Ground Turkey Soup with Beans & Spinach (20 minutes!)
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Healthy ground turkey soup recipe comes together in 20 minutes or less, it is packed full of protein, vegetables, and most importantly, flavor! Your whole family will love it.
I love to give you ideas to make weeknight meals a breeze. My two biggest tips are these:
- Plan ahead (try making Pepperoni Pizza Lasagna Rolls)
- Have a stocked pantry — this recipe depends on it.
I make this healthy soup recipe using all ingredients I keep regularly stocked in my pantry.
Here’s what I keep in my stocked pantry/fridge/freezer to make recipes like these:
- Diced tomatoes
- Grated Parmesan Cheese
- Canned beans — this recipe uses great Northern but I typically keep black beans and chickpeas stocked as well.
- Chicken broth/stock
- Ground turkey
- Spinach. I always have spinach. Always. If I don’t, I’m headed to the store.
- Onions. A must have for so many recipes.
- Garlic. Duh.
- Spices — this recipe uses oregano, red pepper flakes and basil.
- Olive oil. I always have a bottle of it in my pantry.
Other staples in my pantry are a variety of grains, pasta, bacon, carrots, celery, a variety of vinegars, and some fruit and vegetables in the freezer. But you don’t need any of those for this particular healthy soup recipe.
Of course, everyone is different and you might not keep your pantry stocked just like mine. You might not like ground turkey. Ground beef is fine, or try this recipe with Italian sausage, it’s phenomenal!). Maybe you don’t have baby spinach — try a different green in this soup such as kale or chard.
About this Ground Turkey Soup
The really important thing here is that this recipe can be prepared in 20 minutes. I make this soup A LOT on weeks where I slip behind on my meal planning. Or maybe I have something planned and I just don’t have the time and energy to prepare it. Or it might just not sound good on that particular night.
No problem! Out come those pantry staples to save the day. Healthy, easy, and no trips to the grocery store required. I’m pretty sure that’s as good as it gets. Plus it can warm you up on a chilly day. Hot soup is always a good thing.
How to Make this Soup
To make this recipe, heat up your soup pot with some olive oil. To that, add ground turkey, onions, garlic, red pepper flakes, and some black pepper.
Cook until the onions are translucent and the ground turkey is fully cooked.
Throw in beans, herbs, tomatoes — stir to combine.
Then PILE on the spinach. You can do this in batches if need be, but if you have a big pan, it will probably fit. Cover for a couple of minutes to let the spinach wilt.
You might have to stir it a couple of times to help it along.
Add chicken stock and bring the soup up to a boil to make sure it is good and hot.
Once the soup is hot, remove it from heat and sprinkle in the grated Parmesan cheese. This is what makes it really, really good. If you’re not a cheese-lover, don’t worry, your soup will still taste great!
There ya have it! A healthy soup recipe ready in 20 minutes that’s good for you, is ready in less than 30 minutes, and doesn’t come from a can.
Soup’s on!
Looking for more hearty soup recipes? Try:
- Homemade vegetable soup, packed with lots and lots of garden veggies
- Easy Hamburger Soup Recipe
- Lentil Soup Recipe with Pasta
- Red Lentil Soup Recipe — one of my most popular recipes!
- Instant Pot Minestrone Soup Recipe
- Crockpot Pumpkin Soup (5 Ingredients!)
- Vegetarian Lasagna Soup (VIDEO)
- Creamy Chicken Enchilada Soup with Noodles
- Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup — Instant Pot and stovetop directions.
Interested in a weekly meal plan (it’s free!) that includes this ground turkey soup? Take a look at my Meal Plan #9. You’ll find a wholesome recipe for each weekday plus a categorized grocery list. Let me do the planning for you this week!
We’ll be adding a new meal plan weekly. If you’re interested, browse all of our meal plans.
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound extra lean ground turkey
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes
- ¼ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- 1 can (14.5 ounce) diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1 can (15.8 ounce) great northern beans, rinsed and drained
- 8 ounces baby spinach
- 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for garnish
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Brown the turkey with the onions, garlic, red pepper flakes, and black pepper until the turkey is cooked through and the onions are translucent (about 7 minutes).
- Add oregano, basil, tomatoes (with liquid), and beans. Stir to combine.
- Reduce heat to medium-low, add spinach and cover for about 2 minutes or until spinach is wilted. Stir to combine.
- Add broth, stir, and increase heat to medium. Continue to cook until heated through, about 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat, stir in Parmesan and serve.
Notes
- Ground beef, sausage, or ground chicken can be substituted for the ground turkey.
- Any tender green can be substituted for the spinach, such as baby kale or escarole.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
Amy L Glanz says
This was so simple that I didn’t think it would taste as good as it did! Kids loved it too. Only things I had to sub was kale for the spinach and chickpeas because that’s what I had on hand. Oh I also added a splash of red wine vinegar. Easy and good!
Rachel Gurk says
So glad you liked this one! I’ve made it with chickpeas in the past, too. Love the red wine vinegar addition…yum yum! Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a comment!
Karen Stancik says
I’m making this right now! I’ve really enjoyed the comments, but will make it as written And no it will be delicious! I have a couple of comments and one concern. 1st comment common as a retired teacher, I believe that anything we can do to offset cost without taking away from what we are delivering is a very important thing to do! 2nd comment, I did not find ads to be distracting. It is simply part of it! My concern is this: why do you not have light in your kitchen? :)
Rachel Gurk says
:) Thanks for understanding about the ads, I appreciate that more than you know! This post was written two kitchens again, but I had lights, just no natural lights from windows. First world problems! ;)
Emma says
I was very surprised that this REALLY took 20 minutes….. my family loved it last week …. and request that I make it again today !!!!!
Great recipe … I used 2 lbs of turkey and a bit more spinach …
Thank you !
Rachel Gurk says
I’m so happy to hear you like this recipe, Emma! It’s one of our favorites, too. So great for busy nights! Thanks for taking the time to comeback and leave a comment – it means so much to me!
Vee Anover says
Amazing. Just what I needed on a snowy day in missouri!
Rachel Gurk says
So happy to hear it! This is one of our favorites, too. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
Diana says
Would love to make this for my friend who is a new mom. I’m assuming she can freeze it? If so, do you have instructions for taking it out of the freezer, just throw in a pot and heat?
Rachel Gurk says
Absolutely! This freezes so well! You’re right about reheating, just throw in a pan and heat. Could thaw overnight in the fridge first to make it go a little faster. This is my go-to recipe for new moms!
Crystal says
Made this yesterday. Yummy! will definitely be making again in the near future!
Rachel Gurk says
I’m so happy to hear that! It’s one of our favorites too. :)
Abby says
This soup was delicious, super easy, and very affordable- my favorite part. Only changed: for spices I used red pepper flakes and Italian seasoning that I had on hand because buying a spice I may only use once drives me nuts. One night I added some cubed baked potato, sour cream, and topped with Italian cheese blend and that was AMAZING. Adds some substance for cheap. Thank you so much!
Rachel Gurk says
I’m so happy to hear that you like this soup as much as we do! Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a comment – it really means a lot to me!
Cece says
EXCELLENT!!! I made this step by step the first time and it was WONDERFUL! Second time I made it I added vegis – carrots and zucchini. 3rd time I am going to still add carrots but also chayote instead of zucchinis. SO DELICIOUS!!!!
Rachel Gurk says
So glad you love this recipe as much as we do! I love the additions you made. Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a comment!
Doralynn Owens says
My daughter and her classmates were asked to make a nutritional inexpensive dish so they could create a cookbook to take to college with them. We found this recipe and it was perfect! Easy, nutritious, inexpensive and delicious! The whole class and the teacher voted it the best dish. This recipe is perfect as written, we make it regularly.
Rachel Gurk says
This comment made me so happy! I’m so happy you all enjoy it! I make this one so frequently, too.
Melissa Cook says
Loved this soup! Easy to make and had lots of flavor.
Rachel Gurk says
So happy you liked it! It’s one of our favorites. Thanks for sharing your feedback!
Candice says
Just prepared this and absolutely fantastic and super easy! These ingredients are consistently in my pantry! This will be a rotation four variations! Thank you so much!
Rachel Gurk says
So happy to hear that, it’s one of our favorites too!
The Dimestore Gypsy says
Thanks for sharing this recipe. It was so good and there weren’t any leftovers in my house! I will be sharing on my blog as a new family favorite. : )
Rachel Gurk says
So glad you like it!
The Dimestore Gypsy says
just shared : )
Mark says
You website is ruined by all of these advertisements. Bye..
Rachel Gurk says
There are countless expenses (hundreds a month!) to run this FREE website (not to mention hours and hours of work each week), so yes, I have to offset the costs somehow. The alternative would be charging a monthly fee for people to access my site, and I do not wish to do that. If you are having problems with one particular ad (for example, if it won’t close on mobile), please let me know so I can get that fixed. Thank you for your feedback.
Connie Lossing says
I make this soup often. Had to come back and find the recipe again as my old one had too many stains on it! Have you ever made it with shredded chicken? I can get good hormone free chicken but not ground turkey…. I’m thinking of trying it today…
Rachel Gurk says
I think that would be fantastic!
Terri A. says
I made this last week and it’s so easy and so tasty! I had time, so simmered it a bit longer with a parmesan rind in it. Next time, I’ll chop the spinach, but this will be on regular rotation in my house.
Rachel Gurk says
So glad you liked it! Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment. :)