinach? Feel free to substitute chopped chard, kale, or even cabbage. Soup is forgiving that way.
You can use either white or brown rice, simply allow for more time for the brown rice to cook. It’s a great option for those needing to be dairy free since it’s coconut milk that adds the creaminess. We like our food spicy so I always use a hot curry powder, but again, it’s easy to customize this to your tastes by using mild curry or adding less.
The moral here? Save your bones and make some broth, and you’ll be rewarded with a soup that will have you practically licking the bowl, it’s so good!
TIP: you can make this soup anytime with frozen broth and meat, which will make it a fairly quick and easy homemade soup.
Curried Turkey and Rice Soup (or Chicken)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
- 1 onion chopped
- 2 carrots peeled & chopped
- 2 stalks celery sliced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons curry powder (hot or mild) to taste
- 6 cups turkey or chicken stock (preferably homemade)
- 1/2 cup long grain white or brown rice
- 2 cups cooked chopped turkey (or chicken)
- 1 can coconut milk
- 1 10- ounce bag fresh or frozen spinach or chard, cabbage, or kale
Instructions
- Heat butter or oil in a large (4-6 quart) soup pot over medium heat and add onions, carrots, celery, garlic, and curry powder. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes until vegetables are tender.
- Add stock and rice, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until rice is done - about 15 minutes for white rice, 30-40 minutes for brown.
- Stir in chopped turkey or chicken, coconut milk and spinach. Bring to a simmer and cook until heated through, 5-10 minutes more.
Notes
Nutrition
Other soups you can make with bone broth:
Chicken Bone Broth Vegetable Soup
And delicious rolls to serve with them:
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Hanna says
Wow. I’m so surprised there is not any comments on this soup. (Maybe I’m missing the comments section?? XD ) It is INCREDIBLE. I absolutely love curry so this really hit the spot for me. The Hubby was a big fan of it too, we might have seconds.. and thirds. And I didn’t have to go to the grocery store for anything! (Well, I would have if I had got the coconut milk. I substituted half & half for it instead.) Added a touch of fresh basil as well. Mmmmmmmm. Thank you so much for this recipe, I will definitely be adding it into my rotation. <3
Jami says
I know, Hanna, I feel like this is a treasure people are missing – glad you found it! 🙂 It’s literally the only way I like to make turkey or chicken soup now, lol. Regular soup just seems so boring after this! It’s especially nice for those who are dairy free to have a creamy soup (though obviously it works with half-and-half, too!).