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This easy ground turkey soup with rice is a delicious and healthy chicken stock based soup that is full of ground turkey, carrots, potatoes, peas and white rice. Perfect for a cold day or if you are wondering what to do with that extra pack of ground turkey in your fridge! Naturally dairy-free and gluten-free as well.

Up close photo of Ground Turkey Soup with rice in a bowl.

True story. I wanted to make chicken soup one day and didn’t have any chicken in the fridge. All I had was ground turkey, so I decided to try making soup with it. I followed my usual from scratch soup recipe, but added ground turkey, tweaked the seasoning, added rice. A this delicious, protein packed, healthy ground turkey soup recipe was born.

Now I make it on the regular because it’s filling and delicious, and my kids love it! It has also quickly become a reader favorite.

Ground turkey rice soup in a two bowls with spoons in them.

Why this recipe works

  • It is a great way to use up extra ground turkey and vegetables in the fridge.
  • Ground turkey is full of protein. Each serving of this soup has over 30 grams of protein!
  • It is naturally gluten-free and dairy-free.
  • It’s a tasty way to cook ground turkey. It full of sage, thyme, rosemary, oregano, and parsley, which really compliments the flavors of the soup.

Recipe ingredients

Ingredients needed to make ground turkey soup with rice.
  • Shallot and garlic– these help to season the turkey as well as the soup as a whole.
  • Ground turkey– I find using regular fat ground turkey( usually 93% lean/7% fat) has better flavor in cooking, but use whatever type of ground turkey you prefer.
  • Carrots and Celery– these both add crunch and flavor to the soup.
  • Yellow potatoes– these are a great carb source and add good texture to the soup.
  • Dried parsley, dried thyme, dried rosemary, dried oregano, rubbed sage– these herbs all season the soup and compliment the turkey flavor well.
  • Nutritional yeast– this is optional but, it adds great flavor to chicken stock based soups. If you have it on hand, I highly recommend adding it.
  • Chicken stock or chicken broth– try to use a brand that has minimal ingredients and no preservatives like Kettle and Fire.
  • Almond milk– this adds a bit of creaminess to the soup.
  • Peas– you can use fresh or frozen peas.
  • White rice– I like using basmati or Jasmin white rice in this recipe.

See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.

Additions/ Substitutions

  • Instead of shallots, you can use a white onion. You can also use 1 teaspoon of onion powder if you prefer as well.
  • Instead of yellow potatoes, you can use any potato of your choice.
  • Instead of ground turkey, you can also use ground chicken.
  • Instead of almond milk, you can use any non-dairy or regular milk of your choice
  • Instead of white rice, you can use brown rice but cooking time may vary.
  • Instead of chicken stock, you can use veggie stock or bone broth.

Step by step instructions

Sautéing shallot and garlic in a pan.
Step 1

Step 1: Sauté the shallot and garlic in a large soup pan.

Browning ground turkey.
Step 2

Step 2: Add the ground turkey to the pan and cook it until it is browned and cooked through.

Adding the veggies and chicken stock to the pan.
Step 3

Step 3: Add all of the ingredients except the rice to the pan. This includes the chicken broth, celery, carrots, potatoes, almond milk, peas, and all of the spices. Boil the soup for 10 minutes.

Adding the rice to the soup.
Step 4

Step 4: Add the rice. Then, let everything boil for another 20 minutes.

Creamy turkey rice soup in a two bowls with spices on top.
Step 5

Step 5: Serve in bowls.

Expert tips

  • Make sure the potatoes and carrots are cut into smaller slices/ cubes.
    • This allows them to cook all the way through more easily.
    • This also makes them easier to eat.
  • If you want to add even more protein to this soup, use bone broth.
  • Serve with a side of bread, it is delicious to dunk into the soup!

Recipe FAQs

How do you store this soup?

In an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.

How do you reheat it?

I like to either use the microwave or reheat it on the stove. I recommend adding some chicken stock or bone broth to the soup prior to heating it because the rice absorbs some of the liquid with time. This way, you get more of a soup texture.

How can you avoid bland turkey soup?

Seasoning! That is why I use sage, thyme, rosemary, oregano, parsley, salt, and pepper in this recipe. I also think the nutritional yeast adds even more flavor.

Up close photo of turkey soup with potatoes and carrots inside.

Other healthy soup recipes you’ll love:

Did you try this recipe? Please leave me a ⭐ review below!

4.83 from 29 votes

Easy Ground Turkey Soup with Rice

Servings: 6 people
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Total: 45 minutes
Up close photo of Ground Turkey Soup with rice in a bowl.
A delicious and healthy ground turkey soup that is full of carrots, potatoes, peas and white rice.

Ingredients 

  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 shallot , minced (or 1/2 of an onion minced)
  • 4 cloves garlic , minced
  • 1 pound ground turkey
  • 3-4 large carrots, sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
  • 1 piece/rib of celery, sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
  • 1 pound yellow potatoes, diced into 1 inch sized cubes
  • 1 teaspoon dried parsley
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon nutritional yeast, (optional but adds great flavor)
  • 1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 6 cups chicken broth
  • 1 cup almond milk
  • 1 cup fresh or frozen peas
  • 3/4 cup white rice, (I used basmati)

Instructions 

  • Add 1 Tablespoon of olive oil to a large soup pan, along with the minced shallot and garlic and sauté over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Then add the ground turkey to the pan. Break up the ground turkey while mixing it into the shallot and onion. Saute until the turkey is cooked through and light in color, 4-6 minutes.
  • Lower heat to low. Add in the chicken broth, carrots, celery, potatoes, parsley, thyme, rosemary, oregano, sage, nutritional yeast, salt, pepper, peas and almond milk.
  • Increase heat until the soup boils, then reduce heat to low medium so that it simmers or soft boils. Simmer for 10 minutes, then add the rice, and cook for 15-20 more minutes, until potatoes are fork tender.

Notes

  • Instead of shallots, you can use a white onion. You can also use 1 teaspoon of onion powder if you prefer as well.
  • Instead of yellow potatoes, you can use any potato of your choice.
  • Instead of ground turkey, you can also use ground chicken.
  • Instead of almond milk, you can use any non-dairy or regular milk of your choice
  • Instead of white rice, you can use brown rice but cooking time may vary.
  • Instead of chicken stock, you can use veggie stock or bone broth.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 484kcalCarbohydrates: 43.9gProtein: 31.9gFat: 21.9gSugar: 5.6gCalcium: 83mgIron: 4mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
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12 Comments

  1. This was a great recipe – exactly what I was looking for to use ground turkey in a soup! To make it carb – friendly, I did not add potato or rice. I used a cup of cauliflower rice and also put in some broccoli fleurets. I had Kettle and Fire mushroom chicken bone broth on hand – used 4 cups of that and two cups of chicken broth. Mushroom would have been a great addition, if I had them on hand.

  2. This soup was easy to make and absolutely delicious!! I used Fairlife milk which is lactose free instead of almond milk and I didn’t  use parsley as I did t have any. This soup is so flavorful. ♥️5 stars

  3. Adding to my original comment, I made a pot of jasmine rice separately and added it to each bowl instead of cooking it all together. Also boiled my red potatoes separately so they wouldn’t get mushy, but you certainly wouldn’t have to do either of these things and it would turn out beautifully. I just like the texture of the rice better cooked separately.:-)5 stars

  4. I have made the soup four times now because it is absolutely fabulous! Made it for my adult kids who came for the holiday and they absolutely loved it as well. I changed it up a little bit. I didn’t add the Rosemary but did add some onion and garlic powder as well as half a teaspoon of cumin and 2 Leeks and oh my goodness does this ever create a fragrant an incredibly flavorful soup! My house smells amazing while this is cooking on the stove top. You have the BEST recipes! Highly recommend!
    5 Stars5 stars

  5. Really delicious! I used brown rice and it altered the last cooking time to about 30-35 minutes. I’ll make this again.