Ground Turkey Soup Recipe with Mushrooms and Spinach

This Ground Turkey Soup Recipe with Mushrooms and Spinach is a low-carb version of a delicious Ground Turkey and Barley Soup. Take your choice on whether you prefer barley or the new version with cauliflower rice, and see instructions in the recipe for making this with leftover turkey.

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For many years I was on a quest to prove that ground turkey doesn’t have to be boring, and this comforting and flavorful Ground Turkey Soup Recipe with Mushrooms and Spinach is a low-carb variation of a Ground Turkey and Barley Soup recipe I created during that time. And this soup is delicious and definitely not boring!

The earlier soup recipe with barley was definitely delicious, but I know many of my current readers are going to prefer the new version that switches out the barley for cauliflower rice. And I am all about free agency, so make whichever version of the soup that appeals to you!

I made the new low-carb version of this Ground Turkey Soup Recipe when I had some friends over for dinner and it was a hit; hope you enjoy! And please try the recipe if you’re someone who enjoy ground turkey.

Here’s the photo and the printer-friendly recipe for the original ground turkey soup recipe that used barley if you’d like to try that version! And this was a pretty good photo for back in those days! (Of course, this soup with barley is definitely 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 (see below)
• brown Cremini mushrooms
• spinach 
• fresh squeezed lemon juice
• freshly grated Parmesan for serving (optional)

What makes this ground turkey soup recipe so flavorful?

The ingredient that helps the ground turkey to shine is in this soup is mushroom stock! You can use an easy-to-find ingredient like Better Than Bouillon Mushroom Base (affiliate link) to make the stock, but I am a bit of a sucker for imported brands like the one you’ll see in the photo below. If you don’t want to buy mushroom base, you can still make this using all vegetable stock, but bumping up the mushroom flavor makes a big difference.

Is the new Ground Turkey Soup Recipe really low in carbs?

The original recipe for this soup that used barley was not low in carbs of course! But the new soup recipe that switches the barley for cauliflower rice and uses a generous amount of low-carb mushrooms and spinach has only about 4 net carbs per serving.

Is the ground turkey soup recipe 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 the Ground Turkey Soup Recipe:

(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 frozen cauliflower rice. Let it thaw on the counter . 
2. Heat olive oil in frying pan and brown the turkey, breaking it apart with the turner or a potato masher (affiliate link) as it cooks. Season with salt and fresh ground black pepper. Put browned turkey into 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 more olive oil to the frying pan and saute onions about 4 minutes; then add the Minced Garlic, Dried Thyme, Poultry Seasoning, and Spike Seasoning 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 can be 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/, cut into thick slices, 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. 
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 hot, with grated Parmesan cheese to add at the table if desired.

Weekend Food Prep:

This 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 Recipe with Mushrooms and Spinach

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

This delicious Ground Turkey Soup Recipe with Mushrooms and Spinach is a low-carb version of a delicious Ground Turkey and Barley Soup from the earlier days of the blog. (Use the instruction in parentheses if you want 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 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 Recipe with Mushrooms and Spinach 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 be great for the original South Beach Diet. Also the original soup with barley is okay for South Beach Phase 2 or 3 as well, but 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 soup is 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 updated recipe that switches the barley for cauliflower rice for a low-carb turkey soup was posted in 2020. It was last updated with more information in 2023.

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