Ground Turkey Soup with Rice

Ground Turkey Soup with Rice and a plethora of vegetables makes the coziest comfort food for chilly weather. High in protein and fiber for a satisfying clean eating dinner recipe!

For me, this ground turkey soup with rice is everything I look for in a clean meal. It contains a decent amount of protein, a huge variety of veggies for a boost of fiber, and complex carbs from the brown rice. 

A definite win for those who are cognizant of their fiber and protein intake!

Not to mention, it tastes so refreshing with a bit of an Italian-inspired flavor profile.

This is a great soup recipe for those looking to increase the amount and variety of veggies because you can toss in any of your favorite vegetables. 

Because this healthy soup recipe happens to be lower in calories, it is also a great option for those who are looking to reduce their daily caloric intake or follow a low calorie diet while still feeling full and satisfied.

After all, fiber and protein are two incredible building blocks for satiating meals.

Let’s discuss the basic ingredients for this easy healthy soup recipe!

Ingredients for Ground Turkey Soup with Rice:

Ground Turkey: The star ingredients here, we use lean ground turkey to add hearty protein to the meal. 

Vegetables: Yellow onion, garlic, bell pepper, carrots, zucchini, broccoli, baby spinach, and sun-dried tomatoes are great fresh vegetables for adding to soup recipes.

The beauty of soup is you can toss almost any vegetables in and be guaranteed a delicious result.

Chicken Broth and Diced Tomatoes: The broth is a combination of chicken broth and diced tomatoes. You can also use vegetable broth, chicken stock, or bone broth. 

Seasonings: Sea salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, and Italian seasoning. All we need to season the soup is basic salt and pepper and some dried herbs like Italian seasoning.

Add kosher salt to your personal taste and be sure you use a low-sodium broth to ensure the soup doesn’t turn out too salty.

Cooked Brown Rice: Rather than using white rice, I like using brown rice in soups because the whole grain contains fiber, which lessens the impact on blood sugar.

I have noticed in soups, brown rice takes even longer to cook than if you cook it on its own, so I typically prepare the rice separately and add it once the soup has finished cooking.

I also make big batches of brown rice for meal prep so I typically have a great deal of leftover brown rice on hand.

All of that said, you can easily add uncooked white rice in the soup if you’d like. I just don’t recommend using uncooked brown rice unless you are prepared to cook the soup for an hour or longer.

Avocado Oil: Used to sauté the onion and brown the ground turkey, we need a good quality cooking oil. I prefer using avocado oil over olive oil because olive oil tends to burn when cooking at high temperatures.

Recipe Customizations:

• Add chopped artichoke hearts, kalamata olives, or a parmesan rind for extra flavor.
• Swap out the ground turkey for ground chicken, ground beef, or 1 to 1.5 pounds of chopped boneless skinless chicken breasts. Leftover rotisserie chicken works great too!
• Exchange cauliflower rice for the regular rice for a low carb option or a grain-free option. I suggest doing this if you follow a medically restrictive diet.
• Use any of your favorite vegetables, including cauliflower, fresh tomatoes, celery, mushrooms, bok choy, green beans, peas, red potatoes, etc.
• If you have a turkey carcass leftover from a holiday feast, feel free to use leftover turkey in this delicious recipe.
• Use your own homemade turkey stock or bone broth instead of chicken broth.
• Adjust the amount of broth you use based on whether you’re going for a brothy soup or a hearty soup. I err on the side of less broth so I stick with 5 cups.
• Adding one cup of full-fat coconut milk or heavy creamy is the perfect way to add some creaminess to the soup.

Now that we have the basic ingredients for ground turkey and rice soup down, let’s make a pot of soup!

How to Make Ground Turkey Soup with Rice:

Heat the avocado oil in a thick-bottomed large pot (such as a Dutch oven) over medium-high heat.

Add the chopped onion and sauté, stirring occasionally, until the onion has softened, about 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in the minced garlic and continue sautéing 2 to 3 minutes, or until the garlic is fragrant. 

Scoot the onion and garlic off to one side of the pot and place the ground turkey meat on the open surface. Brown the turkey meat for a few minutes before mixing it in with the onion.

Add the Italian seasoning, chopped bell peppers, carrot, zucchini, broccoli, and sun-dried tomatoes to the pot and give everything a big stir.

Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, before adding in the chicken broth and diced tomatoes.

Cover the pot and bring the soup to a full boil, then reduce to medium-low heat. Cook 15-20 minutes, or until vegetables reach desired level of doneness. Base the cooking time on how soft or al dente you like your vegetables.

I prefer soft veggies in my soup recipes so I cook for 20 minutes. While the soup cooks, you can prepare your brown rice in a large saucepan following the package instructions if you don’t have leftover rice prepared already.

Add the cooked brown rice and baby spinach to the pot. Cover the pot and continue cooking for another 2 to 3 minutes, or until the spinach has wilted.

Taste the soup for flavor and add sea salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes to your personal taste. You can also add a drizzle of fresh lemon juice if you’d like.

Stir well and serve soup in big bowls with crusty bread or cornbread. If you do dairy, sprinkle some freshly grated parmesan cheese over the soup before enjoying.

Store leftover soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

You can freeze soup in zip lock bags for up to 3 months. If you do this, allow the soup to cool completely before transferring it to the large zip lock. Seal the bag then place it inside another zip lock and seal (double bag it).

One of the best parts about this great recipe, is it tastes even better the 3-4 days following preparation, once all of the flavors have had time to develop. In this sense, it is ideal for meal prep for weekday meals.

If you prefer cooking using your pressure cooker or slow cooker, feel free to switch the cooking method accordingly. I find homemade soups like this are easy to prepare on the stove top and still turn out with so much flavor in spite of being relatively quick to prepare.

The perfect comfort food no matter the time of year, this healthy ground turkey soup recipe is a great way of enjoying lean protein and fresh vegetables to keep meals tasting fresh and delicious.

This flavorful soup is one of my go-to recipes when I’m looking for a delicious meal in a hurry, as it only requires a few minutes of active prep time and not much cook time. 

For those of you who are into using ground turkey in soups, also try my Ground Turkey Curry Soup, Ground Turkey Taco Soup and my Hearty Ground Turkey Soup with Vegetables.

If you love healthy recipes like this one, also try these gems.

More Healthy Soup Recipes:

• Crock Pot Sausage and Cabbage Soup  
• Albondigas Soup  
• Crock Pot Curry Lentil Soup  
• Wild Rice Chicken Soup  
• Crock Pot Steak and Potato Soup  

Bowls of soup on repeat!

Ground Turkey Soup with Rice

This fresh, hearty soup recipe is loaded with clean protein and dietary fiber for a complete, healthy meal! Mix it up with your favorite veggies and put it on repeat!

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Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

4 Servings

Equipment

• ▢
  large pot such as a Dutch oven

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 Tbsp avocado oil
• ▢ 1 yellow onion, chopped
• ▢ 4 cloves garlic, minced
• ▢ 1 pound ground turkey
• ▢ 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
• ▢ 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• ▢ 1 large carrot, chopped
• ▢ 1 medium-sized zucchini, chopped
• ▢ 1 small crown broccoli, chopped
• ▢ ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes, optional
• ▢ 1 (15-oz) can diced tomatoes
• ▢ 5 to 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth*
• ▢ 2 to 3 cups cooked brown rice**
• ▢ 5 ounces baby spinach
• ▢ 1 tsp sea salt, to taste
• ▢ ¼ tsp black pepper, to taste
• ▢ ¼ tsp red pepper flakes, optional

Instructions

• Heat the avocado oil in a thick-bottomed large pot (such as a Dutch oven) over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and sauté, stirring occasionally, until the onion has softened, about 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in the minced garlic and continue sautéing 2 to 3 minutes, or until the garlic is fragrant.
• Scoot the onion and garlic off to one side of the pot and place the ground turkey meat on the open surface. Brown the turkey meat for a few minutes before mixing it in with the onion.
• Add the Italian seasoning, chopped bell peppers, carrot, zucchini, broccoli, and sun-dried tomatoes to the pot and give everything a big stir. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, before adding in the chicken broth and diced tomatoes. Cover the pot and bring the soup to a full boil, then reduce to medium-low heat. Cook 15-20 minutes, or until vegetables reach desired level of doneness. Base the cooking time on how soft or al dente you like your vegetables. I prefer soft veggies in my soup recipes so I cook for 20 minutes. While the soup cooks, you can prepare your brown rice in a large saucepan following the package instructions if you don’t have leftover rice prepared already.
• Add the cooked brown rice and baby spinach to the pot. Cover the pot and continue cooking for another 2 to 3 minutes, or until the spinach has wilted. Taste the soup for flavor and add sea salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes to your personal taste. You can also add a drizzle of fresh lemon juice if you’d like. Stir well and serve soup in big bowls with crusty bread or cornbread. If you do dairy, sprinkle some freshly grated parmesan cheese over the soup before enjoying.

Notes

*Add or reduce the amount of broth based on how “soupy” you like your soups. I like my soups hearty so I use 5 cups of broth.

**Use pre-cooked brown rice for the best results. Using ½ cup of uncooked brown rice will work, but the soup will take longer to cook (60+ minutes). You can replace the cooked brown rice with cooked white rice or ½ cup uncooked white rice. If adding uncooked white rice, do so at the same time as adding the chicken broth and add an additional 2 cups of broth.

Nutrition

Serving: 1Serving (of 4) – Calories: 465kcal – Carbohydrates: 48g – Protein: 50g – Fat: 10g – Saturated Fat: 2g – Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g – Monounsaturated Fat: 5g – Cholesterol: 80mg – Sodium: 833mg – Fiber: 8g – Sugar: 11g

Course: Main Dishes

Cuisine: American

Keyword: gluten free dinner recipes, ground turkey soup, ground turkey soup with rice, healthy dinner recipes, healthy soup recipes, healthy soups

Servings: 4 Servings

Calories: 465kcal

Author: Julia

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