Turkey Lentil Soup
Turkey Lentil Soup – easily made with ground turkey OR leftover Thanksgiving turkey. A delicious, hearty soup packed with turkey, vegetables and lentils.
Soup is my go-to in the winter months. It hits the spot on a cold day and it’s a great way to clean out the refrigerator and pantry.
I’m always on the prowl for new soup recipes and Turkey Lentil Soup is one of my favorites for a few reasons: it whips up quickly but has the rich flavor of soup that’s simmered for hours, it’s a triple threat of nutrition: turkey, lentils and V-8 juice and I can make it using either ground turkey or leftover Thanksgiving turkey when I can’t eat even one more turkey sandwich.
Turkey Lentil Soup for the win.
Turkey Lentil Soup Instructions:
Start by adding a drizzle of olive oil in whatever pot you make soup in. Add the ground turkey and season it with salt and pepper, breaking up the meat as it cooks.
Drop in the chopped carrots, celery and onion and grate in couple cloves of garlic, add the cumin and season with salt and pepper. Continue cooking 6-8 minutes over medium heat until the carrots start to soften.
Stir in the tomato paste and cook another 2 minutes then add the diced tomatoes, bay leaf and lentils, stirring to combine.
Pour in the V8 juice, lemon juice and chicken stock and if your Parmesan cheese has a rind, add it into the pot too for another level of flavor.
** If you’re using leftover turkey, add it to the pot now.
Cover and simmer about 20 minutes or until the lentils are just about done but still have a little bite to them.
Stir in the pasta (I used ditalini but any small pasta works) and simmer (covered) another 8-10 minutes or until the pasta and lentils are tender.
Alphabet or other shaped pasta is a fun option if you have small kids in your house.
Add the chopped parsley, blending and serve with grated or shaved parmesan and a nice crusty bread or grilled cheese.
Enjoy!
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Turkey Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- Olive oil
- 1 pound ground turkey OR 2 cups chopped leftover turkey
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 medium onion diced
- 2 medium carrots chopped
- 2 stalks of celery chopped
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 cloves garlic grated
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 14 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 3/4 cup lentils green used
- 5 cups V8 juice
- 2 1/2 cups chicken stock
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1/2 cup ditalini pasta dry/uncooked
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley finely chopped
- Freshly grated parmesan cheese + rind if it has one
Instructions
- Drizzle about 1 tablespoon of olive oil in the soup pot and once it's hot, add the ground turkey. Season with salt and pepper, breaking up the meat as it cooks.
- Drop in the carrots, celery and onion and grate in the garlic, then add the cumin and season this next layer with salt and pepper as well. Cook 6-8 minutes over medium heat until the carrots start to soften.
- Stir in the tomato paste and cook another 2 minutes then add the diced tomatoes, bay leaf and lentils.
- Pour in the V8 juice, lemon juice and chicken stock and if your Parmesan cheese has a rind, add it into the pot too.
- Cover and simmer about 20 minutes or until the lentils are just about done but still have a little bite to them.
- Stir in the pasta, cover and simmer 8-10 minutes or until the pasta is al dente and the lentils are tender.
- Add the chopped parsley, blending and serve with grated or shaved parmesan.
DIRECTIONS USING LEFTOVER TURKEY
- If using leftover turkey, omit the ground turkey. Leftover turkey should be added after V8 and chicken stock.
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