CrockPot Turkey and Wild Rice Soup Recipe

Day 325.

The weather has officially changed. I am running the heat in the morning, the guinea pigs have moved inside, and the flannel sheets are out of hiding. Last night, I finally finished reading "The Long Winter" to the girls. We have so much to be thankful for--- if you have kids that sometimes forget how richly blessed modern day life is, I highly recommend reading it aloud.

Anyway. Today I am thankful that I met Kalyn Denny at BlogHer, and I am so happy to have found her Turkey and Wild Rice Soup. Adam proclaimed it the best turkey soup he's ever had, and the kids each ate two bowls. I may have wept. I'm not sure.

The Ingredients.
adapted from Kalyn's Kitchen

--turkey carcass (if you don't have one, you can use 2 cups of cooked turkey)
--8 cups water (to make broth. if you don't have a carcass, use 8 cups chicken broth)
--1 chicken bouillon cube (only if you are using the carcass to make broth. Don't use if you're using broth.)
--2/3 cup uncooked wild rice
--1 yellow onion, chopped
--1 cup chopped celery
--1 cup chopped carrots
--1 tsp sage
--2 T balsamic vinegar
--2 cups spinach leaves (Kalyn used cabbage, but cabbage reminds me either of engorgement or the cabbage soup diet)

The Directions.

I used a 6.5 quart crockpot.

This is a 1 1/2 day project. We're going to use the turkey bones to make broth for the soup. If you are using chicken broth and 2 cups of turkey, bypass this step.

Put your turkey carcass into a crockpot, and cover with 8 cups of water. My carcass was only from a tiny turkey, so if you need to break the bones down to fit in your crock, do so.
My turkey was still stuffed with a quartered onion and some apple, so I didn't bother to add any vegetables to season the water. You may certainly add some onion, celery, or anything else you'd like to season the broth. The more meat and skin left on the bones, the more flavorful the broth.

Cover and cook on low overnight. I cooked the broth for 10 hours. In the morning, put on an apron to strain the broth with a colander. What? No apron? Perhaps you could use a brand-spanking-new "I Heart CrockPotting" one? Since I have a bunch of crockpots, I strained the broth into a new one. You might need to strain the broth into a big bowl, then dump it back into the crockpot.

Pick off the meat, and add it to the broth.

Chop up the vegetables (not the spinach), and add to the pot. Dump in the wild rice. Add the sage, bouillon cube, and balsamic vinegar. Stir.

Add two heaping handfuls of baby spinach to the pot. It will look like a lot, but will shrivel down nicely while cooking.

Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or on high for 4-6. The soup is done when the vegetables have reached desired tenderness. There is a lot of volume here; this is a good candidate for a day when you are out of the house for a long time. No need to worry about it over-cooking.

The Verdict.

This is my new favorite soup. I love, love, love the hint of tartness from the balsamic vinegar, and how it darkened the broth. The wild rice exploded a bit, and actually resembled barley by the time we ate it. The kids ate a bunch, and I had at least 3 bowls throughout the day yesterday. We have a quart left, which I will happily serve for lunch.

Thank you, Kalyn!