I love eating soup all winter long and this turkey minestrone soup is one of my favorites. It’s simple to make, and very forgiving. If you miss an ingredient here or there, it’s still going to taste delicious.
Soup is so healing for a couple different reasons.
First, it’s an easy way to get more bone broth into your body. Homemade is best and cheaper, but there are loads of other off the shelf options that truly are made with real food ingredients, like Kettle and Fire or Epic Artisanal Bone Broth. Bone broth can help reduce inflammation, help with sports recovery, and is always good for our hair, skin and nails due to the high amount of collagen.
Second, soup is often really easy for our body to digest. Since the food is cooked, it’s easier for our digestive system to further break down the food and really use the nutrients present. It’s a gentle way to reintroduce food if you or another family member has been sick with a stomach bug.
What is Minestrone Soup?
Minestrone tends to be a thick soup of Italian origin, made with vegetables, often with the addition of pasta or rice, sometimes both. Common ingredients include beans, onions, celery, carrots, stock, and tomatoes.
I’ve often called it my “kitchen sink” soup. Everything goes in except the kitchen sink. It’s a great way to clean out your refrigerator and make your meal planning super simple. The turkey minestrone soup recipe also makes a large amount so you can freeze some in individual serving sizes to prep ahead. (I use these glass mason jars and freeze them. Just leave about 2” of space from the top to allow for expansion when frozen.)
Here’s a common list of ingredients you can find in minestrone soup. The key thing is to make it your own, but start with a recipe like the one I share below.
- cannellini beans
- chicken stock
- cabbage
- potato
- pasta or rice
- zucchini
- carrots
- plum tomatoes
- Parmesan cheese
Winter Comfort Food
The turkey minestrone soup is a spin off of a vegetarian minestrone soup I often make in the late spring months. I find I need more protein and something a little heartier in the cold, winter months of New England. This soup is so good I even ate it for breakfast a few times!
My kids don’t often love soup, but they might have it if I strain out some of the broth. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t. It truly depends on the mood they are in, and I can’t control that. And just because they don’t love soup doesn’t mean I’m never going to serve soup. We have to keep reintroducing new things to them, even if they turn their nose up at them. One day, they might just surprise you.
A quick note about finding high quality ground turkey. If I’m in a store, I’ll look for organic, pastured turkey. More often, I’ll order a bunch through Farmers to You and pick it up every other week. This is an awesome option for farm fresh meats and produce if you are in the Massachusetts area.
Turkey Minestrone Soup
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground turkey organic, pastured
- 4 tbl olive oil extra virgin
- 3 carrots diced
- 3 celery diced
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tbl sea salt
- 2 tsp dried basil
- 2 tsp fresh ground pepper
- 4 cup chicken bone broth or beef broth
- 2 cup water
- 1 can navy beans or cannellini
- 2 cans diced tomatoes 15 oz jars
- 1 cup short grain brown rice Lundenburg
- Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese optional
Instructions
- In a large Dutch Oven or saucepan, add olive oil. Brown the turkey until cooked through.
- Add the diced vegetables (except garlic) and cook until softened, about 4-6 minutes on medium heat.
- Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds. Next, add in the balance of ingredients through rice.
- Check the soup midway through. If the rice has absorbed too much water, just add another cup or two of water or bone broth.
- Sprinkle with Pecorino Romano or Parmesan, or leave out for Whole30/Paleo compliant.
Slow Cooker Turkey Minestrone Soup Directions
Here’s an easy way to make this even easier, and come home to dinner ready to go. You can add everything into the slow cooker once the turkey and veggies are cooked through. Cook on low for 7-8 hours, or high for 4 hours. (I prefer the low and slow option.) You can also cook the ground turkey the night before, and then add everything to the slow cooker in the morning before running out the door. Skip cooking the veggies ahead of time to save even more time in the kitchen.
