Winter is dragging on and hearty, flavorful soups are always on the menu during this time of the year. This soup is amazingly flavorful and super healthy for you. I chose ground turkey for the meat but Italian sausage would also work fine. The soup has lots of veggies to choose from: yellow squash, zucchini, spinach, carrots and more. I especially love the toasted sourdough croutons combined with melted Asiago cheese on top. To thicken up the soup I added a few cups of the base to a food processor. This recipe also works nicely in a crock pot but over the stove works perfectly fine as well. The fresh thyme and rosemary to flavor the stock complete the soup in a lovely way. This recipe is absolutely perfect for the cold winter weather!
Tuscan Bean Soup with Ground Turkey & Sourdough Croutons
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 large yellow onion diced
- 5 medium carrots small dice
- 4 celery stalks small dice
- 75 oz Cannellini Beans washed and drained
- 1.25 lb ground turkey
- 3 medium yellow squash diced
- 2 medium zucchini diced
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups frozen chopped spinach
- 1 1/2 tbsp fresh thyme minced
- 1 1/2 tbsp fresh rosemary minced
- 30 oz crushed tomatoes
- 1 tbsp red pepper flakes
- 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 8 to 10 cups chicken stock depending on desired consistency
- Sourdough croutons recipe below
- Shaved Asiago Parmesan or Romano cheese
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
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In a large stockpot, melt the butter and heat the olive oil.
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Add the onion, celery, and carrots. Cook 7-8 minutes until onions are translucent.
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Add the zucchini and squash, cook until soft, about 5 minutes.
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Add the garlic, red pepper flake, thyme, and rosemary. Cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
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Stir in the crushed tomatoes and beans.
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Transfer about 4-5 cups of the mixture into a food processor and pulse about 5 times until just pureed.
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Transfer back to the stockpot and add the rest of the chicken stock.
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Stir in the white wine vinegar, salt and pepper.
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Cook on low heat for about 6-7 hours (this is the point where you could transfer to a crock if you'd like).
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During the last 30 minutes of cooking, melt a little more butter in a saute pan.
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Add the ground turkey and brown, crumble apart as it cooks.
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Stir in the turkey and chopped spinach to the soup and cook for another 25 or so minutes.
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Serve with sourdough croutons and shaved cheese.
Sourdough Croutons
Ingredients
- 1 slice sourdough bread cut into 1 inch pieces
- 2 tsp olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 1 tsp crumbled parmesan cheese
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
Instructions
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Set the oven to the broil setting.
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In a medium sized bowl, toss the bread with olive oil, salt, pepper, parmesan, onion powder and garlic powder.
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Place on a lightly oiled flat pan.
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Broil for a few minutes, or until the croutons are toasted and brown. Remove from the oven and top each bowl of soup with the croutons.
