Chunky Turkey Vegetable Minestrone

It’s currently the dead of winter here in Alabama and to put it quite frankly, it’s bloody cold. When the temperature takes a nose dive, I enjoy making a large pot of soup to warm me up. There is something so comforting about a big bowl of soup and some crusty bread for dipping. I usually try and make a big batch of some sort of soup or stew on the weekends for me to take to work for lunch the following week. I love this recipe for minestrone from Sara Foster's Fresh Every Day cookbook.  Its easy to prepare, has such a flavorful broth and is chock full of veggies and lean protein.  Perfect for a cold winter day!

Chunky Turkey Vegetable Minestrone
Adapted from Fresh Every Day by Sara Foster
Makes 8 servings

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and diced
3 plum tomatoes (about ¾ pound), cored and chopped
2 medium zucchini or yellow squash, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
8 cups chicken broth
1 15-oz can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed well
3 cups chopped turkey, both white and dark meat
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 ½ teaspoons dried Italian herb seasoning
½ cup orzo pasta
½ pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
1 cup chopped green cabbage (slaw mix is perfect for this)
2 cups fresh spinach, stems removed, washed and dried well
1/3 cup shaved parmesan

Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring often, until the onion is soft and translucent and has a bit of color to it, about 10 minutes. Add carrots, bell pepper, tomatoes and zucchini and cook for about 5 minutes longer, stirring occasionally, until the veggies are soft and lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute longer, being careful not to brown the garlic.

Add the broth, garbanzo beans, turkey, 1 ½ teaspoons dried Italian herbs, 2 teaspoons salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Increase heat to medium high and bring to a low boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for one hour.

Add the pasta, green beans and cabbage and bring the soup back to a low boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes or until pasta is al dente. Remove the soup from the heat and stir in the spinach. Stir to wilt the spinach.

Ladle soup into bowls, top with shaved parmesan and serve with crusty bread.

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