Somewhere along the way, I became obsessed with eating healthy. This soup is case in point.
I used to eat pizza for lunch every single day. Now, I’m the opposite. I make sure to plan my week of lunches on Sunday so that I’m not caught eating a mistake during the week. My absolute favorite thing to have is a bowl of soup.
It is SO easy to make a big pot of soup on Sunday and divvy up into containers (glass of course) to grab each morning. All I have to do is pop it in the microwave at work and boom – lunch is ready. Now that I have an Instant Pot, the prep process is even faster.
Oh, and I actually pack 2 lunches – one for me and one for my really-lucky-to-have me-partner. He tries to act annoyed that I’m shoving my healthy lunches down his throat, but this time he gave me a strange compliment.
“This is your best soup yet.”
For some reason, I was offended. I feel like I’ve made some pretty amazing bowls along the way. Not to take anything away from this one, but how can it be the best? Does he even know how healthy this is with lean protein, vegetables and the hidden powers of lentils?
What about my summer soup? Or my Wegman’s inspired chili? Or even my cure for the blues?
Yes, I somehow turned a compliment into an insult. Crazy me is off to make something better.
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground turkey - at least 93% lean
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 1/2 tsp fennel seed
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp Herbes de Provence
- 1 cup water
- 1 carrot, peeled and diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 2 green onion, sliced
- 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
- 3/4 cup dried lentils ( brown, green, or black)
- 32 oz chicken broth - low sodium
- 2-3 cups chopped fresh kale
Instructions
- The day before - combine ground turkey with garlic, red pepper, fennel, smoked paprika, and Herbes de Provence. Add a good pinch of salt and fresh ground pepper. Refrigerate overnight for flavors to blend - it's like making your own sausage.
- The day of - In the Instant Pot - heat Saute function to high. Drizzle with olive oil and brown turkey sausage and crumble. Once it is all cooked, remove from Instant Pot and keep warm.
- Add 1 cup water to Instant Pot and scrape up any brown bits so the bottom is clean. Add the rest of the ingredients.
- Pressure cook for 20 minutes.
- Let it naturally release for 10 minutes, then manually release.
- Stir in turkey sausage crumbles.
- Salt and pepper to taste.
- Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes to serve.

Jill
What if I don’t have an insta pot? Is there a conversion recipe for either a slow cooker or stovetop? Sounds yummy and I want to try it!
Susan
Use a dutch oven or large pot to brown the ground turkey. After you remove the ground turkey and add the rest of the ingredients, simmer for 30-45 minutes (or until the vegetables are tender). Follow the rest of the directions 🙂