Turkey and Veggies Soup: Leftovers!

Turkey and Veggies Soup

I made this soup on Easter in an effort to use up fresh ingredients I had on hand (so that nothing would go bad or go to waste). It ended up being one of my favorite soups EVER. I did not take the most precise measurements! So I am typing this up to help me remember what I did so that I can duplicate this soup in the future. 

Ordinarily when I make soup, I use about 4 cups of chicken broth and a can or two of fire roasted diced tomatoes as a soup base.  This time around, I had no canned tomatoes but I found a plastic baggie containing about 1/2 cup tomato paste in my freezer so I used that.  I just threw the frozen tomato paste popsicle right into the chicken broth in the soup pot.  Turns out the chicken broth/tomato paste combination makes a really nice soup base.  For spices, I added in dried oregano, dried basil, dried marjoram, and garlic powder.  I used veggies I had on hand and I used the quantities I had on hand, but you can add in more or less based upon what you may have on hand and based upon what you like (or don't like). 

Turkey and Veggies Soup

1 pound lean ground turkey (93% lean); Jennie-O brand

1/2 tsp dried marjoram

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp kosher salt (if your broth or tomato paste have added salt, use less salt or none)

1/2 onion, diced (I used a sweet onion)

1 to 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

1 orange bell pepper, diced

1/2 cup carrots, chopped

1/2 cup celery, chopped

4 cloves garlic, finely diced

4 cups (32 ounces) chicken broth (reduced sodium)

4-6 tablespoons tomato paste (no added salt) -- about 1/2 of a 6 oz. can

2 to 3 handfuls of fresh spinach or more if desired

1/2 to 1 teaspoon granulated sugar

In a medium sized skillet, cook, crumble, and brown the ground turkey.  While the turkey browns, add in the 6 spices (from marjoram to salt listed above). Continue cooking until no pink remains; set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium to medium high heat.  Add in the bell pepper, carrots, celery and onion.  Cook, stirring frequently, for 3 to 5 minutes.  Add in the garlic and cook 1 additional minute.  Add in the chicken broth, tomato paste, ground turkey, and spinach. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover with a lid, and simmer until veggies are desired tenderness.

Adjust seasoning with additional salt, pepper, and sugar, as desired.

We went for a nice long hike on Easter Sunday. Here are some photos from our time on the trail.

We encountered just a little bit of snow up high.

My hike ended up being longer than expected!  It's usually about a 6 mile hike round trip. On the way down the trail, I realized I had left Sandy's leash at the very top of the trail. I hiked back up to retrieve it.  It was a nice leash. I got a good workout!