Fall Harvest Soup

I’ll admit, my kitchen has been lonely this past week. My car has been out of commission so I have been dropping Boris off to work at way-too-early AM and waiting for him after work until way-too-late PM. By the time we got home at 8pm, the last thing I wanted to do was cook! This meant way more eating out than I care for. So in an effort to spare our bodies from take-out for this next week, I’ve re-united with my kitchen and cooked up a huge pot of this savory Fall Harvest Soup! I’ve made so much of it that we can freeze it away in batches for those nights that we want something wholesome and quick.

If Autumn had a defining flavor, I think this soup would be it. The squash adds a buttery, sweet flavor which is nicely off set by the crunch of the bright green swiss chard. The mixed beans add a beautiful array of color, not too mention a nice dose of healthy fiber. The turkey gives the soup a hearty mouth feel, just a teaser to thanksgiving. Everything in the soup is brought together perfectly by a full-bodied, delicious broth. The best part is, this soup is chock-full of antioxidants and fiber. It’s a healthy fix for a hungry tummy. I’m seriously in love with this soup! I think you might be too.

*Side note: For my veggie friends, this soup can easily be converted to vegetarian/ vegan by substituting veggie broth and leaving out the turkey and substituting 1 more cup of beans.

Ingredients:

• 10 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth (80 fl oz) 
• 2 Cups Bob’s Red Mill 13 Bean Soup Mix
• 1 lb turkey breast, cubed    
• 3 cups chopped swiss chard (6 large leaves unchopped)
• 3 cups cooked/ cubed red kuri squash
• Mirepoix
  • 1 medium sized yellow onion, quartered
  •  1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
    
  • 2 celery stalks, chopped
  • 2 whole cloves of garlic
  • 6 dried bay leaves
  • 6 sprigs fresh thyme
• Salt and pepper to taste

Yield: 18 Cups

Directions:

1. Prepare the squash and set aside, for directions on how to prepare please see the section: preparing the squash the Coconut Curry Butternut Squash recipe If you don’t have fresh squash on hand, you may bypass this step by substituting a pre-prepared squash such as pumpkin or butternut.

2. In a large soup pot combine half of the broth and the 2 cups of dried beans. Bring to a boil. Add the remaining broth and the mirepoix mixture.

3. Cook over low to medium-low heat until the beans have softened (about 1 ½ - 2 hours).

4. Add the cubed turkey to the pot. Turn the heat up to medium. Cook until the turkey meat is white and completely cooked through (about 10 minutes).

5. Turn off the heat. Add the swiss chard and pre-cooked, cubed squash. The heat from the soup will wilt the swish chard so it stays nice and crunchy

My sweet husband is modeling the mirepoix, which is a fancy term referring to a mixture of onions, carrots, celery and other spices. The mirepoix is a base for any soup broth.

The soup is not only tasty but beautiful to look at! A great dinner party pleaser.

Nutrition Value:

 - 1 Cup Serving

• Calories – 190cal
• Protein- 16g
• Fat- 3g
• Carbohydrate -25g
  • Fiber – 10g