To start your day off right:

Just look at that face! Pure innocence…or so she thinks. 

Our dog Gwen is a chewer. She is a pitbull/lab retriever mix, and has uncontainable energy of the lab combined with the muscularity of the pitbull. In fact, when she goes to playcare, everyone at the vet’s office jokes that they wish they had her tight butt. Me too…me too.

But all that energy means that, on days we don’t take her to playcare, she chews. We’re trying that green apple spray, but so far, not much progress. I love her, but she already chewed my absolute favorite burgundy quilted heels (don’t they just sound pretty??) alongside Andrew’s sandals ans shoes, a belt she got ahold of, and all three of Lucy cat’s favorite toys. Oh, and lest I forgot, my parents’-in-law (is that right?) dining room table and chairs that they let us borrow. Whoops…

We’ve tried the whole ‘when you catch her chewing, take it away, tell her no, and give her the right thing to chew,’ but it’s like, when we’re gone, she’s just going to chew our stuff to make us mad! What are your secret tricks to get dogs (she’s 2 – not a puppy!) to stop chewing? Help me!

Let’s get on with the food!

Here in Illinois, we’re having another cold snap – it was 22 degrees this morning when I took Gwen outside! I’m in the mood for (hopefully-one-last-before-spring) soup.

This soup is a sure winner. It has all the vegetables and tomato-y flavor of minestrone with the added bonus of lean ground turkey to please the meat-needers (read: my husband) in your life. And it’s absolutely gorgeous – look at that beautiful red-orange color!

Bonus: if you have an Instant Pot, this soup is ready in just around 10 minutes. If you don’t have an instant pot, it’s still a quick put-together-and-let-it-simmer recipe.

Make this soup as your ‘Goodbye Winter’ meal! You won’t regret a bite of it.

Print

(Almost) Minestrone with Turkey

Cook Time

5 mins

Total Time

5 mins

 

A hearty broth-based soup that will make both the veggie-lovers and meat-needers in your life happy! The Instant Pot lets this meal be ready in as little as 10 minutes!

Servings: 6 servings

Ingredients

• 3 c. chicken broth
• 1 c. pasta, uncooked
• 1 lb. ground turkey
• 1 can (15 oz) Italian style tomatoes, lightly drained
• 2 large carrots, peeled and sliced
• 2 small zucchini, halved and sliced
• 1 c. fresh spinach, chopped
• 1 c. canned garbanzo beans (chickpeas), rinsed and drained
• 1 tsp. seasoned salt
• 1 tsp. pepper
• 1 tbsp. sundried tomato pesto
• 1/4 c. tomato paste
• 1 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 1/2 tsp. dried rosemary
• 1 1/2 tsp. dried, crushed bay leaves

Instructions

1. Turn the Instant Pot on to 'saute.' When it is ready, add the ground turkey, seasoned salt and pepper. Saute 2-3 minutes, or until mostly browned. Drain.
2. Add all other ingredients, except garbanzo beans. Put the lid on the Instant Pot and turn the valve to 'sealing.' Set to 'Manual' for 5 minutes.
3. When the timer goes off, do a quick release. Carefully remove the lid and add garbanzo beans. Stir and let sit 1 minute so beans get warm.
4. Serve with warm, crusty bread for dipping and grated parmesan on top!

Stovetop Directions

1. Cook pasta according to directions.
2. Saute turkey with seasoned salt and pepper.
3. Add all ingredients to a soup pot. Stir. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
4. Simmer 1-2 hours on low, until the flavors have melded. CHECK YOUR LIQUID periodically; stovetop recipes absorb a lot more liquid than the Instant Pot, so more broth may be necessary to keep it 'soupy' instead of 'stew-y.'