First of all, thanks everyone for showing your excitement during Halloween week! We love our theme weeks and we can tell you do too. We've got a couple more coming up before the end of the year so stay tuned. We also see what it takes to get you all to speak up, and it's okay. We're not above bribing it out of you if that's what it takes ;) Let's just hope it continues and you show the same level of enthusiasm for turkey soup as you do for free stuff! We really do love "hearing" from you all, so thanks so much for all of the nice words (even if you were just sucking up ;) Make sure to check out the post below this one if you haven't entered the freebie drawing yet.
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So, soup. A few weeks ago when we did our Q and A post there were a few overwhelming requests via comments and email. Specifically we had tons of requests for Soups, low-budget meals, quick and easy meals, and low-cal options. This one gets 4 for 4! And actually, the other big request was slow-cooker meals, and you could totally put this in a crock pot so I'll give myself 5 points for this one.
I have a soup that I love that's made with Italian turkey sausage, fresh herbs, fresh tomatoes, etc. A few weeks ago when I was craving it, but out of ingredients, I decided it was a good time to give it a make-
under to see if I could come up with something equally delish, but less expensive, quicker, and a little healthier. Instead of turkey sausage, I just used ground turkey and seasoned it. Ground turkey is super lean and you can buy it in bulk and freeze for lots of budget friendly meals. Using dried herbs and canned tomatoes make it so fast to put together. You can literally have it done in 20 minutes start to finish. The finished soup also freezes well.
Now the really funny thing about this soup. Kate noticed the title of it on the schedule we share and asked what I had put in it because she had made an Italian Turkey soup on that same night. As we both spouted out our methods, we laughed realizing we had come up with the exact same thing! We really do share a brain, lol.
Italian Turkey SoupExtra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 lb ground turkey
1 small onion (about 3/4 C) diced
4-5 garlic cloves, minced
1 T Dry Italian seasoning (or I think Kate used
this)
Salt
Pepper
1 can (15oz) canned diced tomatoes
1 can (15oz) white beans (Cannelini, Great Northern, etc) drained and rinsed
32 oz chicken broth
(that's one box, or just use 2 cans which is just a few ounces less)1t dry oregano
1/4 t dry basil
1 T dried parsley (or about 1/4 C fresh)
4-6 C fresh spinach
(you could use frozen too)fresh Parmesan cheese
Pour a couple swigs of extra virgin olive oil (1-2 T) into a large stock pot. Turn burner to med-high heat.
When oil is nice and hot, add diced onions, minced garlic, and ground turkey. Stir to combine and add the 1T dry Italian seasoning, along with about 1/2 t salt and several turns of black pepper. Cook until turkey is completely cooked through. When you're browning ground beef or turkey for soup it's important to cook it all the way through before adding the liquid or it will end up mushy.
(If you want to cook this via slow-cooker, place the turkey mixture in the crock pot now and continue. Although, you may want to hold off adding your beans until about 15 minutes before you're ready to eat or they might turn to mush in there.)Add in canned tomatoes (including all the juice), the drained beans, and the chicken broth. Add oregano and basil and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and simmer for at least 10 minutes, and up to 20.
While soup is simmering chop spinach. I chop it up really small so my kiddo doesn't notice it's something healthy. Add in spinach and parsley and stir until wilted. Also, additional salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls and top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
For extra yumminess serve with
breadsticks or a warm
Panini hot off the grill.

Who's got soup weather today?