creamy cajun turkey, sausage, and wild rice soup
Deep Dives
Explore related topics with these Wikipedia articles, rewritten for enjoyable reading:
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Wild rice
11 min read
The article mentions wild rice is 'technically not a rice' but 'a grass native to the Great Lakes region' - the full Wikipedia article covers its cultural significance to Indigenous peoples, harvesting traditions, and nutritional properties in depth
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Mirepoix
11 min read
The recipe's base of sautéed onion, celery, and carrots is the classic French mirepoix technique - understanding this foundational culinary concept explains why these specific aromatics appear in so many soups and stews
Have a ton of turkey in your fridge? As promised, here’s what to cook with it!!
This is my take on the classic wild rice and leftover-turkey soup my mom made the day after Thanksgiving every year growing up. It’s so creamy, so flavorful, so easy. If you don’t have leftover turkey, no prob. It’s just as good with shredded rotisserie chicken — or you could use raw chicken thighs or breasts instead (see the notes beneath the recipe for more on that!). We’re combining our lean white meat with wild rice, Italian sausage, and a ton of veg and spices for a nourishing, flavor-packed, filling bowl of soup. You all went crazy for good soup a few years ago and this recipe — with its nutritious grain and flavorful proteins and produce — could be a sister to it!
I’ve written sautéing the onion, celery, carrots, and mushrooms into the recipe, but you can skip sautéing if you really need to and it’ll still be great. If you don’t have the will to sauté, leave the mushrooms out, though, and use Andouille or kielbasa instead of ground sausage. With those swaps, you can just dump every single ingredient other than the lemon and dairy in and simmer for 30 minutes. Stir the lemon juice and creamy element in at the end, cooking until it’s melted and well incorporated. If you’re swapping the sausage out for kielbasa or Andouille, you might need to add more seasonings since sausage brings a lot of flavor with it!
Wild rice is technically not a rice! It’s a grass native to the Great Lakes region. It’s high in protein — with about 7 grams per cup, more than any other rice-like grain — as well as fiber and other nutrients. It’s delicious, with a chewy bite and nutty flavor. Any type of “wild rice blend” or “ancient blend” — which typically have wild rice mixed with other rices — would work here. See the substitutions section below for more swaps, if needed!
Here are a few more soups that totally classify as a full meal, and that will warm your bones all fall and winter long: winter stew; chicken, mushroom, and farro soup; and good luck soup.
Serves 6-8
Cook time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Tools:
Slotted spoon
Bowl
Ingredients:
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