A fast, cosy and comforting one pot, Leftover Roast Beef and Wild Rice Soup is a family friendly meal in a bowl. It's also the perfect way to use up leftover Roast Beef. No leftover roast beef - no worries. You can also make this using ground beef. Keep reading to find out why this will be your new favorite prep and forget dinner!
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We all love a roast beef dinner! But you often have to buy a larger piece of meat than you need. And in my house there's always some leftovers.
Roast beef is too expensive and delicious to waste. And there's only so many roast beef sandwiches you can eat.
So if you're interested in trying something different give this soup a go. The savory mushroom flavor really intensifies the beef here. And the cream adds a lovely indulgent richness to the whole dish.
I love using up leftovers in the kitchen. It's so satisfying from a planet and pocketbook point of view.
It's especially good if, as with this tasty mushroomy broth, the leftovers feel like a whole new meal in themselves. Rather than 'just' the same thing served again the next day.
How to make Beef and Rice Soup
Full printable recipe with measurements is below
This soup couldn't be easier to make. Simple soften the vegetables. Then add the mushrooms, garlic and beef. Next add the stock, then the rice. Add a lid and let it simmer away while you get on with your evening. When the rice is cooked, finish with the cream and serve.
What is the difference between a simmer and a boil and why does it matter?
This soup should simmer and not boil. Simmering liquid has slow, gentle, very small bubbles. Boiling liquid has rolling, steady, more forceful bubbles. The reason you should always simmer soups and stews is that they require gentle cooking for longer periods. Boiling liquid will make the meat fibers tough. Simmering allows the meat to tenderize while cooking.
Variations
- If you don't have any leftover beef you can still make this soup! Just season and sear 1 pound of ground beef over a medium high heat until it is nicely browned and no longer pink. Drain, set aside and follow the instructions in the recipe card below.
- If you don't have any beef broth, vegetable broth is fine. Similarly, cubed bullion diluted with the correct amount of water also works well.If you served your beef with a gravy or jus feel free to add some of that too, for flavor.
- If you're not into creamy soups, this is just as good as a broth - just leave out the last step where you add the cream.
- If you want a vegetarian option it's just as delicious to make Wild Rice and Mushroom soup. Just double the mushrooms.
Tips for making the best Leftover Roast Beef and Wild Rice Soup
- If I'm in a real hurry I used ready chopped soup vegetables here. I'm lucky enough to have Trader Joe's near me and their Mirapoix mix is great in soups. But loads of other stores have a similar chopped onion, carrot and celery mix. Or you can buy the ready chopped onions and add carrots and celery.
- Make sure the rice is well rinsed before you add it. This should stop your soup from going 'gummy'.
- Always make sure to trim the beef really well when cutting it so you don't get any less than perfect bits of meat in your soup.
- This soup, like all broths, needs to be really well seasoned. Keep tasting it as you go along. Commercially prepared stock can be quite salty - so don't add more until you know it needs more.
What to serve with Leftover Beef with Wild Rice Soup?
This is definitely enough to provide a full meal on it's own! But if you want to add more, crusty bread is delicious for mopping up juices. I also love to add a sprinkling of salty parmesan which pairs nicely with the wild rice.
Can you re-heat this soup?
Yes. Make sure you store the soup in an airtight container and use within 24 hours. To re-heat, place it in a medium saucepan on a low medium low heat.
To help avoid this cream based soup from curdling, stir constantly whilst re-heating. Bring it to a simmer and make sure it is hot all the way through, but don't vigorously boil it or the soup might split.
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Printable Recipe
Leftover Beef and Wild Rice Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Butter
- 1 Onion - finely chopped
- 2 Carrots - diced
- 2 ribs Celery - sliced
- 2 cloves Garlic - crushed
- 10 oz Mushrooms - sliced (around 2 ¼ cups)
- 3 cups Leftover Roast Beef - cut into bite sized pieces
- 5 cups Beef Stock - gluten free if required
- 1 tbsp Tomato Ketchup
- 1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 cup Wild Rice - rinse well in a sieve under running water
- ½ cup Heavy Cream
- 1 tbsp Parsley - chopped, optional garnish
Instructions
- Melt the butter over a medium low heat. in a large Dutch Oven or heavy bottomed saucepan with a lid.
- Fry the onion, celery and carrots in the butter until soft. This should take around 10 minutes.
- Season well and add the sliced mushrooms.
- Sauté for a further 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in the crushed garlic.
- Add the cut up leftover roast beef and stir gently.
- Add the beef stock, as well as the tomato ketchup and Worcestershire sauce. Stir to incorporate.
- Add the rinsed wild rice. Bring the soup to a boil then turn down to a simmer. It should be barely bubbling.
- Add the lid and simmer for around 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until rice is cooked.
- Taste and season again.
- Stir in the heavy cream. Note - If you prefer your soup a little thinner, it's fine to add some more stock here too.
- Serve sprinkled with parsley if using.
Nutrition
This recipe has been shared with the #CookBlogShare community hosted by MelissaTraub.com
Jeri Squyres says
I added a splash of sherry.
Jo Keohane says
Great idea Jeri, adds such a lovely flavor. Thanks so much for your comment.
Carol says
With the cold weather already here in the UK this is a heart warming soup. Really delicious, thank you Jo
Jo Keohane says
Thanks so much - so glad you liked this!
Tom says
Super rich, tasty soup, perfect for winter. The whole family loved it..!
Jo Keohane says
It's super hearty isn't it? Thanks so much for your comment and really glad you all love it.
Tasha says
What Kind of mushrooms ? Thanks!
Jo Keohane says
I used cremini but button mushrooms (regular white ones) also work really well. Hope you enjoy the recipe!
Ann says
Loved this soup! I only had a 4 oz. CAN of mushrooms and brown instead of wild rice. But it was still wonderful.
Jo Keohane says
Thanks so much for the feedback Ann, so glad you enjoyed this soup!! We love it it in our house too.
Laura says
Silly question:
What do you consider a heavy bottom pot? No Dutch oven here....
Jo Keohane says
Not a silly question at all!! You can use any large saucepan or pot really - but I find a pot with a thicker base to be better at distributing an even heat so the soup doesn't burn on the bottom as it cooks. As long as you stir it regularly i wouldn't worry too much. Thanks for you comment and hope you enjoy!
Gwyn Linster says
What are you seasoning with? Salt and pepper? You mention season well but there's no seasoning listed in the ingredients. Thank you!
Jo Keohane says
Hi again Gwyn - yes just plenty of salt and pepper, I know everyone likes different amounts so I always just say to season and taste as you go and add more if you need it.
Gwyn Linster says
Great soup! I didn't have leftover meat so I bought some ribeye (on sale) and some tri-tip, grocery store was a little bare of sirlon. I cut it into small cubes, browned it in a pan. I put the meat and mushrooms in the Instant Pot for like 9 or 10 minutes. Let it set for 10 minutes and did a quick release. I previously cooked the wild rice in the Instant Pot while I was browning the meat. (No fail Wild rice 1 to 4 ratio, rice to water or broth, cook for 15 minutes on high pressure, natural release for 10 minutes, then release pressure, per OrWhateverYouDo.com, it works perfectly). While the meat and mushrooms were cooking, I sautéed the onions, celery and carrots in the beef juices. Then combined all the ingredients! Was really good. Hubby went for seconds. I'm a big fan of wild rice and soup so I knew when I saw this recipe I'd have to try it. I did add a little cooked Barley and a little more broth. Hubby kept raving about how good it was. Thanks for a great recipe that will be a keeper!
Jo Keohane says
You are clearly a great cook Gwyn - thanks for your detailed notes. So glad you enjoyed this one!!! And thank you for your feedback.
Debbie says
I love when someone has a great recipe. I’ve seen where they are insulted when people comment with alternatives. You are both gracious and have good recipes! Thank you!
Jo Keohane says
Thank you so much Debbie, that's really nice of you! So glad you've enjoyed the recipes!!
Debbie says
Thank you for the IP notes! I saved this recipe and your awesome comment!
Skyler says
Could you sub cauliflower rice for the wild rice to make keto-friendly? I would imagine the rice soaks up some liquid, would I need to cut back the broth do you think?
Jo Keohane says
Hi Skyler - I think that is a great idea! I would add the cauliflower rice towards the end so it doesn't over cook. Not sure you would need to cut back much on the broth - depends how thick or thin you like your soup!! Depending on if you are eating the soup all in one go you could freeze a portion of the soup and then just add the cauli rice right before you serve. I am going to be trying this! Thank you for commenting, hope you enjoy and let me know how it goes!
Diana Dominguez says
Hi Jo,
This recipe was wonderful! I'm a big believer in trying out a new recipe as written the first time to know what the intended flavor profile is.
The second time I made this, I had leftover pot roast that I had made this past weekend, so the meat was more shredded than in bite size chunks, but it worked. I used the carrots and celery and the broth from the pot roast, but broth was only about 2 1/2 cups, so I finished it off with a 1/2 cup red wine, and then used the liquid from a can of diced tomatoes, plus a but more water to bring it up to the 5 cups. I used tomato paste instead of ketchup, which gave the soup a slightly richer taste. And I put the diced tomatoes into the soup with the mushrooms. Didn't use cream the 2nd time. My family isn't overly fond of cream based soups (go figure!) - we are much more into tomato-based soups and sauces. The flavor profile is different, but the taste is divine. Oh, I also added a tsp of Kitchen Bouquet seasoning/browning sauce - really adds a little oomph.
Thank you so much for the original recipe. I'll make yours again for folks who like cream soups!! 🙂
Jo Keohane says
Sounds totally delicious Diana, I love it with shredded beef too. I also love tomato based sauces - both ways are delish. Thank you for your comment and so happy you enjoyed!
Sue says
We have prepared this soup on two occasions. This soup is my husband's and my favorite soup. We truly enjoy it. It is certainly a dish worth trying. 😋😋❤️
Jo Keohane says
Thank you Sue for your lovely comment.So happy you love it
Miranda says
Hi, my leftover roast was done in the instant pot and cooked too long. Is it ok to use a roast that was cooked too long, (pot roast)? Will adding it at the time you suggested dry it out further, or help moisten it? Thanks!
Jo Keohane says
Hi - sorry just seeing this! For future - I would add it for slightly less time, as you say, you don't want to dry it out further. But in general soup will help to moisten in. Thanks so much for your comment.
Heather Beck says
Do you add in 1 cup of rinsed uncooked wild rice?
Jo Keohane says
Hi Heather - yes you do! You could also add cooked leftover rice if you have it - just reduce the cooking time to around 15 minutes. Thanks for your comment!