Leftover Turkey and Rice Soup
A clear, lemony leftover turkey and rice soup with carrot, celery and spinach: 36 g of protein a bowl for 320 kcal, light enough to sit well on a GLP-1. Made for Thanksgiving or Christmas leftovers.
Reviewed by Bogdan Marcu, Licensed Nutritionist & Dietitian
36 gprotein
- Calories
- 320 kcal
- Ready in
- 35 min
- Serves
- 4
Is 36 g enough? Calculate your daily protein target
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion (about 150 g / 5 oz), diced
- 2 carrots (about 200 g / 7 oz), diced small
- 2 celery sticks (about 120 g / 4 oz), diced
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves (or ½ tsp dried), plus a few sprigs to serve
- 1.5 litres (about 6 cups) low-salt chicken or turkey stock, or homemade stock from the carcass
- 100 g / 4 oz (½ cup) long-grain rice, rinsed
- 400 g / 14 oz (about 3 cups) leftover cooked turkey, mostly breast, shredded
- 100 g / 4 oz (3 large handfuls) baby spinach
- 1 tbsp lemon juice, plus wedges to serve
- Salt and black pepper
Instructions
- Optional stock from the carcass: break the carcass up into a large pot with a quartered onion, a carrot, a celery stick and a bay leaf. Cover with about 2.5 litres of cold water, simmer gently for 2 to 3 hours, then strain. Chill it and lift off the fat before using, which keeps the soup light.
- Heat the oil in a large pot over a medium heat. Cook the onion, carrot and celery for 6 to 8 minutes until soft, then stir in the garlic and thyme for 1 minute.
- Add the stock and rice, bring to the boil and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes until the rice is tender. A wild rice blend takes about 40 minutes.
- Add the turkey and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes until piping hot. The macros assume mostly breast meat; dark meat adds more fat.
- Stir in the spinach until it wilts, add the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Serve with thyme sprigs and lemon wedges.
- It keeps for 3 days in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer. The rice soaks up broth as it sits, so add a splash of stock when you reheat it until steaming hot. Use leftover turkey within 3 to 4 days of cooking, as the USDA advises.
