This is on the list of food to prepare for the weekend: a warm bowl of soup LOADED with vegetables and lean, smoky chunks of tender turkey breast. Serve this with fresh, crusty bread and butter.  Our recipe is such a quick one that you could easily whip up a batch of this smoky turkey soup for a weeknight meal.  The beans and turkey make it filling and the fennel adds mild, pleasant flavor.  If you’ve hesitated to cook with fennel, this is a good recipe to give it a first try… you’ll likely be using it more often after you taste this!

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Serves 8 (or 4 very hungry people)

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Medium Fennel Bulbs, sliced thin
1 Large Onion, chopped
1 1/2 C. Nueske’s Applewood Smoked Turkey, cubed to 1/2”
2 Large Carrots, coined
1 Can (15 oz.) Cannellini Beans, drained
1 Can (15 oz.) Butter Beans, drained
1 Can (15 oz.) Diced Tomatoes & Juice (a jar of homemade diced tomatoes would be great!)
1 tsp. Thyme (dry)
1/8 tsp. White Pepper
1 Bay Leaf
8 C. Chicken Broth
4 C. Fresh Spinach, torn into bite-sized pieces
Salt & Pepper, to taste
2/3 C. Sartori Sarvecchio Parmesan Cheese, grated

Preparation: In a dutch oven, warm the olive oil over medium heat on your stovetop.  Add the fennel and onion to the oil and sauté until onion is just translucent.   Add the smoked turkey, carrots, beans, tomatoes, thyme, bay leaf, and broth to the pan.  Simmer for about 45 minutes or until the fennel is tender.

Remove the bay leaf and season with salt and black pepper, to taste.  Stir the torn spinach into the soup just before serving.  Serve garnished with the grated parmesan cheese.

Enjoy every bite.