Yesterday was a day best spent inside, cozy and warm; it definitely felt like Fall with gloomy skies and wind that was quite chilly! Since we live in Ohio though, today is the exact opposite and it almost feels like Summer again (which I’m okay with as you can guess)! Yesterday was a definite soup making kind of day and today I’m craving some fresh squeezed lemonade. The back and forth is a little less than desirable, but I will certainly take all the days of open windows and fresh air blowing through the house we can get before that terribly cold season is soon upon us! Speaking of back and forth, let’s rewind to yesterday. One way to embrace the chilly Fall days is to make something delicious in the kitchen that will warm your home and your soul. I decided to give an Italian turkey bean soup a try for a new recipe to add to our Fall and Winter menus this year! Let me tell you, it did not disappoint!

Now, my step-daughter saw the green “leaves” and chunks of juicy tomatoes and immediately lost interest. Yes, we’re still working on expanding those taste buds of hers 🙂 I have a couple adult friends who still hate vegetables so I’m not sure how much hope there is for Miss Hailey, but we’ll keep trying! My husband on the other hand enjoyed the soup as much as I did and we both had seconds! It was perfectly comforting on a rainy Saturday and couldn’t have been easier to make!

Thirty minutes in the kitchen is all you need to mix up this meal! That means you can even plan this soup for a weeknight dinner when time to spend in the kitchen is inevitably limited. In my opinion, you can never have too many quick and healthy go-to recipes for such evenings! Another bonus, easy lunch the next day! I’m already planning to pack this in my lunch bag tomorrow morning for a lunch I can look forward to heating up! With more chilly days upon us, I hope you all find this as delicious and comforting as we did! Enjoy!

Turkey, Bean and Spinach Soup

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 pound extra lean ground turkey
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• pinch of red pepper flakes
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (15.8 ounce) can great northern beans, drained and rinsed
• 8 ounces baby spinach
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, and more for garnish

Instructions:

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Brown the turkey with onions, garlic, red pepper flakes and pepper until turkey is cooked through and onions are translucent.
2. Add oregano, basil, diced tomatoes (with liquid) and beans. Stir to mix well.
3. Reduce heat to medium-low, add spinach and cover until spinach is wilted. Uncover and stir again.
4. Add chicken broth, stir and increase heat to medium. Continue to cook until heated through, 5 – 10 minutes.
5. Remove from heat, add parmesan cheese and stir constantly until melted.
6. Serve immediately with extra cheese sprinkled on top for garnish.

 

As always, thanks for reading!!