Description
This Instant Pot Leftover Turkey Wild Rice Casserole is a comforting, hearty dish that revives your leftover turkey into a delicious one-pot meal. Featuring a blend of wild rice, lentils, vegetables, and savory herbs, this casserole is creamy, flavorful, and perfect for using up those Thanksgiving leftovers or any cooked turkey you have on hand.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Vegetables and Aromatics
- 2 Cloves garlic, minced
- 1 white onion, diced
- 1/2 cup celery, diced
- 1/2 cup carrots, diced
Liquids and Dairy
- 3 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
Grains and Legumes
- 1 cup wild rice
- 1/2 cup long grain rice wild rice blend
- 1/2 cup red lentils
Others
- 1/2 cup corn
- 1 cup sage stuffing (such as Stove Top stuffing or homemade leftovers)
- 2 cups leftover or cooked fresh turkey, shredded
- 1 Teaspoon salt
- 1 Teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 Teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 Teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 Teaspoon dried sage
- 2 bay leaves
- Fresh thyme, for garnish
Instructions
- Sauté Vegetables: Set the Instant Pot to sauté mode. When heated, add the unsalted butter. Once melted, stir in the minced garlic, diced onions, celery, and carrots. Sauté for 2 minutes to soften the vegetables, then turn off the Instant Pot.
- Add Ingredients and Deglaze: Pour in the chicken broth and use a wooden spoon to deglaze the pot by scraping any browned bits off the bottom. Add the wild rice, long grain rice blend, red lentils, corn, and sage stuffing. Stir everything together to combine.
- Add Turkey and Seasonings: Place the shredded leftover or cooked turkey on top of the rice mixture. Sprinkle the salt, black pepper, dried thyme, dried rosemary, and dried sage evenly over the top. Add the bay leaves.
- Pressure Cook: Seal the Instant Pot lid and set it to manual high pressure for 20 minutes. Allow the cooking cycle to complete.
- Natural Release and Finish: Once cooking is complete, let the Instant Pot naturally release pressure for 10 minutes. Carefully discard the bay leaves. Stir in the heavy cream to add richness and creaminess to the casserole.
- Serve: Remove the casserole from the Instant Pot and transfer to a serving bowl. Garnish with fresh thyme sprigs before serving.
Notes
- Using a wild rice blend speeds up cooking and adds texture complexity.
- If you don’t have leftover turkey, cooked fresh turkey breast or thighs work well.
- You can substitute chicken broth with vegetable broth for a different flavor profile.
- For a dairy-free version, substitute heavy cream with coconut cream or omit it.
- Allow the Instant Pot to naturally release pressure to ensure the rice and lentils are fully cooked and not underdone.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 320
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 680mg
- Fat: 14g
- Saturated Fat: 7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 28g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 22g
- Cholesterol: 65mg
