Lemony Turkey Bean Soup with Fresh Herbs
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 244kcal
This Lemony Turkey Bean Soup features turkey, white beans, leafy greens, and plenty of fresh herbs simmered in a savory, tangy broth. It’s a hearty yet light one-pot comfort food packed with flavor!
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Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion diced
- 1 large carrot diced
- 1 head fennel stems and fronds removed and thinly sliced
- 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin plus more to taste
- ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes plus more to taste
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 Tablespoon fresh ginger finely grated
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 quart chicken stock
- 2 15 ounce cans white beans drained and rinsed
- 2 cups baby spinach leaves
- 1 cup chopped fresh herbs such as parsley, basil, dill, mint, rosemary, tarragon, chives or a combination
- ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice plus more to taste (about 2 lemons)
- Kosher salt and pepper to taste
- Sour cream for topping
Instructions
- Add olive oil to a large pot and heat over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the onion, carrot and fennel. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper and sautee until softened, about 7-10 minutes.
- Add the tomato paste, cumin and red pepper flakes and cook for about 1 minute, until fragrant.
- Add turkey, garlic, ginger and 1 teaspoon salt, and sauté, breaking up the meat with your spoon, until turkey is browned, 4-6 minutes.
- Add stock and beans, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 15-25 minutes.
- Tip: If you like a thicker soup, you can smash some of the beans with the back of the spoon.
- Stir in the spinach, herbs and lemon juice. Taste and add more salt, cumin and lemon to taste. Enjoy topped with a dollop of sour cream.
Video
Notes
Tips and tricks
- Consider deglazing the pot after sautéing the aromatics and spices with a splash of stock, water, or dry white wine. This will help lift any browned bits stuck to the bottom, which can add some serious flavor here.
- You can naturally thicken the soup by mashing some of the white beans with the back of a spoon or blending a portion with an immersion blender.
- To intensify the lemony flavor, zest the lemon and stir it in with the lemon juice at the end.
- Use leftover poultry - Have leftover turkey from the holidays or roasted chicken from last night's dinner? Shred it and add it to the soup during the last few minutes of cooking.
- Swap the beans for pasta - Replace the white beans with small pasta noodles, like orzo, ditalini, or mini shells. Cook the pasta directly in the soup, adding extra stock if needed.
- Instead of spinach, try sturdier greens like kale, Swiss chard, or collard greens. Chop them finely and add them earlier in the cooking process (around the same time as the stock) to give them time to soften.
- Vegetarian option - Use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock and swap the turkey for extra beans. To bulk up the soup even more, toss diced zucchini, cauliflower florets, or sweet potatoes into the simmering broth.
Nutrition
Calories: 244kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 46mg | Sodium: 713mg | Potassium: 746mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 3079IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 57mg | Iron: 2mg