When I drive past the meat department, I often see ground turkey. Magazines and cookbooks contain many recipes for ground chicken, but few for ground turkey. Maybe I should try it, I thought, and tossed a package into my cart.
When I got home I froze the meat. Weeks later, I noticed that the package had frost on the top. I decided to use the meat before it got freezer burn. What could I do? Although she had a recipe for oriental dumplings and an unusual recipe for meatloaf, she didn’t feel like making them. It was 20 degrees outside, the wind was cutting, and I felt like soup. Today’s efforts would be a culinary experiment.
A few hours later I was eating a tasty and healthy soup. I found nutrition facts for ground turkey on the Jennie-O website. Meat is packed with protein, contains vitamin A, iron and calcium. The fat content per serving is 8.0 grams and the cholesterol is 80 milligrams, less than the 96 milligrams per serving of ground chicken.
I think this is a convenient and adaptable product. Ground beef requires no slicing or chopping and infuses the broth with flavor. You don’t have to follow this recipe exactly and you can add green beans, corn, or spinach to your soup. Just be sure to use multiple colors of vegetables. I am happy to share this recipe with you.
INGREDIENTS
1.2 pound package lean ground turkey
10 3/4-ounce cans cream of chicken soup
4 cans of soup water
1 bucket of chicken bullion or 1 package of unsalted chicken bullion
1 celery rib, chopped
6 ounces (half a bag) baby carrots, prewashed
1 cup frozen peas
1 small zucchini, chopped
1 large Roma tomato, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced (more if you like garlic)
1 teaspoon Italian herb blend
1 teaspoon salt (can be omitted)
1/3 cup orzo (rice-shaped pasta)
METHOD
Coat bottom of pan with baking spray. Shred turkey in skillet and cook over medium heat until opaque. Cover the slow cooker with a cooking bag. Transfer the turkey to the slow cooker and add all the remaining ingredients except the orzo. Cover, bring to a simmer, and cook the soup for three hours. Add orzo to the soup and mix with a rubber spatula. Turn the setting to high, cover, and cook the soup for another hour. Serve immediately with crackers or hard rolls. Makes 6-8 servings.
Copyright 2014 by Harriet Hodgson
