This ground turkey soup is simple to make, inexpensive, healthy, and comforting. Pasta and beans make this brothy soup extra filling!
I've wanted to make a ground turkey vegetable soup for a while now, and I like the way it turned out. It's got chicken soup vibes, but obviously with turkey. Ground turkey is so easy to prepare, and it's not the first thing most people think to add to soup, so I wanted to give you guys another option if it's something you enjoy and/or regularly buy.
You may also like my Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup if you're into these kinda flavors.
This healthy ground turkey soup is the type of soup that's easy to whip up on a busy weeknight, and it's also good for if anyone in your home is feeling under the weather.
Recipe notes & tips:
- The measurements in this soup are very forgiving. Feel free to throw in a bit extra/less depending on what you've got on hand.
- You could use ground chicken instead of turkey if you prefer.
- You can swap the pasta with a different shape if you like.
- Use kale or Swiss Chard instead of spinach if that's what you've got in your fridge.
- The lemon juice can be omitted or doubled/tripled depending on how much lemon flavor you want in the soup.
- If you're freezing the bulk of this recipe (or making it a day or two ahead), I suggest adding the pasta in after you've thawed it/when you're reheating it. The leftovers really soak up the broth.
More tasty ground turkey recipes:
- Turkey White Bean Chili
- Easy Ground Turkey Burgers Recipe
- Ground Turkey Stir Fry
- Turkey Pumpkin Chili
Love ground turkey? Check out my roundup for The Best Ground Turkey Recipes.
Will you give this ground turkey soup recipe a try? Questions? Leave me a comment below! As always, tag me #saltandlavender on Instagram if you've made one of my recipes.
Ground Turkey Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 sticks celery chopped finely
- 1/2 medium onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 dash Italian seasoning
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1 (14 fluid ounce) can white beans (cannellini) drained
- 2 medium carrots sliced
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup water
- 1.5 cups uncooked fusilli pasta
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice or more, to taste
- 2 cups (packed) fresh baby spinach
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add the oil, celery, and onion to a soup pot over medium-high heat, and sauté for 4-5 minutes (ok if the onion starts to brown a little).
- Stir in the garlic and Italian seasoning and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add in the ground turkey and cook until it's mostly turned white, breaking it up with your spoon as it cooks (about 4-5 minutes). I prep the other ingredients while I go along, but feel free to prep everything before you begin if that's easier.
- Add in the beans, carrots, broth, and water. Increase the heat to high and bring it to a boil. Cover the pot with the lid slightly ajar and reduce the heat & simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add in the pasta, cover the pot again (lid slightly ajar), and cook for another 10 minutes. I stir it a couple of times just to ensure the pasta isn't sticking to the bottom.
- Add in the lemon juice (add more if you like it really lemony) and spinach. Cook it for a couple more minutes until the spinach wilts. Season with salt & pepper as needed. This soup soaks up the broth pretty fast, so feel free to add more chicken broth/water as needed (especially when reheating leftovers).
Notes
- Serves 4-6 depending on how much people eat.
- You can use 5 cups chicken broth (vs. 4 cups broth and 1 cup water) if you want. I just do this because the 32 oz/4 cup cartons of broth are handy, and that way you don't need to open a second one if you don't want to.
- Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
Lauren says
Hi there! Could this be cooked in the crockpot or instant pot?
Natasha says
Hi! So, I think you probably could, but I'm a bit concerned the veggies may end up a bit mushy and the ground turkey will dry out if you cook it for too long. I'd definitely go easy on the timing and use similar recipes you've tried as a guideline. Maybe 3-4 hours on high for crockpot? And of course add in the pasta towards the end so it doesn't turn to mush.
Trav says
Usually I alter recipes a lot, but it wasn't really needed. Natasha put a lot of thought into it. Good call to only call for 4 cups of the broth. Part boxes of broth are so annoying in the fridge. I substituted a different type of greens. careful not to let the ground turkey cook too much before adding the broth and other ingredients. It will keep cooking in the broth, and again with the pasta. Don't want it too rubbery because of overcooking.
Natasha says
I'm so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂 Thanks for your review!
Concise Recipes says
I had to scroll like for 2 minutes to get to the recipe. Why is there so much foreplay before the recipe?
Miranda @ Salt & Lavender says
Because the blog post has a ton of helpful hints so you can have success making the recipe in your own kitchen. Also, you can feel good supporting a small business. We're sorry the scrolling took such a toll on you. Hoping you enjoy the recipe 🙂
Sheri says
I like the recipe. I didn't put in beans because I don't like them, but used everything else. I used Herbs de Provence and Turmeric for the spices. I also used organic chicken bone broth from Trader Joe's. I used half broth and half water. It cuts down on the sodium. Thank you for sharing.
Natasha says
You're very welcome, Sheri!
Beth says
Perfect recipe for a cold rainy February night. Kids loved it!
Natasha says
Excellent!! Thanks for letting me know.
Jenna says
I loved this recipe! It was exactly what I was looking for!
Natasha says
That's great to hear, Jenna! 😀
Mama Gumbo says
I love love love this soup! I have made it several times in the past 2 months and also shared the recipe with friends! It is so easy and refreshing! I’ve experimented with adding fresh broccoli after the fact and mushrooms! Thanks so much!
Natasha says
Yay!! That's great to hear. I'm so pleased you like it, and I appreciate you sharing the recipe too!
Connie Payton-Nevels says
Omg! This soup was extremely easy to make and delicious! Using ground turkey in soup was a very pleasant surprise! I also loved the lemony flavor! I did not add noodles but will definitely use brown rice the next time! I did add some ground ginger…..just because it’s my “go to” spice! Yummy!
Natasha says
I'm so glad you enjoyed it!! 🙂
Nicolette S says
This is beyond delicious! My hubby and two toddlers loved it too! I did add zucchini, since it was about to go bad and I added about 3 cups more broth, just cause I like too have lot of broth left over. Sooooo good. Thank you for a quick, easy and healthy dinner that will be in our rotation!
Natasha says
Wonderful!! 🙂 You're very welcome, Nicolette!
Susan says
Really enjoyed this. I did add a can of diced tomatoes and didn’t add any lemon, but may try next time, Thanks. 😊
Natasha says
Fab!! Yes, it's definitely easily customizable. 🙂 So glad you liked it!
Kim says
This recipe is great and really forgiving indeed. I added paprika and cayenne for a kick and omitted beans because my husband doesn’t like them. Such an easy way to include lots of different vegetables. Definitely adding this to our regular dinner rotation.
Natasha says
I'm so pleased you enjoyed it!! 🙂 Yes, I love how easy it is to tweak as needed.
Rachel says
I loved this! I was worried it would lack flavor, but it didn’t! We subbed out spinach and white beans for kale and butter beans (only because these are what I had on hand) and was super happy with that combo. Like another had said, I could see serving this to guests also for a SUPER easy meal and that’s healthy (which I live for). Thank you!!
Natasha says
I'm so glad you enjoyed it and found it flavorful, Rachel! 🙂
Lauren says
This was delicious! I added carrots and zucchini for extra veggies. I also used basil instead of italian seasoning. Thanks for sharing!
Natasha says
Fantastic!! You're welcome, Lauren.
Jenny says
This was wonderful! I like more broth in soup, so I doubled it. (no water) I added spinach and baby kale. I used a Veggie tri-color pasta. My husband said we could serve this for company! I served it with cornbread and a mixed spring salad.
Natasha says
So glad you liked it, Jenny!!
AngelaML says
I made this last night and it was delicious! The family all loved it. I've never made soup with ground turkey before and this was very easy to make.
I upped the quantity of the veggies because I love them and included zucchini in addition.
You didn't mention when to add the Italian seasoning, so I added it in the step along with the broth.
Thanks for such a tasty and healthy recipe!
Natasha says
I'm so glad it was a hit! Whoops - just updated it. Sorry about that! Yes, it definitely lends itself to adding what's in your fridge. 🙂
Leanne Clarke says
My family raved about this soup. I added canned tomatoes, zucchini, and yellow squash. Delicious!
Natasha says
That's awesome!! Thanks for taking the time to write me a comment, Leanne.
Silvia says
This recipe was quick and delicious! Just a tip though, I always cook my pasta separate and add it to the soup when I serve it, that way you don’t have to worry about it soaking up so much liquid
Natasha says
Yup, that works too! Glad you enjoyed it!
Lynn says
excellent taste. Very easy to follow & adjust to your personal taste. Have made this with ground turkey & ground chicken.. Both have been a success.
Natasha says
That's awesome!! I'm so happy to hear that, Lynn. Thanks for taking the time to write me a comment. XO