Prepared in the slow-cooker , this is a hearty, filling, vegetable-packed soup. Carrots, zucchini, onion, celery, tomatoes, beans, garlic and sundried-tomatoes come together for a delicious savory creation.
If you happen to have a lot of turkey left in your freezer from the recent Thanksgiving feast, this is a great option to help you use it up. It adds a nice dimension to this soup.
Don't be alarmed by the ingredient list. It is a long list, but there is nothing complicated about this recipe. You probably have the majority of the ingredients right now! It's a slow cooker recipe--the hardest part will be chopping all the veggies.
The soup gets a real nice flavor from the sundried tomatoes. Use a small food processor to blend the sundried tomatoes, basil, garlic, Parmesan and olive oil (first 5 ingredients) into a paste.
This soup is what I would refer to as the definition of a “hearty soup”. It is PACKED with veggies, beans and noodles. It is primarily veggies, so it is actually a very light meal. But again, it is primarily veggies so it is a very filling meal too!
I think I’ve mentioned before—my kids are not big on soup in general. However they did
pretty good with this one. They ate all the parts separately, but they definitely gave it a good try. For the kids, I paired it with a grilled cheese sandwich and pears.
The Meal:
2 cups of soup
½ oz Mozzarella cheese
1 dinner roll
Recipe Used in this meal:
Turkey Minestrone Soup
Serving size: 2 cups
Servings per Recipe: 10
Ingredients
¼ cup Sundried Tomatoes (oil packed, drained)
¼ cup fresh basil leaves
1 tsp garlic (minced)
1 Tbsp Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 (15oz) cans of diced tomatoes
3 Tbsp tomato paste
6 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
1 1/3 cup carrot (diced)
3 stalks of celery (diced)
1 ½ cup onion (diced)
1 Tbsp garlic (minced)
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp rosemary
2 bay leaves
1 (15oz) can red kidney beans (drained/rinsed)
1 (15oz) can white beans (drained/rinsed)
2 ½ cups zucchini (with skin, diced)
2 cups ditalini pasta (uncooked)
12 oz shredded turkey
Directions
In a small food processor, add sun dried tomatoes, garlic, basil, Parmesan and olive oil. Process until well blended.
In a large crock pot, add sun dried tomato mixture, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, chicken broth, water, carrot, celery, onion, garlic, oregano, rosemary, and bay leaves. Cook on low 4-6 hours.
30 minutes before ready to serve, add beans, zucchini, pasta and turkey. Cook on high an additional 20-25 minutes.
Stir to combine ingredients and test pasta for doneness. Serve warm.
Variations:
Vegetarian—Leave out the turkey and substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth.
Gluten Free—leave out the noodles, or substitute with gluten free pasta of choice.
Nutrition Facts Label for Entire Meal:
Nutrition Facts Label for Turkey Minestrone Soup:
