Ground Turkey Soup Recipe

This Ground Turkey Soup Recipe is a mouthwatering combination of mushrooms, potatoes, and roasted green chiles in a rich, tasty broth. This delicious one-pot dish makes a healthy, flavorful, and a hearty meal.

My dad created this soup, inspired by his amazing Pork Green Chile Stew, and it is just as fabulous as the inspiration. The first time I took a bite of it, I immediately fell in love. I couldn’t believe I was eating ground turkey.

Every bite of this hearty soup is loaded with incredible flavor, a rich broth, a mix of vegetables, and a little spice. It is a perfect one pot meal, but also so good served alongside some Mexican rice, beans and tortillas.

Why You'll Love This Turkey Soup Recipe

• Loaded with Vegetables: The soup is filled with green chiles, mushrooms, spinach, potatoes, onion and garlic and all compliment each other so well.

• Full of Nutrients: The many vegetables and ground turkey already make this such a nutritious recipe, but if you use bone broth the nutritional value and protein is even higher.

• Whole30 Compatible: Easily make this a Whole30 meal by using tapioca starch and compatible broth.

• One-Pot Recipe: I love when a whole delicious meal comes together in one pot for minimal dishes and ease.

The Ingredients

• Ground Turkey: If you’re trying to stay away from red meat, ground turkey is a great option. It’s a lower fat alternative, tends to be pretty affordable, and lends itself perfectly to many dishes. I used to not like ground turkey, but I think I just hadn’t found the right ways to prepare it. This is a great recipe because there are so many ingredients working together that really help transform the flavor of the turkey. I also have learned that ground turkey tends to dry out, so it’s important to sauté it in a little bit of oil when cooking.

• Roasted Green Chiles: Use either roasted Pueblo, Hatch or Anaheim chiles. It is so easy to roast your own green chiles at home. Then you can freeze them and have them on hand for recipes like this soup. Click here to learn how to roast green chiles at home. If you are unable to roast your own, then my other recommendation is to buy frozen roasted green chiles. These are just frozen green chiles without any additives. They are readily available in the freezer section of many grocery stores and you can even order them online at places like The Hatch Chile Store.

• Tapioca Starch : This starch, also known as tapioca powder, comes from the root of the cassava plant. It is gluten-free and a great thickener for soups and sauces. Arrowroot powder and cornstarch are other great gluten-free options. If gluten is not an issue, regular all-purpose flour works too.

• Bone Broth: I highly recommend using bone broth for an enhanced flavor, a richer-tasting broth and added nutrients. Another option I recommend is using pork broth. It might sound strange to you to combine turkey and pork, but let me tell you, it’s absolutely incredible in this dish. It adds a great depth of flavor, and again, makes the broth in this soup so rich and tasty. If you’re interested in using pork broth, simply save the broth after you’ve made my Everyday Shredded Pork. I usually freeze the broth to have on hand for recipes such as this.

• Ground Cumin: Cumin is a powerful spice that tends to be overused. When it comes to cumin in Mexican cooking, a little bit goes a long way. You don’t want the dish to taste like cumin, instead just a little pinch of cumin will help round out the flavors in the soup without actually being detected.

• Mushrooms: Use either white button mushrooms or baby bella mushrooms.

• Spinach: I prefer the flavor that fresh spinach adds. However, if you only have frozen that will work but you may only want to use ½ a cup as frozen spinach as it tends to have a stronger flavor than fresh.

• Potatoes: I use russet potatoes, but red or Yukon gold potatoes also work.

• Onion

• Garlic

• Salt

• Ground Black Pepper

Kettle & Fire is a great brand of cooking broths and bone broths that use clean-ingredients and add depth of flavor to any dish. Use my code EVERYDAYLATINA and to get 20% off your order. Click here to order.

How to Make Soup with Ground Turkey

1. Cook the Turkey

• Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high.
• Add 1 ½ pounds of ground turkey, season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Use the back of a mixing spoon to break up the turkey into smaller pieces.
• After about 5 minutes, add ½ a diced onion and 1 diced garlic clove. Sauté until soft and fragrant and the turkey is no longer pink.

2. Make a Slurry

• Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together 1 tablespoon of tapioca starch (arrowroot powder, cornstarch or flour will also work) with 1 tablespoon of cold water.
• Stir in the tapioca slurry with the turkey.

3. Add Vegetables

• Next, add 1 diced Roma tomato and sauté for 1 minute.
• Then, add 6 roasted, peeled and diced chiles. Keep in mind the spice level of the chiles can vary. If you’re worried about the spiciness, start with less chiles and add more in the end if more spice is desired.
• At this point, add 1 pound of sliced mushrooms and 1 cup of fresh, chopped spinach.

4. Add Broth and Potatoes

• Add 4 cups of broth and enough water to cover the mixture, about 2 cups.
• Bring to a simmer and add 1 large peeled and diced potato.
• Season with salt, pepper, and ¼ teaspoon of ground cumin.
• Continue to simmer until the potatoes are fork-tender but not falling apart, about 10-15 minutes.

5. Adjust Seasoning

• Taste and add more salt and pepper as needed.
• If the soup is not spicy enough to your liking, add another 1-2 chiles.

How to Serve

This turkey vegetable soup is great served by itself in a big bowl. It is the best option if you are following Whole30.

However, you can also serve it with some corn tortillas alongside one of the following:

• Arroz Rojo (Mexican Red Rice)
• Instant Pot Pinto Beans
• Instant Pot Buttery White Rice

Storing and Reheating

Store this soup in an air-tight container for 3-4 days or in the freezer for 2 months.

To reheat, pour in a small pot over medium heat and cook until hot. You can also microwave it in a microwaveable safe bowl until heated through.

Tips and Variations

• If you like less spice in your food, you can always add less chiles than what the recipe calls for or use a spoon to scoop out the veins and seeds from the inside of the chiles, where most of the heat is found.
• Do not use the canned green chiles. In my experience, they do not add any spice. Plus, the additives always add a different flavor that can change how the recipe tastes.
• You can definitely use regular chicken broth if that’s what you have on hand.
• If following Whole30, check the ingredients of your broth to be sure it is compatible.

I hope you enjoy!

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW IF YOU MAKE THIS OR TAG ME ON INSTAGRAM @EVERYDAYLATINA.

More Soup Recipes

• Caldo de Albóndigas (Mexican Meatball Soup)
• Sopa de Verduras (Mexican Vegetable Soup)
• Slow Cooker Menudo
• Frijoles Charros (Mexican Charro Beans)
• Pantry White Chicken Chili with Hominy

Recipe

Originally published January 29, 2022. Updated post November 2022.