Italian Pasta Soup

If you’re looking for a good, new soup to try this winter—this is the one. A delicious, cozy soup that makes a great dinner with even better leftovers. After a little bit of chopping and stirring, you’ll have a soul-warming dinner big enough to feed the whole family. Just don’t forget the hunk of crusty bread on the side. That’s essential–at least for me. I’ve shared this Italian Pasta Soup on Instagram before but thought it deserved a more permanent spot on the blog. 

Here’s the details…

This recipe makes a HUGE batch with 12 servings. A great meal or two for the family or a meal prep for the week. Just make sure to keep a little extra broth on hand because it thickens a little in the fridge. 

What You’ll Need for this Italian Pasta Soup : 

• frozen onion, diced (340g; or sub fresh)
• celery, chopped (360g)
• carrots, chopped (360g)
• tomato paste (45g)
• red or white cooking wine (120g)
• 93/7 ground turkey (1493g)
• frozen rice broccoli (340g)
• frozen garlic cubes (or minced cloves)
• dried parsley
• dried oregano
• dried basil
• dried fennel seeds
• Kosher salt
• garlic powder 
• onion powder 
• can of crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce (784g)
• frozen spinach or kale, chopped  (250g; or sub fresh)
• beef or chicken broth (2 boxes)
• uncooked pasta of choice (170g; or sub gluten-free)

For the turkey in this recipe, I used two packages of Butterball® ground turkey from Costco® labeled 8 fat/4 oz. Don’t worry if you have a little more or less in your soup; the macros will hardly change. No big deal. 

Also, don’t be afraid to use frozen veggies! Because when it comes to soups where all the veggies are cooked down, I LOVE to use frozen veggies as a shortcut! But feel free to use equal weights of fresh veggies if you prefer.

I even used frozen riced broccoli in this recipe and loved it! NOBODY knew it was in there. But riced cauliflower always works if it doesn’t bother your belly. Or even riced zucchini would be great for similar and very light macros.

Either way, it’ll be delicious! 

When it comes to making any soup, I love using a sturdy, heavy-bottomed pan. I love making my entire meal in the same dish, and this pan makes that plausible. You can use whatever one you love, but this is the one I always find myself reaching for…

This soup doesn’t have a lot of chopping, but to make it faster, you can use this alligator chopper. When it comes to kitchen gadgets, I usually opt for a good knife and cutting board. But this alligator chopper has been the best. So easy to use and takes just minutes to clean (at least the way I clean it, haha). I especially love to use it when I make recipes like this pico de gallo. 

And while it’s definitely not essential, I also love using this little meat chopper thing for all my ground beef and turkey stovetop recipes. It’s so simple, but it just makes things so much easier. I use it all the time. You can get it here. 

How to Make Italian Pasta Soup: 

To start, heat a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over high heat with a spritz of olive oil. Add onion, celery, carrots, and tomato paste with a pinch of salt (not listed, just a little extra to help the veggies release their juices) and cook for 5 minutes until nice and fragrant.

Then, add the cooking wine and let it sizzle and cook for 2 minutes. Add ground turkey and cook for another 5–7 minutes until browned, breaking up as you go.

Next, add the riced broccoli, garlic, seasonings, and tomato paste to the pot. Cook for 5–10 minutes until veggies are tender and meat is cooked through and everything is fragrant! Stir in frozen spinach and cook for another 2 minutes. Pour in the broth and let the mixture come to a low boil. 

Finally, add the uncooked pasta and cook for a couple of minutes LESS than your pasta package recommends for al dente. It will continue to cook in the hot soup.

Serving Suggestions: 

This soup is intentionally created to be super light so that you have fats and carbs to use where it really counts–the toppings! After all, it’s all about the details when it comes to good food. 

To serve, top this large bowl of soup with parmesan, a dollop of ricotta or cottage cheese, and some fresh basil! 

Obviously, this pairs GREAT with a hunk of crust bread. But what doesn’t?! 

Is this Italian Pasta Soup GF/DF? 

Yes! This soup is naturally dairy-free. For the pasta, we used gluten-free pasta, but you can use any pasta you like. The difference in macros is very minimal–even with the alternative types of pasta! Use what you love (and what doesn’t hurt your belly). 

Of course, if you want crusty bread to go on the side (because duh, who wouldn’t)–then you can find all my favorite gluten-free swaps here. 

All of my recipes are gluten & dairy-free or have super easy swaps. Make sure to join my email list, so you never miss a recipe!  

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Similar Recipes You’ll Love: 

Macro-Friendly Beef and Kale Soup 

Chicken Minestrone Soup 

Easy Beef and Veggie Soup 

Italian Pasta Salad

Quick and Zesty Italian Chopped Salad

Roasted Tomato Basil Chicken 

Macro-friendly Fajita Ground Turkey Skillet 

Healthy Italian Pasta Soup 

This yummy and heart-warming soup is all you need on a cold winter’s day. And the best part? It’s super filling! No more tiny bowls of soup that leave no room for toppings (and nightly shakes)!

You can cozy up to this Italian Pasta Soup, or one of the other delicious soups on my blog, while still meeting your fitness goals.  Or if you don’t count macros, then you can enjoy a big bowl of balanced, tasty soup. 👍

For more macro-balanced and healthy meals, you can follow along on Instagram! I’m always sharing my new favorites over there. 

Italian Pasta Soup

Soul-warming, macro-balanced soup

Print Pin Rate

5 from 1 vote

Course dinner, Soup, Soup/Chili

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 12

Calories 285 kcal

Ingredients

• 1 bag 12 oz. frozen onion, diced (340g; or sub fresh)
• 3 cups celery chopped (360g)
• 3 cups carrots chopped (360g)
• 3 Tbsp. tomato paste 45g
• ½ cup red or white cooking wine 120g
• ~3.5 lbs. 93/7 ground turkey 1493g
• 1 bag 12 oz. frozen rice broccoli (340g)
• 7 frozen garlic cubes or minced cloves
• 1 ½ Tbsp. dried parsley
• 1 ½ Tbsp. dried oregano
• 1 Tbsp. dried basil
• 1 Tbsp. dried fennel seeds
• 1 Tbsp. Kosher salt
• 2 tsp. garlic powder
• 2 tsp. onion powder
• 1 can 28 oz. crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce (784g)
• 1 cup frozen spinach or kale chopped (250g; or sub fresh)
• 4 lbs. beef or chicken broth 2 boxes
• 6 oz. uncooked pasta of choice 170g; or sub gluten-free

Instructions

• Heat a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over high heat with a spritz of olive oil. Add onion, celery, carrots, and tomato paste with a pinch of salt (not listed, just a little extra to help the veggies release their juices) and cook for 5 minutes until nice and fragrant. Add the cooking wine and let it sizzle and cook for 2 minutes. Add ground turkey and cook for another 5–7 minutes until browned, breaking up as you go.
• Add the riced broccoli, garlic, seasonings, and crushed tomatoes to the pot. Cook for 5–10 minutes until veggies are tender and meat is cooked through and everything is fragrant! Stir in frozen spinach and cook for another 2 minutes. Pour in the broth and let the mixture come to a low boil. Add the uncooked pasta and cook for a couple of minutes LESS than your pasta package recommends for al dente. It will continue to cook in the hot soup.
• Enjoy a large bowl of soup with parmesan, a dollop of ricotta or cottage cheese, and some fresh basil! Obviously, this pairs great with a hunk of crusty bread. But what doesn’t?!

Notes

I used two packages of Butterball® ground turkey from Costco® labeled 8 fat/4 oz. Don’t worry if you have a little more or less in your soup; the macros will hardly change.

I used frozen riced broccoli in this recipe and loved it! NOBODY knew it was in there. But riced cauliflower always works if it doesn’t bother your belly. Or even riced zucchini would be great for similar and very light macros.

When it comes to soups where all the veggies are cooked down, I love to use frozen veggies as a shortcut! But feel free to use equal weights of fresh veggies if you prefer.

Leftovers may become thick as the pasta soaks up the broth. Add additional broth to thin it out as needed.

GF/DF: This soup is naturally dairy-free, and we used gluten-free pasta, but you can use any pasta you like. The difference in macros is very minimal, even with alternative types of pasta.

Nutrition

Serving: 391gCalories: 285kcalCarbohydrates: 22.8gProtein: 30gFat: 10.2gFiber: 4.5g

Keywords 30 minute, ground turkey, italian, pasta, soup

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BUTTERBALL is a trademark of Butterball, LLC.

COSTCO WHOLESALE is a trademark of Costco Wholesale Membership, Inc.