{ Here’s another addition to the Paleo Lifestyle: a recipe for Paleo Lower Fat Minestrone Soup. This soup has been through at least three adaptations. First, the original recipe was selected by a a national chef’s newspaper column to be revised into a lower fat recipe. The chef basically stripped out the ground beef and substituted lean ground turkey. For my revision to the Paleo recipe I strip out two things and substitute one. First, the pasta (no refined flour products) and kidney beans (on the bad legume list) had to go. Then I replaced the white potato with the more healthy yam. The result is as delicious as previous versions. }
Ingredients:
- 1 T Olive Oil
- 2 medium Onions
- 3 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 lb Ground Turkey*
- 2 medium Carrots, diced
- 1 medium Yam, diced
- 1 medium Rutabaga, diced
- 1 14.5oz can low sodium Diced Tomatoes
- 4-5 C fat-free, low-sodium or unsalted Beef Broth, divided
- ¼ t freshly ground Black Pepper
- 1 t dried Basil
- 1 t dried Oregano
- 2 medium Zucchini, diced large
- 1 Cup Cauliflower, riced
- ½ small head Green Cabbage, shredded
- 2 C Baby Spinach leaves
- ¼ C fresh Parsley, chopped
- ½ C grated Parmesan cheese, optional as garnish
*Or lean ground beef, 85% or 90% preferred
Directions:
1. Place the olive oil and chopped onions in a large soup pot. Cook until softened, adding broth if necessary to avoid scorching, about 8-10 minutes.
2. Add garlic, cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
3. Add the ground turkey and cook until no longer pink, about 10 minutes
4. Add the carrots, yam, rutabaga, tomatoes and 2 cups of the beef broth. Cook for about 30 minutes or until the rutabaga can be pierced with a fork.
5. Add the black pepper, basil, oregano and garlic, and add the rest of the beef broth and bring to a boil.
6. Add the zucchini, cauliflower, cabbage, and spinach; simmer until soft. Add more beef broth if needed.
7. Add the fresh parsley at the end of cooking and mix well.
8. Serve topped with Parmesan cheese.
