Creamy Turkey & Wild Rice Soup

I wanted to make a new soup recipe and this is what I tried. I make homemade chicken noodle soup and beef & barley soup quite frequently. I just wanted something a little different but still stay healthy and affordable. This is a great recipe to use any leftover turkey from Thanksgiving. The original recipe is for creamy chicken and wild rice soup, but I like to switch things up and I decided to try leftover turkey instead of chicken. This soup is perfect for a chilly day. It is healthy, hearty, and warms you right up.  Since there is rice in the soup, you might try to have some fresh fruit with it instead of bread or rolls. For a small family, this soup will feed you for a few meals. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.


Creamy Turkey & Wild Rice Soup
Serves 6 heaping portions
Adapted from:  http://www.preventionrd.com/money-matters-creamy-chicken-wild-rice-soup/

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced or 1 teaspoon minced garlic in oil
2 large carrots, peeled and diced
3 celery stalks, diced
1 pound of cooked turkey - cut into bite size pieces
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
black pepper for seasoning purposes
1/2 teaspoon lite salt
1 cup wild rice mix, dry
6 cups of water
1/3 bunch fresh parsley, minced or 2 tablespoons dried parsley
2 tablespoons light butter
2 tablespoons white whole wheat flour
2 1/2 cups 1% milk or any milk you prefer

Directions:
-In a nonstick skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic to the pan and saute for about 5 minutes.
-Add celery and carrots to the skillet and cook an additional 5 minutes
-Add the turkey, bay leaf, oregano, thyme, black pepper, dry rice, and water to the pot and bring to a boil over medium high heat.
-Once the soup is boiling, you will turn heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes. Make sure to stir occassionally.
-After 15 minutes before the soup is going to be done, take a small sauce pan and melt the butter over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, whisk in the flour. Cook and whisk the butter and flour mixture for two minutes. Whisk in the milk and allow the pan to come to a simmer, whisking occassionally. This will come to be a thick cream sauce.
-Add the parsley and thickened milk mixture to the pot of soup. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
-Serve

*Tips:
-If you have leftover chicken, this would work in place of turkey.
-If you don't care for wild rice or don't have any, you can replace it with brown rice.

Enjoy!