The difference between a ground turkey soup that tastes thin and watery and one that tastes like it simmered all afternoon usually comes down to one step: tomato paste. A tablespoon or two stirred in with the onion and garlic, before the broth ever goes in, caramelizes slightly and builds a richness that diced tomatoes alone can’t give you.
It’s the step most recipes skip, and it’s the reason this one tastes different.
This ground turkey vegetable soup is one pot, 45 minutes, and genuinely filling. Lean ground turkey brings the protein. Carrots, celery, potatoes, green beans, zucchini, and corn bring the volume and color.
A broth built on garlic, tomato paste, fire-roasted tomatoes, and Italian herbs brings the flavor. Everything comes together in a single pot with minimal cleanup.
Make the full batch on Sunday, it gets better as it sits and freezes beautifully.
Need more lean ground turkey recipes or a low carb meal? You’ll love ground turkey teriyaki rice bowls or healthy ground turkey enchiladas.
The Easiest One Pot Turkey Vegetable Soup
This healthy soup recipe is packed full of al dente veggies, potatoes, and lean ground turkey. You’re getting lean protein, green vegetables, and tons of flavor in every bite. Bonus: You can add as many other vegetables as you’d like!
The best part? It takes less than 30 minutes, it’s done in one pot, and is a great freezer meal. We love to make a quick batch and freeze it for busy weeknights or take it to friend’s in need because it’s even better the next day, just like this sausage lentil soup.
Looking for more easy soup recipes? This creamy chicken and rice soup is both dairy-free and gluten-free.
Key Ingredients
Ground turkey: Use 93% lean. The small amount of fat adds flavor and prevents the soup from tasting flat. 99% lean turkey can work but the soup will be noticeably leaner in flavor. Ground chicken is a direct 1:1 swap.
Tomato paste (1–2 tbsp): The secret weapon. Stir it into the pan with the onion and garlic and let it cook for 1–2 minutes before adding the broth. It caramelizes slightly and adds a concentrated, deep tomato flavor that makes the whole broth taste like it’s been simmering for hours.
Fire-roasted diced tomatoes: More depth than regular diced tomatoes. The charred edges add a subtle smokiness. Standard diced tomatoes work fine in a pinch.
Vegetables (timing matters):
- Add early (with the broth): carrots, celery, potatoes, onion, garlic
- Add in the last 15 minutes: zucchini, green beans, corn — these soften quickly and will get mushy if they cook too long
Broth: Chicken broth or low-sodium chicken stock. Low-sodium gives you more control over final seasoning.
How to Make Ground Turkey Soup
Step 1: Cook the onion, celery, garlic, and ground turkey: Heat the olive oil in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the diced yellow onion and celery and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes, until fragrant. Brown the ground turkey in the veggies until no pink remains.
Step 2: Add remaining ingredients and cook the soup: Stir in the rest of the ingredients and spices until combined. Turn the heat up to high and bring it to a boil. Once it’s boiling, turn the heat down to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the potatoes are fork-tender.
Taste and add a little bit of salt and more seasoning as needed.
Step 3: Garnish and serve: Serve hot with fresh chopped parsley and grated parmesan cheese.
Recipe Variations
- Swap out potatoes: Substitute with sweet potato or red potatoes. To save time, you can use canned diced potatoes.
- Switch up the beans: This recipe calls for white beans. Use navy beans, pinto beans, cannellini beans, or great northern beans.
- Add more toppings: Top this tasty soup with diced scallions, tortilla chips, saltine crackers, or finely shredded parmesan cheese. Squeeze a little fresh lime juice overtop for extra flavor.
- Use different meat: Substitute ground turkey with ground beef, ground chicken, or Italian sausage.
- Pile on the veggies: Add leafy greens like spinach or kale while the soup simmers. Or mix in more veggies like bell pepper, corn, or peas.
- Add a rice base: Serve it over white rice or brown rice.
Slow Cooker Option
Cook the turkey sausage, onion, and garlic in a pan over medium heat then transfer to the slow cooker. Add the broth, spices, potatoes, beans, and veggies to the crock pot and cook on high for 3 hours or low for 5-7 hours. Add parmesan cheese to individual servings.
How to Make It in the Instant Pot
This delicious recipe can also be made in the instant pot. Select sauté mode and cook ground turkey, onions, and garlic. Add the broth, potatoes, spices, veggies, and beans and set to pressure cook/manual on high pressure for 8 minutes.
Quick release by turning the valve to the venting position when the timer goes off, allowing the steam to escape. Serve right away!
Storage + Reheating Tips
Fridge: Up to 5 days in an airtight container. The soup will thicken as it sits so the vegetables absorb the broth overnight. Add a splash of chicken broth when reheating to restore the original consistency.
Freezer: Cool completely, portion into airtight containers or zip bags, freeze up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat on the stovetop over medium heat. Add broth to loosen as needed.
Meal prep note: This recipe makes 6–8 servings. Make the full batch because it reheats faster than making a new batch mid-week and the flavors deepen by day 2.
Recipe FAQs
Classic choices: carrots, celery, zucchini, green beans, corn, and diced potatoes for texture. The key is timing: add heartier vegetables (carrots, potatoes, celery) with the broth; add softer ones (zucchini, corn, green beans) in the last 15 minutes so they stay tender rather than mushy.
If you make this recipe, I’d love for you to give it a star rating ★ below. You can also tag me on Instagram so I can see it!
More Healthy Soup Recipes
We have plenty of hearty soup recipes to whip up on a cold day:
- Instant pot chicken noodle soup
- Turkey pumpkin chili.
- Marry me chicken soup
- Instant pot lasagna soup
- Copycat Panera Bread autumn squash soup
- Healthy chicken tortilla soup
Ground Turkey Vegetable Soup
Save this Recipe!
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 3 stalks celery diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 6-8 baby potatoes quartered (I used baby red potatoes)
- 4 carrots peeled and sliced into rounds
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can green beans
- 3 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 1 (15-ounce) can white beans
- 1 (32-ounce) carton chicken broth or vegetable broth
- 1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper plus more to taste
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- 1 bay leaf
- Parmesan cheese and parsley for topping optional
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat. Once it’s hot, add the onion and celery and cook for 2-3 minutes, until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.2 Tablespoons olive oil, 1 medium yellow onion, 3 stalks celery, 4 cloves garlic
- Add the ground turkey and brown the turkey until no pink remains.1 lb ground turkey
- Stir in the rest of the ingredients and spices until combined.6-8 baby potatoes, 4 carrots, 1 (14.5 ounce) can green beans, 3 Tablespoons tomato paste, 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, 1 (15-ounce) can white beans, 1 (32-ounce) carton chicken broth, 1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, Pinch of red pepper flakes, 1 bay leaf
- Turn the heat up to high and bring it to a boil. Once it’s boiling, turn the heat down to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the potatoes are fork-tender. Remove the bay leaf and discard. Taste and add more salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, or Italian seasoning as needed.
- Serve hot with fresh chopped parsley and grated parmesan cheese.
Notes
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.
This soup is delicious! I followed the recipe exactly, except I added more ground turkey (because it came in a 1.3lb package, so I threw it all in!) and I added a Parmesan rind while it was simmering. This is a keeper!
Thanks Meg!