Turkey Soup with Kale, Mushrooms, and Butternut Squash

I loved the flavors in this fall-themed Turkey Soup with Kale, Mushrooms, and Butternut Squash, and this tasty soup is easy to make. This might be low...

By Alex

• Aug 03, 2026 • 0 Comments •

4.4

Turkey Soup with Kale, Mushrooms, and Butternut Squash

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

30 mins

Total Time

45 mins

Servings

4 People

I loved the flavors in this fall-themed Turkey Soup with Kale, Mushrooms, and Butternut Squash, and this tasty soup is easy to make. This might be lower in carbs than you think, but see notes for an even lower-carb option if you prefer!

PIN Turkey Soup with Kale, Mushrooms, and Butternut Squash!

For a while now I’ve been trying to develop a long-term relationship with ground turkey, which I think has the potential to be a bit boring. I think I’m getting to know ground turkey a little better though, because this year I’ve had a couple of recipe success stories using it, and this Turkey Soup with Kale, Mushrooms, and Butternut Squash is definitely another winner.

If there’s a secret to ground turkey recipe success, it’s to use a lot of other flavorful ingredients with the turkey, and in addition to mushrooms, butternut squash, and kale, this soup has plenty of dried herbs and a generous amount of balsamic vinegar stirred in at the end. I loved the soup; hope everyone else who’s developing an appreciation for ground turkey will enjoy it too.

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What ingredients do you need for this recipe?

onion
celery
Olive Oil (affiliate link)
Dried Thyme (affiliate link)
Poultry Seasoning (affiliate link)
Minced Garlic (affiliate link)
homemade chicken stock or canned chicken broth (affiliate link)
vegetable soup base
Cremini mushrooms
ground turkey
butternut squash
baby kale leaves or chopped kale
cooked rice (or cauliflower rice)
white balsamic vinegar (affiliate link)
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving (optional)

How can you make this ground turkey soup lower in carbs?

If you check the nutritional information this soup may be lower in net carbs than you think, but if you want a soup with similar flavors and even fewer carbs, just switch the rice for frozen cauliflower rice and use a bit less butternut squash. That version will be just as delicious!

Want more tasty soups with Turkey?

Check out Low-Carb and Keto Turkey Soup Recipes or Slow Cooker and Instant Pot Turkey Soup Recipes for lots more soups with ground turkey or leftover turkey!

How to Make Turkey Soup with Kale, Mushrooms, and Butternut Squash:

(Scroll down for complete recipe with nutritional information.)

Finely chop some onion and celery and cook it with a little olive oil in the soup pot until the onions barely start to brown. Then add dried thyme, poultry seasoning, and minced garlic and cook about a minute more.
Add 10 cups chicken stock or broth and 2 generous tablespoons of Better than Bouillon Organic Vegetable Base (affiliate link) and start to simmer.
Heat a little olive oil in another pan and cook the turkey until it’s nicely browned.
While the turkey browns, wash the mushrooms and cut into bite-sized pieces.
Add the browned turkey and the mushrooms to the soup pot and simmer 20 minutes.
I used pre-cut butternut squash cubes (something I rarely buy, but they’re great for soup.) I cut each one in fourths to get small cubes for the soup. Add squash to the soup and simmer 20 minutes more.
If you’re using baby kale all you need to do is wash it. (I like to break off the stems, but it’s totally optional.) If you have larger kale leaves, I’d coarsely chop the kale and add it to the soup a bit sooner.
I used cooked Uncle Ben’s Converted Rice (affiliate link) which is a low-glycemic rice, but use 1-2 cups of frozen cauliflower rice for a lower-carb option.
Add the rice and kale and simmer for a final 20-30 minutes.
It’s done when the kale and butternut squash seems to have almost melted into the soup.
Serve hot, with freshly grated Parmesan cheese to add at the table if desired.

More Tasty Recipes with Ground Turkey:

Ground Turkey Soup with Mushrooms and Spinach
Ground Turkey Taco Bowls
Thai-Inspired Turkey Larb Salad ~ Kalyn’s Kitchen

Weekend Food Prep:

This recipe has been added to a category called Weekend Food Prep; to help you find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!

Ingredients

1/2 large onion, chopped small
4 stalks celery, chopped small
2 tsp. + 2 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. Poultry Seasoning
1 tsp. finely minced fresh garlic (or more)
10 cups chicken broth (see notes)
2 T vegetable soup base
8 oz. brown Cremini mushrooms, washed and cut into bite-sized pieces
1 1/2 lbs. ground turkey
1 lb. small cubes butternut squash (see notes)
1 1/2 cups baby kale leaves or chopped kale leaves
1 cup cooked rice (see notes for lower-carb option)
2 T balsamic vinegar
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving (optional)

Instructions

Chop the onion and celery into small pieces.
Heat 2 tsp. olive oil in the bottom of the soup pot, add chopped vegetables, and saute until they’re starting to brown, about 4 minutes.
Add the dried thyme, Poultry Seasoning, and minced garlic and cook 1 minute.
Add the homemade chicken stock and vegetable soup base and start to simmer the soup.
While soup simmers heat 2 tsp. olive oil in another large non-stick frying pan and cook the turkey over medium-high heat, breaking apart with the turner as it cooks. Let the turkey get nicely browned, about 8-10 minutes.
While the turkey browns, wash the mushrooms and cut into bite-sized pieces.
Add turkey and mushrooms to the soup and simmer 20 minutes before adding the squash.
Cut butternut squash into small cubes, about 1/2 to 3/4 inch square. (It’s preferable if they’re not all the same size, because the smaller ones will dissolve into the soup more and the larger ones will create texture.)
Add the chopped butternut squash to the soup and simmer 20 minutes before adding the rice and kale.
Wash the kale (removing stems from baby kale if desired, or chopping larger kale leaves.)
When the soup has simmered 20 minutes with the butternut squash, add the rice (or cauliflower rice) and kale (and a tiny bit more water or stock if needed) and continue to simmer 20-30 minutes more.
Taste soup and add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.
Stir in the balsamic vinegar (I would start with 2 tablespoons and then see if you want more.)
Serve soup hot, with freshly grated Parmesan cheese to add at the table as desired.

Notes

If you want a lower-carb soup use a bit less butternut squash and replace the rice with 1-2 cups frozen cauliflower rice.

If you don’t have homemade chicken stock use five 15 oz. cans chicken broth and a little water.

I use Better than Bouillon Organic Vegetable Base (affiliate link) to add flavor to the soup. Use any brand of vegetable base you prefer.

I used half of a 2 lb. package of pre-cut squash cubes and cut them smaller.

This soup will probably freeze pretty well, although the squash, rice, and kale will all break apart some from being frozen. The soup will definitely keep in the fridge for at least a week.

Recipe created by Kalyn.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 330Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 97mgSodium: 1353mgCarbohydrates: 19gFiber: 3gSugar: 5gProtein: 26g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Turkey Soup with Kale, Mushrooms, and Butternut Squash is loaded with healthy low-glycemic ingredients like ground turkey, mushrooms, kale, and converted rice, and would make a delicious meal for Phase 2 or 3 of the original South Beach Diet. (Butternut squash is a limited food, so use portion control if you’re actively trying to lose weight.) If you’re following a low-carb diet, this soup could be made lower in carbs using less squash and replacing the rice with frozen cauliflower rice.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Soup Recipes for more recipes like this one! Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to Follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This recipe was posted in 2013. It was updated with more information and the suggestion for a lower-carb option in 2021.

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

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Keto Short Rib Chili

Bean-free keto chili made with braised beef short ribs. So easy to make and the perfect low carb comfort food. This keto chili recipe is paleo, dairy-free, and Whole 30 approved! And it can be made ahead and frozen so it’s ideal for keto meal planning.

There’s a definite chill in the air. Can you feel it? Well, maybe not in some parts of the country, but here in the Pacific Northwest, autumn is on its way, if not already here.

The best part of fall is the comfort food and there is no food more comforting than this short rib chili. Well, maybe my Shrimp and Bacon Chowder. Or perhaps my keto Cream of Mushroom Soup. And my Buffalo Chicken Soup is also pretty darn spectacular.

But this keto chili recipe definitely makes the short list.

Chili is and always has been one of my favorite foods, because even not very good chili is pretty darn comforting when you’re cold and hungry. How can you go wrong with meat cooked slowly in rich spices and a thick tomato broth? You can’t, that’s all. You can’t go wrong.

And the crazy part is that while I make chili all. the. time, I don’t actually have a good keto chili recipe here on All Day I Dream About Food. Until now, that is.

What makes the best keto chili?

Well, what really makes good chili is a matter of opinion and taste. And probably a few feuds as well. Everyone has their own take on the best way to make chili.

In my experience, a slow simmered chili recipe is best, as it allows the flavors to develop and intensify over time. So don’t be fooled by promises of “fast and easy”. Good chili is usually easy to make but it takes time to cook.

Keto chili should be devoid of any higher carb items like beans, though. That goes almost without saying, because beans are high in carbs and many consider them inflammatory. Onion needs to be kept to a minimum as well, since it’s surprisingly high carb.

Tomato sauce, paste, and puree can also send the carb count up if used too liberally. I like to keep my chili to less than 5g total carbs per serving, so I use a single can of diced tomatoes. Fire roasted tomatoes help bring out the best flavor.

But the focus of a good keto chili recipe should always be the meat and the spices. Use beef with a high percentage of fat for a satisfying meal, and be generous with the chili, cumin, and garlic.

Can you make keto chili ahead of time?

I find myself wanting to answer this question with a smart ass comment like “Is the pope Catholic?”. Because chili is perhaps the best make ahead meal on the planet.

It’s one of those dishes that seems to actually get better when it’s eaten the next day or even a few days later. And one of the benefits of keto chili is that there are no beans to get mushy as they sit and soften. So it’s just as good or better than the day you made it.

So go ahead and make a huge pot of this short rib chili. This particular recipe serves 10 people. Let it cool to room temperature and then split it up however you see fit. You can do individual servings, or portion it out for your family size.

The chili can be refrigerated for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 3 months. We froze our leftovers back in May and I just fed my family the second portion about a month ago!

Because it contains acidic ingredients like tomatoes, I recommend storing in glass containers if you have them. If not, good BPA-Free tupperware works too.

Tips for making Short Rib Chili

Short ribs are ideal for comfort food dishes like this, because they are fatty and rich, and become incredibly tender with slow braising.

Always brown the ribs first: This step adds 10 minutes or so, but it’s worth it. Browning the meat in lard or oil helps bring out the best flavor, before the liquids are added. Otherwise, you are essentially just eating stewed meat. Transfer the ribs to a plate while making the rest of the chili.

Sweat the onions and other veggies: While I do keep the onion to a minimum, it definitely helps add flavor. So add the onion and green pepper to the pot and sauté in the oils and fats with a little bit of salt. This will help them release their juices and flavor.

Add the spices into the hot oil: Before adding any liquids into the pot, you want to briefly sauté the garlic, jalapeño, and spices in the hot oil. This enhances and intensifies the flavor.

Adjust the heat to your liking: My husband and I like our chili pretty spicy but our kids have more tender palates. So we keep the heat at a medium level. I always add the seeds from the jalapeño but you can leave them out if you want less spice. You can also leave out the cayenne. Or you can add more jalapeño and cayenne too.

Now add the liquids and the meat: Once the spices and garlic are fragrant, stir in the diced tomatoes and broth and bring to a simmer before adding the meat.

Slow braise in the oven: You’re looking at a good two to three hours of cooking, but this time is completely inactive. You can be doing lots of other things during this time. Slow braising makes the meat from the short ribs fall off the bone and shred more easily.

Doesn’t this keto short rib chili sound like the perfect comfort food?

Check out my Keto Soups & Stews cookbook for more delicious comfort food recipes.

A bowl of keto short rib chii topped with sour cream, cilantro, avocado and jalapeno

Keto Short Rib Chili

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: keto chili, keto chili recipe, short rib chili

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 3 hours 25 minutes

Total Time: 3 hours 40 minutes

Servings: 10 servings

Calories: 428kcal