Thanksgiving! Leftovers!
Hey there! Just wanted to share a quick little post about the question that is on everyone’s minds this week: What are we going to do with all that leftover turkey?
I mean, personally, the leftovers are my favorite part of Thanksgiving. You can get really creative with sandwiches, soups, and casseroles. As much as I love The Meal, with its hunk of meat, sides, and desserts, there’s something beautiful about taking those components and make them into something a little extra.
Today I have for you a soup that uses leftover turkey, features the flavors of hummus, and has the addition of wild black rice.
Making this Turkey Chickpea Soup with Wild Rice
I made a big batch of this soup by doubling the recipe, and it fed us for two days. The flavors in the soup are based off of hummus: chickpeas, tahini, and lemon. The wild rice makes it more of a hearty meal, and leftover turkey completes it with protein.
If you are using fresh instead of leftover turkey to make this soup, you’ll simply saute turkey breast first. I like to soak the wild rice and dried chickpeas the night before (separately) in order to break down phytic acid and make them more digestible, but if you choose not to, and can just cook the wild rice longer and use canned chickpeas.
I like to top it with feta cheese, drizzled olive oil, an extra squeeze of lemon, and some crushed red pepper. It’s so hearty that you barely need sides, but if you’re feeding a crowd then definitely serve it with some sourdough rolls and some roasted vegetables.
Let me know if you give this one a try. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Talk soon,
Rebekah
Other Soups to Enjoy
- Roasted Autumn Sweet Potato Soup: This one is light and fresh with the flavors of parsnip, leek, and herbs.
- Thrifty Chickpea Broth Soup: Don’t toss that liquid after cooking chickpeas! Use it to make a flavorful vegetarian soup, featuring chickpeas and seasonal vegetables.
- From Scratch Chicken Soup: A classic soup that uses the whole chicken and is made easier using an Instant Pot.
Turkey Chickpea Soup with Wild Rice
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup dried chickpeas
- 1/2 cup wild rice
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar divided
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion chopped
- 1 large carrot peeled and sliced into half moons
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 cup tahini
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1.5 lbs turkey leftover, or sauteed fillets
- 2 cups green vegetables chopped kale, frozen peas, spinach, etc.
- 1/2 lemon juiced
- optional toppings: feta, olive oil, fresh herbs
Instructions
- The night before you'd like to make the soup. soak the dry chickpeas in enough filtered water to cover by a couple of inches with 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar. Soak the wild rice in a separate bowl with filtered water to cover and 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar. Let soak at least 8 hours at room temperature.
- If not using leftover turkey, dice 1.5 lbs turkey breast or fillets and saute in Instant Pot in olive oil until cooked through. Drain the water from the chickpeas and rice. Prepare the onion, garlic, and carrots. Set the Instant Pot to saute (see notes for stovetop instructions) and add the olive oil. Saute the vegetables for about 5 minutes. Add in the salt, pepper, cumin, and tahini and saute for another minute or so. Add the leftover turkey, broth, soaked chickpeas, soaked wild rice, and 2 cups green veggies (kale, peas, spinach, etc).
- Lock lid on Instant Pot and set vent to sealing. Choose manuel, on high pressure, and set to 40 minutes. This will take about an hour to cook. Let steam release naturally.
- Stir in lemon juice. Serve with feta cheese, extra virgin olive oil, and/or fresh herbs.
