Southwestern Turkey Soup

Yield: 4-6 servings

This tasty soup comes together quickly. You may substitute cooked, cubed (leftover) turkey for the ground turkey. In this case, simply skip Step 1 and add the turkey in Step 3. If you have a turkey carcass, save it and use it to make a stock for the soup base.

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/4 pounds ground turkey
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons ground cumin
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 7-ounce can diced green chilis
  • 29-ounce can hominy, rinsed and drained
  • 4 cups stock (vegetable or turkey)
  • 1/2 cup mild salsa verde
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Procedure:

  1. In a large sauce pan or soup pot, over medium heat, cook the ground turkey. (Turkey is very lean, so you may need to add some vegetable oil.) Remove the cooked turkey from the pan and set it aside.
  2. In the same pan, add the onion and saute it until soft, about 5 minutes. (Again, you may need to add some vegetable oil.) Add the cumin, chili powder, and garlic powder to the pan. Saute for 1 more minute, until you smell the spices start to bloom.
  3. Put the cooked turkey back in the pan. Add the green chilis, hominy, and stock. Bring to a simmer for about 20 minutes. Before serving, add the salsa verde and chopped fresh cilantro.

4 Responses to Southwestern Turkey Soup

  1. Cassie Isbelle November 2, 2010 at 5:41 am #

    Kristen – Looks great. I want to use what I have in the kitchen. Wondering if there is a substitute for a couple things – hominy…like black or kidney beans; salsa verde (what is that?); green chilis?
    Yummmmmm, can’t wait to make! Thank you. xxoo

  2. chezdesblog November 2, 2010 at 10:19 pm #

    Hi Cass! Great thinking – make it your own. Instead of the 29-ounce can of hominy, toss in a can of black beans and a can of corn kernels. Salsa verde is “green salsa” made with tomatillos – it compliments the green chilis. Instead, you can go with a tomato base. If you have a small can of tomato paste, add it when you add the spices, and brown it along with them. When it’s time to add the stock, add a can or two of diced tomatoes. You may want to up the spices, or add a little salsa, chili sauce, or tabasco at the end for a kick. Have fun!

  3. Jim January 31, 2011 at 8:49 am #

    Hey, how would I know calorie count? It was so delicious!

  4. chezdesblog January 31, 2011 at 9:19 am #

    Hi Jim! I’m glad you liked it! The best way to get a calorie/fat count is to use a web site like http://www.nutritiondata.com to look up each ingredient. It takes some time and attention to detail, but it works. For example, if you look up cooked ground turkey, 4 ounces comes in at 193 calories. If you used 1.25 pounds, then that would be 965 calories of turkey for the entire recipe (193 calories/4 ounces x 5, since there are 16 ounces in a pound). Do this for each ingredient. Add the total number of calories for the soup. Then, divide that number by the number of servings yielded for a per serving calorie count. Make sense?

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