(Almost) Minestrone with Turkey – Instant Pot 10 Minute Meal

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.

(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.'

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15 Comments

  1. tinmccarthy

    Looks so good! I LOVE the name of your blog 🙂

    1. Lisa

      Thank you so much! It took a looong time to think of it! Haha.

  2. Jen Seislove

    I love this for a quick weeknight meal for my family! I’ve already re-pinned and will be trying soon!

    1. Lisa

      Aw, thank you very much!

  3. Shannon Burlingame

    Those pictures are making me SOOO hungry! I’m going to have to try this one 🙂

    1. Lisa

      Thank you! I hope you enjoy it!

  4. bitesofflavor

    I love Minestrone soup and this version looks delicious. I love that you added ground turkey!

    1. Lisa

      I used to think that Olive Garden minestrone was was minestrone was supposed to be…and then I made this! Homemade minestrone is one of my absolute favorite soups!! I’m glad you like it too!

  5. Samantha Franklin

    Great idea to use the ground turkey. It looks and sounds delicious!

    1. Lisa

      Thanks! It help makes the soup heartier but keeps the health factor, which I love!

  6. roseclearfield

    I’m glad I’m not the only one who includes random pet pics in blog posts. Love this recipe! Perfect way to mix up the dinner routine during these final chilly weeks.

    1. Lisa

      Well, when I don’t have kids, I feel like I need to show off my pets! I’m glad you do too!

  7. Michelle

    This looks like a delicious meal. I love the turkey idea.

    1. Lisa

      Thanks! Turkey is my compromise between meatless (which I love) and beef (which he loves and I do not like)!

  8. Christina Shoemaker

    I love the addition of the sundried tomato pesto! Sounds delicious!

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