Ground Turkey Soup (with Mushrooms and Spinach)

This Ground Turkey Soup has Mushrooms and Spinach and it’s a low-carb version of a popular turkey soup recipe made with barley. Take your choice on barley or the new version with cauliflower rice! And see instructions in the recipe for making this with leftover turkey.

PIN the Ground Turkey Soup to try it later!

Ground Turkey Soup (with Mushrooms and Spinach) is a low-carb variation of a Turkey Barley Soup that was popular on the site! I created that soup recipe when I was experimenting with ground turkey. And at the time I mentioned how ground turkey has the potential to be a bit boring.  

The earlier soup with barley was delicious, but not low in carbs! Most of my current readers will probably prefer the new version that switches out barley for cauliflower rice. And both soups are delicious and definitely not boring! I’m all about free agency, so make whichever version of the turkey soup you prefer!

I made the new low-carb version of Ground Turkey Soup when I had friends over for dinner and it was a hit! I hope you try it.

Here’s the photo and the printer-friendly recipe for the original ground turkey soup that used barley! And this was a pretty good photo back in those days. (Of course, the soup with barley is not low-carb or gluten-free.)

What ingredients do you need for this recipe?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

• frozen cauliflower rice
• Olive Oil (affiliate link)
• lean ground turkey
• salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
• onion
• celery
• Minced Garlic (affiliate link)
• Dried Thyme (affiliate link)
• Poultry Seasoning (affiliate link)
• Spike Seasoning (affiliate link), or other all-purpose seasoning
• vegetable stock or canned vegetable broth (affiliate link)
• mushroom stock cubes (affiliate link) 
• brown Cremini mushrooms
• spinach 
• fresh squeezed lemon juice; I used my fresh-frozen lemon juice
• freshly grated Parmesan for serving (optional)

What makes this ground turkey soup recipe so flavorful?

Mushroom Stock is the ingredient that helps the ground turkey shine is in this soup! You can use an easy-to-find ingredient like Better Than Bouillon Mushroom Base (affiliate link) to make the stock, but I’m a fan imported mushroom stock cubes (affiliate link) that I bet at Amazon.com. (Check ingredients on mushroom base or cubes if you need gluten-free.) You can also make this soup using more vegetable stock, but bumping up the mushroom flavor makes a big difference.

Is the new Ground Turkey Soup really low in carbs?

The original recipe for this soup that used barley was not low in carbs! The new recipe that switches the barley for cauliflower rice and uses a generous amount of low-carb mushrooms and spinach has only 3.8 net carbs per serving and 19 grams of protein.

Is the ground turkey soup dairy-free?

We did love this soup with some grated Parmesan cheese added at the table. But that’s completely optional and without the Parmesan this turkey soup is dairy-free.

How to make Ground Turkey Soup (with Mushrooms and Spinach):

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

1. Take cauliflower rice out of the freezer and, measure out 1 cup. Let it thaw on the counter.
2. Heat olive oil in frying pan and brown the turkey, breaking it apart with a turner or a potato masher (affiliate link).
3. Season turkey with salt and fresh ground black pepper and put into large soup pot.
4. (If you’re making the soup with leftover turkey I’d use about 3 cups of diced turkey; don’t add that to the soup pot until later.)
5. Add more olive oil to frying pan and cook onions about 4 minutes; then add Minced Garlic, Dried Thyme, Poultry Seasoning, and Spike Seasoning and cook about 2 minutes more. Put the onion mixture into the soup pot.
6. I made mushroom stock with water and the imported mushroom base cubes you see in the photo. But you can also use Better Than Bouillon Mushroom Base (affiliate link) or another brand of mushroom base.
7. Add vegetable stock (or canned vegetable broth) and mushroom stock to the soup pot with the turkey, onions, celery, and spices.
8. Turn heat to medium and let it start to cook, turning to a low simmer as soon as it start to bubble.
9. Wash the mushrooms if needed, cut into thick slices, then cut slices in half. Add mushrooms to the soup pot.
10. Simmer soup until the mushrooms are done and the mixture is starting to smell like soup, at least 20 minutes.
11. (If you’re using leftover turkey I’d add that after the 20 minutes is up.)
12. Then add cauliflower rice to the soup pot and simmer about 10 minutes more.
13. Coarsely chop spinach. When you think cauliflower rice is close to being cooked, add chopped spinach to the soup pot and cook 10-15 minutes more.
14. Add 2 T fresh-squeezed lemon juice if desired (optional), cooking a few minutes more if you add the lemon juice.
15. Serve the ground turkey soup hot, with grated Parmesan cheese to add at the table if desired.

Make it a Low-Carb Meal:

This soup with ground turkey, mushrooms, and spinach would taste great with one of these low-carb bread or muffins on the side:

• Almond Flour Savory Bread
• Low-Carb High Fiber Savory Muffins
• Olive Bread
• Flourless Zucchini Muffins

Weekend Food Prep:

This updated ground turkey soup recipe has been added to a category called Weekend Food Prep where you’ll find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!

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Yield: 8 servings

Ground Turkey Soup (with Mushrooms and Spinach)

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

This delicious Ground Turkey Soup (with Mushrooms and Spinach) is a low-carb version of a popular Ground Turkey and Barley Soup from the earlier days of the blog. (Use the instructions in parentheses to make this soup with leftover turkey.)

Ingredients

• 1 cup frozen cauliflower rice
• 4 tsp. olive oil, divided
• 1 lb. lean ground turkey
• salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1 T minced garlic
• 2 tsp. dried thyme
• 1 tsp. poultry seasoning
• 2 tsp. Spike Seasoning (see notes)
• 4 cups vegetable stock (see notes)
• 4 cups mushroom stock (see notes)
• 8 oz. brown Cremini mushrooms, cut in thick slices and slices cut in half
• 3 cups chopped spinach (or more)
• 2 T fresh squeezed lemon juice
• freshly grated Parmesan for serving (optional)

Instructions

1. Take package of cauliflower rice out of the freezer and measure out 1 cup frozen cauliflower rice. Let it thaw on the counter while you start the soup.
2. Heat 2 tsp. olive oil in a non-stick frying pan and brown the turkey, breaking it apart with the turner as it cooks. Season with salt and fresh ground black pepper. Put browned turkey into a large soup pot.
3. (If you're making the soup with leftover turkey I'd use about 3 cups of diced turkey; don't add that to the soup pot until later.)
4. Add another 2 teaspoons olive oil to the frying pan and saute the onions about 4 minutes; then add the garlic, thyme, poultry seasoning, and Spike Seasoning (affiliate link) and cook about 2 minutes more. Put the onion mixture into the soup pot.
5. I made mushroom stock with water and the imported mushroom base cubes you see in the photo, but those are hard to find and Better Than Bouillon Mushroom Base (affiliate link) is also great.
6. Add vegetable stock (or canned vegetable broth) and mushroom stock to the soup pot with the turkey, onions, celery, and spices. Turn on stove under the soup pot to medium and let it start to cook, turning it to a low simmer as soon as it start to bubble.
7. Wash the mushrooms if needed and then cut into thick slices and then cut slices in half. Add mushrooms to the soup pot.
8. Simmer soup until the mushrooms are done and the mixture is starting to smell like soup, at least 20 minutes after you add the mushrooms.
9. (If you're using leftover turkey I'd add that after the 20 minutes is up.)
10. Then add cauliflower rice to the soup pot and simmer about 10 minutes more.
11. Coarsely chop the spinach. When you think the cauliflower rice is close to being cooked, add chopped spinach to the soup pot and cook 10-15 minutes more.
12. Add 2 T fresh-squeezed lemon juice if desired (optional), cooking a few minutes more if you add the lemon juice.
13. Serve the Ground Turkey Soup hot, with grated Parmesan cheese to add at the table if desired.

Notes

If you don't have Spike Seasoning (affiliate link) use any all-purpose seasoning blend.

If you don't have vegetable stock use two 14 oz. cans vegetable broth and 1/2 cup water.

I used imported mushroom stock cubes, but if you don't find those use Better Than Bouillon Mushroom Base (affiliate link) mixed with water. If you don’t want to buy mushroom base, use 4 cups more vegetable stock.

This recipe was originally adapted from a recipe for barley casserole in the American Heart Association Healthy Slow Cooker Cookbook. Low-carb version with cauliflower rice was created by Kalyn.

Nutrition Information

Yield

8

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 218Total Fat 10gSaturated Fat 2gUnsaturated Fat 7gCholesterol 60mgSodium 955mgCarbohydrates 6.1gFiber 2.3gSugar 1.7gProtein 19g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

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Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
This Ground Turkey Soup  is perfect for low-carb or Keto diet plans. As long as you use lean ground turkey (with less than 10% fat), this soup would also be great for the original South Beach Diet. And the original soup with barley is okay for South Beach Phase 2 or 3 as well, but it’s not gluten-free. (Edit: Shirley from Gluten Free Easily tells me that Better than Bouillon no longer guarantees their products are gluten-free, so their brand of mushroom base won’t work for people who have to avoid gluten, but this new soup recipe can be gluten-free with gluten-free mushroom base.) 

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Soup Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
The original ground turkey soup recipe that used barley was posted in 2013. This recipe that switches the barley for cauliflower rice for a low-carb ground turkey soup was posted in 2020. It was last updated with more information in 2026.