Jan 11th, 2008
Italian White Bean and Spinach Soup
In our quest to eat lighter and less rich meals, I made Italian white bean and spinach soup today. It's been rainy and chilly in San Francisco, so a nice bowl of warm, comforting soup was perfect for dinner.
I wanted a quick fix meal and opted for canned cannellini beans. Sometimes you just don't want to presoak beans or simmer them for an hour. And instead of using the traditional pancetta or ham, I replaced it with healthier ground turkey. It's a super simple recipe that can be made in thirty minutes or less, definitely less if you aren't snapping pictures.
The soup has great flavors from the herbs, onions, garlic and ground turkey. Add a dash of hot sauce, and it's even better. We had crusty Italian country bread with the soup. It's a simple, satisfying soup that's easy to make. What else would you want, besides a bowl right now?
Italian White Bean, Spinach and Turkey Soup Recipe
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound ground turkey
4-5 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary or 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 (15.5 ounce) can cannellini beans or other white beans, rinsed and drained
4 cups (32 ounces) low-sodium chicken stock
12-14 ounces fresh spinach, chopped
Salt and pepper
Directions:
1) In a medium stock pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add ground turkey, season with a dash of salt and pepper, break into small pieces and brown for 3-4 minutes. Drain excess fat, if necessary. Add garlic and onions and sauté for 4-5 minutes, until onions are soft.
2) Add cannellini beans, thyme, rosemary and chicken stock. Bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Mix in chopped spinach and simmer 5 more minutes. Adjust seasonings to taste. Serve with some crusty Italian country bread.
Makes 4 to 6 servings
My, that does look very delicious. I just want to sink my teeth into that bread. Hehe. I love spinach. Have you tried making spinach dip?
Those are just fantastic photos of a delicious soup—love the various pictures to click on! It’s is snowing here, soup is planned for my supper!
Total comfort food! I love using ground turkey in soups — adds body without extra fat. I always keep the rinds from Parmigiano-Reggiano in my fridge, and I throw one in with any soup like this. It adds wonderful depth of flavor.
Ooooh, so lovely and comforting! Delicious. :)
I made this last night using ground chicken and it was just what the doctor ordered on a cold winter’s night! We ate it with a fresh baguette and some black olive tapanade - yum!
Also, I used just the solids from the soup and added some egg pastina (little star shaped pasta) and steamed carrots and our baby loved it too! Thanks for the recipe!
Last night was my 4th time making this soup since I found this recipe. I’ve tweaked it a little every time. I’d like to suggest adding about 4 pieces of ginger (about the size of two large garlic cloves cut in half) when adding the garlic. It gives the broth some extra depth and makes it even tastier! Just be sure to avoid accidentally eating them with the soup. I also add two cans of beans instead of one.
Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Emma! I like the sound of the ginger. I’ll have to give it a try next time. I was torn about adding one or two cans of beans. I think the last time I made this soup, I added a can of beans the next day when heating the leftovers. Thanks for your feedback!