Lemony White Bean Soup With Turkey and Greens

You never need to be without that pesky "1 Tbsp. of tomato paste." Open a can at both ends and remove the lid from one end. Using the other lid, push out approximately a tablespoonful of paste, slice it off and lay it on a sheet of waxed paper on a small cutting board or flat tray; repeat until you've used it all. Place the rounds of paste in the freezer and, when frozen solid, store in a zipper bag with the air sucked out. Voila, small portions of tomato paste on demand.

I'm always confused by "bunch of greens." One store near me sells a bundle of kale that will feed 2 or 3 people when cooked, while another store sells bunches large enough to feed 5 or 6. It would be clearer if recipes used a different measuring system, like how many leaves or cups of chopped greens.

I don’t throw away the tasty stalks of the greens, whether those be kale, collard or what ever I might have on hand. Instead, after stripping the leaves, I dice the stalks into 1/4” bits and sauté them with the onion. The extra cooking time renders them soft and they add to the overall flavor of the dish.

Suggestion. Just as beer can add depth to a chili, so a half-cup or so of white wine, added at the same time as the stock, will add brightness and interest here.

This is a winter recipe and looks wonderful, but it calls for one cup of fresh herbs! Parsley is easy and inexpensive, but buying the other herbs in this quantity really hikes the cost when some tiny boxes cost $3 each. A suggestion for mixture of affordable substitutes would be a good addition here!

It's just navy bean soup. It reminded me of Saturday night growing up (in the 60's). Mom would make something like this in the afternoon before the sitter came. At 7:30 she would descend the staircase ready for a night out drenched in Chanel #5 and a fur stole. Dad would be in his suit and trying to steal a bite off us kids, which we heartily rebuffed. Off they would go to go dancing. We were left with bean soup and the sitter. Oh, and fake wrestling on the TV at 10:00pm!

Remember significant digits from school--don't be more precise than your measuring system allows? Good recipes use significant digits. Melissa could tell you to use six cups of greens, but then folks would be leaving awkward bits of greens in the fridge b/c their bunch was 7 cups, or worrying about measuring correctly when that precision doesn't matter to the recipe. It doesn't matter. The bunch is a guideline. Use the bunch you have.

Wonderful recipe! Used a bunch of cilantro for the soft herbs. Used the stems, which are full of flavor. Would work fine without the ground turkey. Maybe substitute mushrooms.

This was an excellent soup. Made exactly as written and was more generous with ginger and cumin as suggested. I used cilantro as my soft herb. Huge hit. I did notice that once served well after the addition of the lemon juice and cilantro it no longer had the bright tang that made it so special, so I recommend that if you reheat to re-serve, add fresh lemon and herbs again.

My 11 yo son just made this yesterday at his cooking class with his grandma. It is so, so good. They skipped the fresh herbs and lemon (none on hand) and upped both the chili flakes and ginger. It was divine. My son was so proud to serve it to us for lunch.

This was just terrific, and so easy. The lemon juice took it to another level; I put extra on the table. I made this dish for the 4 in my household despite knowing that only one besides me really likes beans, greens and generally soup. I’m glad I did. The others can have a snack later. I’d like to thank all of you Cooking commenters for helping to keep me sane this year -- a bright spot has been coming here more often, trying more recipes, and enjoying comments both helpful and snarky. Cheers!

I use an amount comparable to a 6-8ounce bag of spinach or kale, generally found in the bagged section of your grocery store's produce section. If you like more, add more. I buy and freeze those bags of greens just for the purpose of adding them to soups/stews throughout the winter months.

Versatile! Doubled the recipe but then realized we didn’t have tomato paste So used canned tomatoes. Used ground beef and chicken broth. Had too much zucchini around and added that too. Toward the end, Tossed in 4 broad kale leaves (maybe too much for some) and a mix of things growing in the garden (Thai basil, chives, scallion, Cilantro, mint). Delicious! A great meal to use up the odds and ends in the kitchen.

Winner in our household where I make soup 2 times a week. Tasted great despite being able to add only 1/3 cup of fresh tarragon, dill and chives because, hey, even though this is Texas, that's all that was left in my garden. The most defining spice in this is the cumin. Also sautéed leftover celery with the onion and carrot. Used kale because that was on hand but it was a little tough even after a long simmer on the stove so next time will use spinach, my go-to green for soups.

After cooking this and agreeing that mushrooms would enhance richness, I would also suggest diced fennel