Lemon white bean soup with turkey and greens is the nourishing meal to warm up with during the cold months. Made with feel good ingredients, it's the perfect everyday soup.
Winter is officially here and I can't say I'm happy about it. I may not love the freezing cold weather, but at least it's prime season for cozying up with an oat milk hot chocolate and making soup every night for dinner.
Some of my favorite soups recently have been tortellini spinach soup and broccoli cheddar soup, but when I tested this lemon white bean soup the other day it was an instant success.
I made this lemon white bean soup with turkey and greens, so it's full of nutrients, protein and fibre to keep you healthy during flu season. Enjoying a hearty soup like this one is also guaranteed to cure the winter blues, especially when served with a crusty piece of sourdough bread.
If you're looking for an everyday soup to turn to this winter, look no further! This lemon white bean soup is it.
Why This Recipe Is Dietitian Approved
- Extra protein and fibre. Many soups tend to lack in fibre and protein, especially if they're primarily cream based. This soup has both ground turkey and white beans, which are loaded with lean protein and fibre to keep you full.
- One pot meal. The best part about soups is that they're easy one pot meals. Less mess, less stress.
- Soothing and flavourful. The world feels overwhelming around this time of year, but having a hot bowl of lemon white bean soup to warm your whole body makes it 0.001x more manageable.
Ingredients
Oil. For a serving of monounsaturated healthy fats, I opted to use extra virgin olive oil in this recipe. If you prefer using avocado oil, vegetable oil or even butter, those work too.
Mirepoix. This is a French term that refers to diced onion, celery and carrots that are sauteed in a fat that to bring flavour and texture to the base of soups.
Garlic. I always recommend using fresh garlic for optimal flavour, however preminced works fine.
Spices. Salt, black pepper, cumin, dried rosemary, dried oregano and red pepper flakes are the spices you will need to make this flavour-packed soup.
Kale. I recommend using green curly kale for a less bitter tasting green. Other kale variations such as dino kale tend to have a rougher, more bitter after-taste. If you don't have kale, try spinach, cabbage or coleslaw mix.
Ground turkey. For our main protein source, we used extra lean ground turkey. I love using ground turkey in recipes as it’s a great way to decrease the saturated fat content of recipes that may typically use ground beef. Ground chicken is another lean protein option, but ground beef or sausage (with casing removed) also work.
White beans. White navy beans or white cannellini beans will both work great in this recipe. I don't recommend using chickpeas for the creamy base, but you can swap them for the whole white beans.
Chicken broth. I always look for low-sodium chicken broth. This is a great way to limit your sodium intake and customize the amount of sodium in your soups.
Lemon. Make sure you use fresh lemons for the best fresh flavour. In this recipe we use both the zest and the juice of one lemon.
Herbs. Fresh dill helps add so much flavour and brightness to this soup. I highly recommend using fresh dill if you can, as dried dill won’t have quite the same freshness to it.
Parmesan cheese. Optional, though highly recommended. Grated fresh pram adds a hit of umami, salt and savoury goodness to this soup.
The complete ingredient list with measurements can be found in the recipe card below.
Instructions
To a large pot, add oil and heat over medium-high heat. Once hot, add yellow onions, carrots, celery and garlic. Reduce heat to medium- low and saute, stirring frequently until soft and onions appear translucent (about 5 minutes).
Add salt, black pepper, cumin, oregano, rosemary and red pepper flakes. Stir and allow to cook until fragrant, for about 1 minute.
Create a well in the center of the vegetables, and add ground turkey meat. Use a spatula to gently break up the meat, cook until brown and no longer pink in colour (about 5-7 minutes).
While the turkey is cooking, combine 1 can of the cannellini beans with 2 cups of chicken broth in a food processor or high powered blender. Blend until smooth.
Once turkey is cooked, add the blended beans, the remaining chicken broth, remaining can of beans and the lemon juice and zest. Stir. Bring to a simmer over medium heat (uncovered) for about 15-20 minutes, this will help thicken the soup.
Stir in kale and fresh dill and adjust seasonings to desired taste.
To serve, top with parmesan cheese and extra red pepper flakes.
Substitutions and Variations
To make gluten-free: This recipe is naturally gluten-free. If you are looking for a gluten-free bread to serve, I highly recommend Queen St. Bakery
To make dairy-free: Skip the Parmesan or use a vegan alternative.
To make vegan: Skip the turkey, Parmesan and substitute chicken broth for vegetable broth. This soup will still be a great balanced option thanks to the beans. You could also add a vegan plant-based ground meat if that is available.
To make nut-free: This recipe is naturally nut-free.
Equipment
- Vegetable dicer (optional)
Storage
Store leftover lemon white bean soup in the fridge for up to 4 days in an airtight container.
For longer storage, divide soup amongst smaller containers and allow to cool fully before sealing them. Freeze for up to 3 months. When you are ready to enjoy, allow the soup to defrost in the fridge overnight and heat on the stove or in the microwave until warm.
Top Tip
Use a vegetable dicer to make the prep even easier! I love using this one for my onions, carrots and celery,
Frequently Asked Questions
Blending the beans is a great dietitian hack creating a thicker, creamier base without needing heavy cream. It's also high in protein and fibre which we love! I highly recommend blending the beans for the ultimate texture in this soup.
However, if you wish to skip that step to make it even easier, just add all of the chicken broth and whole beans into the soup before bringing it to a simmer.
I do not recommend adding any grains into this soup as I have not personally tested it and I believe it will affect how thick this soup becomes.
More Cozy Soup Recipes
I love soup! Here are some more faves:
- Panera Thai Chicken Soup (Copycat)
- Easy Vegan Cauliflower and Chickpea Soup
- The Ultimate Cozy High Protein Lentil Soup
- Easy Broccoli Cheddar Soup (Gluten Free)
PS. I love seeing my recipes in action! If you decide to make my lemon white bean soup with turkey and greens, don't forget to snap a photo and tag me on Instagram- @nourishedbynic or leave a comment and rating below letting me know how you liked it!
📖 Recipe
Lemon White Bean Soup with Turkey and Greens
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion diced (about 2.5 cups)
- 1 large carrot diced (about 1.5 cups)
- 3 celery stalks diced (about 2 cups)
- 3 cloves garlic pressed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ tablespoon dried oregano
- ½ tablespoon dried rosemary
- Red pepper flakes to taste
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth divided
- 2 540 mL cans white cannelini beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1 lemon juice and zest
- 3 cups of curly kale leaves finely chopped
- 2 tablespoon fresh dill
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese shredded for topping
Instructions
- To a large pot, add oil and heat over medium-high heat. Once hot, add yellow onions, carrots, celery and garlic. Reduce heat to medium- low and saute, stirring frequently until soft and onions appear translucent (about 5 minutes).
- Add salt, black pepper, cumin, oregano, rosemary and red pepper flakes. Stir and allow to cook until fragrant, for about 1 minute.
- Create a well in the center of the vegetables, and add ground turkey meat. Use a spatula to gently break up the meat, cook until brown and no longer pink in colour (about 5-7 minutes).
- While the turkey is cooking, combine 1 can of the cannellini beans with 2 cups of chicken broth in a food processor or high powered blender. Blend until smooth.
- Once turkey is cooked, add the blended beans, the remaining chicken broth, remaining can of beans and the lemon juice and zest. Stir. Bring to a simmer over medium heat (uncovered) for about 15-20 minutes, this will help thicken the soup.
- Stir in kale and fresh dill and adjust seasonings to desired taste.
- To serve, top with parmesan cheese and extra red pepper flakes.
Tammy says
Holy flavor Batman! I was worried the soup might be bland but I was pleasantly surprised. Hardy is and delicious for a cold Oklahoma day! Now I can't wait to try more recipes from Nic!
Martha says
Hey Nic, this looks good but do you think I could substitute greenbeans for the kale. I'm just not a fan of kale.
Jill says
I couldn't find vegan Parmesan, so I added nutritional yeast and a couple tablespoons of gluten free flour-- fantastic soup, thank you for the recipe!! The cumin and lemon and dill really balance the earthy carrots and meat.
Jess CG says
Seriously delicious and perfect for the fall and winter months! I doubled the spice amount as I like things a bit more flavourful, but it was perfect nonetheless. Thank you Nic!