This turkey lentil soup recipe is so hearty and delicious, and it only takes about an hour from start to finish. Great served with crusty bread or my Southern Cornbread or Easy Homemade Biscuits.
For this recipe, I used ground turkey, but you can also use leftover cooked turkey if you wish. You will simply add the cooked turkey after the celery and onions are cooked, right before adding the broth and other ingredients.
Typically, I will soak all my dry beans at least overnight, but lentils don't absolutely need to soak in order to cook faster.
Lentils are so small that an hour is about all you need to have a hearty, healthy pot of soup that your whole family will gobble up.
I love to use my cast iron Dutch oven for many of my soups and one-pot dishes. This lentil soup recipe is no exception. I love how the cast iron handles higher heat as well as how beautifully it handles low simmers.
This recipe makes about 8 servings. If you have a family of 4 like I do, this is great for leftovers.
What You'll Need
- oil
- 1 pound ground turkey (or 2 heaping cups cooked leftover turkey)
- 1 large onion
- 2 stalks celery
- 6 cups chicken broth (can substitute other broth for this)
- 1 pound dry lentils
- 1 large carrot
- black pepper
- 1 can (14.5 ounces) petite diced tomatoes
- dry marjoram or oregano
- paprika
- salt
How to Make
Rinse lentils thoroughly, sorting out any debris. Heat heavy pot or Dutch oven on medium heat. Add oil, onion, celery, and ground turkey, crumbling and chopping up turkey into smallish pieces.
Stir frequently while meat and veggies cook. Cook about 10 minutes or until meat is browned and vegetables are softened.
Once meat is browned, add the broth, lentils, carrot, black pepper, diced tomatoes, marjoram, and paprika.
Note that I like to add the salt near the end, as sometimes it can hinder the beans from softening properly.
Bring soup to a light boil, then lower heat to low-medium (about 2-3) and cover for 45-50 minutes or until lentils and carrots are softened.
You will want to stir the pot about every 10 minutes to make sure it's not simmering too hard and nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pot.
Add salt and taste. Add more salt as desired.
(Note that I typically will call for less salt in my recipes, as it's easier to add more but very difficult to fix once you have too much salt).
Serve hot with your favorite crusty bread and salad.
FAQs
I like to use the petite diced tomatoes, but you can use regular diced tomatoes if that's what you have. Don't drain the liquid off.
If you want a spicy kick, you could add Rotel in place of the tomatoes (this is the same as diced tomatoes with green chilies).
You may notice that I use dry marjoram a lot in my recipes. This is because I really love the flavor of marjoram. It's similar to oregano, but is different in a way that's hard to describe.
Just note that you could use oregano in this recipe if you don't have marjoram. However, I highly recommend you get some when you can so you can discover this lovely herb that gives lots of flavor to many of my recipes.
For the paprika, I used sweet in this recipe. You could use smoked paprika if you want a bit of heat and smoky flavor. I think it would be delicious with the lentils.
I used chicken broth for the broth called for, but you could substitute beef or vegetable broth if you wish. The flavors would be slightly different, but I think it would be just as delicious.
Yes, you can freeze any lentil soup leftovers in a freezer-safe container for up to 6 months. It keeps and reheats beautifully!
Make sure to label what it is and when you froze it for best results. When ready to reheat, simply thaw in the refrigerator overnight or add to a pot frozen and thaw slowly on low heat with the lid on.
Tips
Since the turkey is very low in fat, some oil is needed in this turkey lentil soup recipe in order to properly cook the meat, celery, and onions at the beginning. Use your best judgment as far as the amount of oil you use.
I used closer to 3 tablespoons of oil. If you see that the meat or veggies are sticking to the bottom while cooking, more oil may be needed to fix this.
I like to use my silicone spatula to stir and chop, keeping everything mixed up and rotated off the bottom of the pot to help prevent the sticking or scorching.
I hope you love this ground turkey lentil soup recipe as much as my family does! Don't forget to print, share, and comment below!
More Soup Recipes to Love
Slow Cooked Chicken & Corn Soup
Zucchini Potato Soup with Bacon
📋 Recipe
Lentil Turkey Soup
Equipment
- Dutch oven
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoon oil
- 1 large onion chopped
- 2 stalks celery chopped
- 1 pound ground turkey (or 2 cups cooked turkey or chicken)
- 6 cups chicken broth (or beef or vegetable if desired)
- 1 pound lentils dry, rinsed with any debris removed
- 1 large carrot sliced
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 14.5 ounces diced tomatoes (I like the petite diced best)
- 1 tablespoon marjoram dry
- 1 teaspoon paprika sweet or smoked
- 1 teaspoon salt more to taste
Instructions
- Rinse lentils thoroughly, sorting out any debris.
- Heat heavy pot or Dutch oven on medium heat.
- Add oil, onion, celery, and ground turkey, crumbling and chopping up turkey into smallish pieces. Stir frequently while meat and veggies cook.
- Cook about 10 minutes or until meat is browned and vegetables are softened.
- Once meat is browned, add the broth, lentils, carrot, black pepper, diced tomatoes, marjoram, and paprika. (I like to add the salt near the end, as sometimes it can hinder the beans from softening properly.)
- Bring soup to a light boil, then lower heat to low-medium (about 2-3) and cover for 45-50 minutes or until lentils and carrots are softened. (Note that you will want to stir the pot about every 10 minutes to make sure it's not simmering too hard and nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pot.)
- Add salt and taste. Add more salt as desired. (Note that I typically will call for less salt in my recipes, as it's easier to add more but very difficult to fix once you have too much salt).
- Serve hot with your favorite crusty bread and salad.
PGutes says
Easy and delicious!
Julie Westermann says
This soup is delicious. I’ve made it several times. I’m wondering what the portion size is for the nutritional information listed.
Sally says
Thank you for your feedback, Julie. The portion size is a small bowl full, or about 1-1/2 cups worth. It's just a guide and not an exact measurement. Hope that helps!