Turkey Kale Soup with Brown Rice
Healthy Turkey Kale Soup with Brown Rice is a cozy soup full of nutritious ingredients that comes together in just 30 minutes. This Ground Turkey Kale Soup will be your go-to winter soup!
Hi friends, Happy New Year! How were your holidays? I spent the past two weeks in San Francisco with Steve, but now it is back to reality. I wanted the first recipe of 2020 to be an updated version of one of my favorite recipes and one of the first posts I ever posted on here – Turkey Kale Soup with Brown Rice. [Can you believe Baked Ambrosia is already 4 years old??]
This Ground Turkey Kale Soup recipe has become a staple in our house since the first time I ever made it! It’s loaded with nourishing vegetables and spices, and bursting with lemon flavor.
My favorite part is that this recipe is made with leftover brown rice, which I always seem to have lots of. If you are using leftover rice, it comes together in just 30 minutes. If you don’t have any leftover rice, I have included in the recipe below how to prepare this soup with uncooked rice. (Note: if you are using uncooked rice, the soup will take a little bit longer to prepare.)
Healthy Turkey Kale Soup Recipe Ingredients
Let’s go over the ingredients used in this Turkey Kale Soup with Brown Rice recipe. Using fresh ingredients is key to producing the best tasting soup!
- Olive Oil: I always have a good neutral olive oil on hand for cooking. You can also use avocado oil in this turkey kale soup recipe!
- Ground turkey: I like to use 93% lean organic ground turkey in this recipe because it’s much more flavorful than 99% lean ground turkey.
- Vegetables: Onion, carrots, and red peppers are my favorite for this recipe.
- Spices and seasonings: I like to use Kirkland No-Salt Seasoning that I find at Costco in this recipe. I have also made it with Italian seasoning with delicious results! Turmeric adds great flavor and anti-inflammatory properties to this soup. The red pepper flakes and cayenne are completely optional, but highly recommended. They add a slight spiciness to the soup which really compliments the tartness of the lemon juice.
- Low-sodium chicken broth: Use your favorite store bought or homemade chicken broth or bone broth in this recipe. If using a store bought stock, I like to use a low-sodium version so that I can control the amount of salt in the recipe.
- Fire roasted tomatoes: I love the flavor of fire roasted tomatoes in this turkey kale soup recipe. However, you could use any type of canned diced tomatoes in this recipe.
- Brown rice: I love making this soup recipe when I have leftover brown rice. If you don’t have any leftover brown rice, use uncooked brown rice and follow the steps in the full recipe below. If you aren’t a fan of brown rice, you can swap it out for your favorite white rice!
- Kale: Curly kale and lacinato kale are my favorite varieties to use in this recipe. If kale isn’t your cup of tea, you can use spinach instead.
- Lemon juice: Fresh squeezed lemon juice is always best! Adjust the amount of lemons depending on your taste!
How To Make The Best Ground Turkey Kale Soup
This healthy turkey kale soup recipe is sooo easy to make! Let’s go through the steps to make sure you end up with the most delicious soup.
STEP ONE: SAUTE VEGETABLES
The first step in this Ground Turkey Kale Soup recipe is to saute the vegetables. Heat the olive oil in a dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the onions, carrots, and diced red bell pepper. Saute for about 8-10 minutes or until vegetables begin to soften.
STEP TWO: BROWN GROUND TURKEY AND ADD SPICES
Add the ground turkey to the pot and cook until the turkey is no longer pink. Then, add the seasoning, turmeric, red pepper flakes, cayenne, salt, black pepper, and cook for an additional minute.
STEP THREE: ADD BROTH, TOMATOES, AND RICE
Next, add the chicken broth or stock, canned diced tomatoes, and cooked brown rice and bring the mixture to a boil. If you are using uncooked rice, bring the soup to a boil, then cover and reduce the heat to a simmer. If you are using brown rice, cook the soup covered for 35-40 minutes. For white rice, cook the soup covered for 15-20 minutes.
STEP FOUR: STIR IN KALE AND LEMON JUICE
Once the rice is warmed through or cooked, stir in the kale and lemon juice. Cover the pot and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the kale is tender.
Healthy Turkey Kale Soup With Brown Rice Recipe FAQs
How do I freeze soup?
Freezing leftover soup is so easy and a great way to meal prep!
How to freeze soup:
- Cool: Make sure that the soup is completely cool before freezing it. This step is important for food safety and to prevent freezer burn.
- Pour soup into freezer safe container: After the soup has cooled down, ladle it into your freezer-safe container, squeeze out any excess air, and seal the container. My favorite options are Stasher bags or gallon-sized freezer bags. Label and date the containers with the name of the soup and the date it should be eaten by.
- Freeze: Lay the freezer bags in a flat section of your freezer and freeze!
How do I reheat frozen soup?
To reheat frozen soup, let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Then, empty the thawed soup into a pot and heat over medium-high heat until boiling.
How long does soup last?
Leftover soup will last up to 3 days in the refrigerator or up to 3 months in the freezer.
More Recipes You’ll Love!
- Ginger Sweet Potato and Zucchini Soup
- 30 Minute Healthy Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Kale and Roasted Cashew Fried Rice
- One-Pot Healthy Turkey and Sweet Potato Chili
- Healthy Sweet Potato and Turkey Shepherd’s Pie
If you make this recipe, take a photo and tag #bakedambrosia on Instagram and Facebook so that I can see your creations and feature them on Instagram! To stay up to date with the latest recipes, follow Baked Ambrosia on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube. ♡
Turkey Kale Soup with Brown Rice
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 3 medium carrots cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 large red bell pepper chopped
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 2 tsp no-salt seasoning or Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- dash of cayenne
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 15- oz can fire roasted crushed tomatoes
- 1 1/2 cup cooked brown rice or 3/4 cup uncooked brown rice
- 1 small bunch of kale roughly chopped (about 4 cups)
- 2 lemons juiced
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, and red bell pepper. Saute, stirring frequently, until the vegetables begin to soften, about 8-10 minutes.
- Add the ground turkey, and cook until meat is no longer pink.
- Add seasoning, turmeric, red pepper flakes, cayenne, salt, black pepper, and cook for an additional minute.
- Add chicken broth, canned tomatoes, and cooked rice. Bring to a boil. NOTE: If using uncooked brown rice, bring the pot to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to a simmer for 30-40 minutes. For white rice, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
- Stir in chopped kale and lemon juice. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
- Ladle the soup into bowls and serve.
Notes
- Cool: Make sure that the soup is completely cool before freezing it. This step is important for food safety and to prevent freezer burn.
- Pour soup into freezer safe container: After the soup has cooled down, ladle it into your freezer-safe container, squeeze out any excess air, and seal the container. My favorite options are Stasher bags or gallon-sized freezer bags. Label and date the containers with the name of the soup and the date it should be eaten by.
- Freeze: Lay the freezer bags in a flat section of your freezer and freeze!
- To reheat frozen soup, let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Then, empty the thawed soup into a pot and heat over medium-high heat until boiling.
- Leftover soup will last up to 3 days in the refrigerator or up to 3 months in the freezer.
So glad I came across this! Made it last tonight using leftover rotisserie chicken. So good! Thank you for sharing.
I’m glad you found these, Christopher! Perfect soup for leftover chicken
This has become a favorite in my house! thanks
Amazing! It’s such an easy and comforting soup!
Wonderful recipe. I had leftover shredded rotisserie chicken and used that instead of turkey. Next time, I will try it with ground turkey. Love it!
Thanks, Jenn! Love this soup with leftover chicken or turkey.
Turned out great. Even my picky eaters had second bowls!
Thank you!! Happy you enjoyed this soup recipe!