Don’t let the list of odd ingredients fool you, the flavours of this hearty soup meld beautifully and the addition of the orange beets are a great way to get a serious boost of fiber, potassium and calcium into your diet.  Beets are a low-energy dense food, meaning they have a low calorie content for its serving size, and the fiber makes you feel fuller longer as well as aiding in digestion.

Ok…enough of the blah blah blah health benefits of eating beets – just try the recipe out, you will love it!

Turkey, Carrot and Orange Beet Soup

Ingredients

2 Cups diced, cooked turkey meat (dark meat preferred)
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Cup diced white onion
4 small cloves garlic, minced
2 Cups diced carrots
2 Cups diced, peeled, orange beets
3 Roma tomatoes, peeled and diced
8 Cups Home-Made Turkey Broth (or low-sodium, store bought chicken broth)
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp. dried parsley or 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
Pinch of salt to taste
1/2 Cup brown and wild rice mix, uncooked

Directions

Heat Olive Oil in a large stock pot over medium heat; add onions, lower heat to medium-low and saute onions for approx. 10 minutes until softened.

Add garlic, carrots and beets; cook for over medium-low heat for approx. 15 minutes until vegetables start to soften slightly.

Add tomatoes, parsley, thyme, salt and pepper; increase heat and bring to a boil, stirring often.  Lower heat back to medium and cook, stirring often, for about 5-7 minutes or until tomates have broken down.

Stir in rice and turkey meat; bring back to a boil briefly, cover, set heat to low and simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Makes about 10 Cups.