Stay full and satisfied
Low carb high protein soup that keeps you full for hours, made with ground turkey, sausage, and spinach in a creamy broth. 50 minutes, 6 hearty bowls.
Total time is 50 minutes: 15 minutes of chopping, 35 minutes on the stove. You get six big bowls.
Ground turkey and Italian sausage do the heavy lifting here. Add cream cheese and heavy cream at the end, and you get a broth thick enough to coat a spoon without any flour or cornstarch.
This is the pot I make on Sunday when the week looks busy. It reheats better than most soups because there's no pasta or rice soaking up the liquid.
About the Ingredients
1 lb (450 g) ground turkey
Use 93 percent lean so the soup doesn't turn greasy. Ground chicken works the same way.
12 oz (340 g) Italian sausage, casings removed
Hot or mild both work. If you only have plain ground pork, add 1 teaspoon of fennel seed and 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes.
1 medium yellow onion, diced
About 1 1/2 cups. A leek, white parts only, is a good swap if onions bother you.
3 garlic cloves, minced
Fresh beats jarred here. If you're out, 1 teaspoon of garlic powder goes in with the broth instead.
6 cups (1.4 L) low sodium chicken broth
Low sodium matters because the sausage and Parmesan both bring salt. Vegetable broth makes it work for non-meat eaters who still eat dairy.
1 can (14.5 oz / 410 g) diced tomatoes, undrained
Fire roasted adds a little smokiness. Crushed tomatoes give you a thicker body.
8 oz (225 g) cream cheese, cut into cubes
Full fat melts smoothest. Let it sit on the counter 20 minutes first, or it will clump.
1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream
Half and half works but the soup will be thinner. Coconut cream is the dairy free option.
5 oz (140 g) fresh baby spinach
Frozen spinach works too. Thaw it, squeeze it dry, and stir it in at the very end.
1/2 cup (50 g) grated Parmesan
Grate it yourself off a block. The pre-shredded kind doesn't melt as well.
1 tsp dried oregano
Or 1 tablespoon of fresh chopped oregano. Italian seasoning is a fine stand-in.
Salt and black pepper to taste
Taste before you salt. The sausage and cheese usually carry enough.
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Brown the meats
Heat a Dutch oven over medium high. Add the turkey and sausage and cook 8 minutes, breaking it up after the first 4. You want browned crumbles, not gray ones.
2. Soften the onion
Spoon out all but 2 tablespoons of fat. Add the onion and cook 4 minutes until translucent, then stir in the garlic for 30 seconds until it smells sweet.
3. Build the broth
Pour in the broth and the tomatoes with their juice. Add the oregano. Scrape the browned bits off the bottom with a wooden spoon.
4. Simmer
Bring it to a boil, then drop to low. Simmer uncovered 20 minutes. The liquid should reduce by about a cup.
5. Melt in the cream cheese
Turn the heat to low. Add the cream cheese cubes a few at a time, whisking until each batch disappears before adding more.
6. Finish with cream and Parmesan
Stir in the heavy cream and Parmesan. Cook 3 minutes on low. Don't let it boil from here on.
7. Wilt the spinach
Turn off the burner. Add the spinach in handfuls and stir. It's done when the leaves are dark green and soft, about 1 minute.
8. Taste and serve
Season with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls and top with extra Parmesan and cracked pepper.
Delicious Variations
Kale and sausage version
swap the spinach for 4 cups of chopped kale and simmer it 8 extra minutes before adding the cream.
Spicy version
use hot Italian sausage and add 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika with the oregano. Finish with a drizzle of chili oil.
Dairy free version
skip the cream cheese and Parmesan, use full fat coconut cream instead of heavy cream, and add 2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast for body.
Pro Tips
How to Store Stay full and satisfied
Refrigerator
Keeps 4 days in an airtight container. It thickens as it sits, so loosen it with a splash of broth when you reheat.
Freezer
Freezes 3 months. Cool it completely, then freeze in single portions so you can thaw only what you need.
Reheating
Warm on the stove over low heat, stirring often. In the microwave, use 70 percent power in 1 minute bursts so the cream doesn't split.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can I make this low carb high protein soup in a slow cooker?
Yes. Brown the meat and onion on the stove first, then add everything except the cream cheese, cream, Parmesan, and spinach to the slow cooker. Cook on low 6 hours, then stir in the dairy and spinach at the end with the pot off.
Q: Why did my cream cheese curdle?
The broth was too hot. Cream cheese needs low heat and a slow whisk, so pull the pot off the burner for a minute before you start adding it. If it already looks grainy, whisk in a tablespoon of cornstarch slurry or just blend it with an immersion blender.
Q: Is this soup keto friendly?
One bowl has about 9 grams of net carbs, which fits most keto plans. Check your sausage label, because some brands add sugar or breadcrumbs and that pushes the count up.
Q: How much protein is in one bowl?
About 30 grams per serving, based on six bowls. Most of it comes from the turkey, sausage, and Parmesan, so using leaner meat won't drop the number much.
Q: Can I use frozen spinach instead of fresh?
Yes. Thaw 10 ounces, squeeze out the water hard, and stir it in at the very end. Skipping the squeeze adds watery spinach flavor to the whole pot.
Make a pot this weekend and you've got lunch handled through Thursday. Freeze half in single portions for the weeks that get away from you. Crispy on, stress off — happy cooking!
Easy Stay full and satisfied Recipe the Whole Family Loves
Low carb high protein soup that keeps you full for hours, made with ground turkey, sausage, and spinach in a creamy broth. 50 minutes, 6 hearty bowls.
🧂 Ingredients
- 1 lb (450 g) ground turkey
- 12 oz (340 g) Italian sausage, casings removed
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 6 cups (1.4 L) low sodium chicken broth
- 1 can (14.5 oz / 410 g) diced tomatoes, undrained
- 8 oz (225 g) cream cheese, cut into cubes
- 1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream
- 5 oz (140 g) fresh baby spinach
- 1/2 cup (50 g) grated Parmesan
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- Salt and black pepper to taste
📋 Instructions
- 1Brown the meats — Heat a Dutch oven over medium high. Add the turkey and sausage and cook 8 minutes, breaking it up after the first 4. You want browned crumbles, not gray ones.
- 2Soften the onion — Spoon out all but 2 tablespoons of fat. Add the onion and cook 4 minutes until translucent, then stir in the garlic for 30 seconds until it smells sweet.
- 3Build the broth — Pour in the broth and the tomatoes with their juice. Add the oregano. Scrape the browned bits off the bottom with a wooden spoon.
- 4Simmer — Bring it to a boil, then drop to low. Simmer uncovered 20 minutes. The liquid should reduce by about a cup.
- 5Melt in the cream cheese — Turn the heat to low. Add the cream cheese cubes a few at a time, whisking until each batch disappears before adding more.
- 6Finish with cream and Parmesan — Stir in the heavy cream and Parmesan. Cook 3 minutes on low. Don't let it boil from here on.
- 7Wilt the spinach — Turn off the burner. Add the spinach in handfuls and stir. It's done when the leaves are dark green and soft, about 1 minute.
- 8Taste and serve — Season with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls and top with extra Parmesan and cracked pepper.
