Ground Turkey and Vegetable Soup
This is a reliable soup recipe that comes together easily and is loaded with flavor. Use your favorite ground meat and any leafy vegetable you have available.
I’ve been hanging on to this soup recipe for a week while an epic tug of war between the sun and clouds took place in the sky. The clouds being the underdog I never found an appropriate time to share soup. Everything I wrote felt forced, even considering I’m one of those people who actually enjoys soup all year.
But today, finally, I woke up to real rain–not just a sprinkle, not a shower. Rain that my plants could really soak up so I put on my raincoat and boots and moved some of my sheltered plants out in the open to get a good drink. Now it feels right to share something warm and comforting.
You may already have a go-to soup similar to this but selfishly, I’m putting it out here anyway–mainly for those times I am stuck in a cooking rut and don’t know what to cook. This blog has been a good way to bring new life to a tired menu. When I’m uninspired I come here to search the archives and am reminded of old favorites that have fallen out of rotation. Does this ever happen to you?
This simple, everyday soup is meat-based, hearty but not heavy, filling and loaded with greens. It’s a meal in a bowl that comes together in less than an hour, easily customizable according to what your larder has to offer. Ground meat is perfect for adding substance to a broth-based soup without having to wait hours on the stove. I like to build additional flavor by giving the onions, tomatoes and meat–ground turkey in this case–a few extra minutes on moderate heat until I get a good bit of color in the pan to give the soup a long-simmered taste.
Make this soup your own by adding as much broth and vegetables as you like. For one pound of meat I use one large potato, half a head of cabbage and one bunch of leafy greens. It keeps for a few days and for my family of two, this is lunch and dinner for two or three days since I add more broth and vegetables each time I reheat it. The soup tastes fresh and new each time and is a great way to get our daily does of vegetables. A good loaf of crusty bread is unnecessary but when it’s raining outside and with a soup this healthy, carbs are just the right thing to serve on the side.
Ground Turkey and Vegetable Soup
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1 large onion diced
- 1 tomato diced
- 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- Few tablespoons olive oil
- Garlic powder start with 1/4 teaspoon; NOT garlic salt
- Onion powder start with 1/2 teaspoon
- Mediterranean seasoning or your favorite no-salt herb seasoning; start with 1/2 teaspoon
- 6 cups chicken stock add more if you want a higher stock to meat ratio
- 1 potato cubed
- 1/3 - 1/2 head small cabbage
- Half bunch kale or 1 bunch Swiss chard
- Juice half lemon plus more for serving
- Chopped Italian parsley for garnish optional
Instructions
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Heat 2-3 tablespoons olive oil in a pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until they begin to get translucent, about two minutes.
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Add the ground turkey, one teaspoon fish sauce, the onion powder, garlic powder and herb seasoning and cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally until the turkey is no longer red. Reduce the heat to medium and add the tomatoes. I like to let this cook for at least five to eight minutes to allow the onions and turkey to brown and develop more flavor. You don't want it to burn so watch your heat, add more olive oil if necessary and stir occasionally.
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Add the potatoes, cabbage, leafy greens and the stock. Bring to a boil then simmer until the potatoes are cooked and the leafy greens have wilted, about 10-15 minutes. Taste for additional seasoning. Add more fish sauce, salt and/or more garlic/onion powder, herb seasoning to suit your taste. Stir in the juice of half a lemon before serving.
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I like to add more stock and vegetables to leftovers and the soup is even better the next day. Adjust seasonings accordingly.
Looks wonderful and so beautifully complimented by your tierra negra pottery. A bowl of this soup would go down a treat right now in the UK as we brace ourselves against the blast of cold air that is coming straight at us from Siberia!
Soup is not only “good food” it’s also a source of creativity for me so I can relate to your thinking here… GREG
On this rainy and winy evening, a cozy bowl of soup is just what I’m craving (along with plenty of delicious bread, of course!) 🙂