Category: Soups and Stews

I’m at that age where your doctor starts telling you that you’re going to kill yourself if you don’t start treating your body better. So, I’ve been trying to stick to low carb, high protein meals lately. There are some hits and some misses, but overall I am enjoying everything that I am eating, like this creamy chicken soup.

Although it’s not as thick and creamy as a roux-based soup, it is actually really delicious. You can probably thicken it with xantham gum if you are so inclined. If you don’t care about the carbs, then roux away!

Pressure Cooker Creamy Chicken Soup

(Adapted from this recipe)

Ingredients

• 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast
• 5oz sliced shitake mushrooms
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 6 slices of thick cut bacon
• 4oz celery, chopped
• 1/3 cup white cooking wine (or use water)
• 4oz cream cheese, cut into cubes
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 tbsp dried parsley
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Set the liner of your electric pressure cooker to the Saute/Browning setting. When it’s hot, add the bacon and cook until crispy. Remove from the pressure cooker, crumble, and set aside.

Drain all but 1 tbsp of bacon grease from the pressure cooker liner. Add the garlic and saute until it starts to turn brown. Add the celery and mushrooms and cook until they start to soften. Add the wine (or water) and cook until the most of the liquid has evaporated, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the chicken breast, chicken stock, and parsley. Cover, seal, and cook on High Pressure for 25 minutes. When the timer is up, allow the pressure to release naturally.

Uncover the pot and add the cream cheese and the heavy cream. Stir until the cream cheese has all melted. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed, then stir in the crumbled bacon. Serve hot.

Makes 6 servings

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After I learned how to make turkey stock using my Instant Pot, I was thrilled.  At the time, though, I had no idea what to do with my newfound stash of turkey stock.  I came across a turkey soup recipe that caught my eye.  I had been low-carbing it for a while, and it seemed easy enough to adjust to cut out some of those pesky carbs.  That’s how this turkey meatball and spinach soup came to be.

Truth be told, I never did learn how to make anything else with my homemade turkey stock.  Anytime I get my hands on some, I wind up making more turkey meatball and spinach soup.  And, it’s super easy to make!  The hardest part is forming the meatballs.

Mix your meatball ingredients together, either by hand or using a wooden spoon.  Once everything is combined, form your meatballs.  I used a cooker scooper to scoop the meat mixture and get them to be close to the same size.

Brown the meatballs on both sides using butter or ghee in the liner of your electric pressure cooker.  You will have to do this in batches.  Once they are all brown, set them aside.  Sometimes, I saute a little bit of onions and garlic after this part, but this is entirely optional.  The soup still tastes good without them.

Add about 1 cup of the turkey stock and stir it around to loosen the browned bits at the bottom of the liner.  Add the rest of the turkey stock, along with the meatballs.  Cook on Manual (High Pressure) for 10 minutes, then manually release the pressure.  Stir in the mushrooms and let them sit for about 5 minutes or until they’re cooked.  Your soup should still be plenty hot enough to cook them.  After they’re cooked, stir in the spinach until it’s wilted.

Your turkey meatball and spinach soup is now ready to serve.

This turkey meatball and spinach soup is great for so many reasons.  It is low in carbs, so it’s great for people watching their carb intake (or who just want something lighter after a Thanksgiving binge).  It freezes wonderfully, so you can make a big batch and save some for a rainy day.  And, it tastes almost too good to be good for you.  I call that a win!

Pressure Cooker Turkey Meatball and Spinach Soup

Adapted from recipe at Savory Lotus

Ingredients

For the meatballs

• 2lbs ground turkey
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• 2 eggs
• 4 gloves garlic, crushed
• 2 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

For the soup

• 3 quarts turkey stock (you can also use chicken or vegetable stock)
• 10 oz spinach leaves
• 16oz sliced baby bella mushrooms
• 2 tbsp butter or ghee
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup diced onion (optional)
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed (optional)

Directions

In a medium bowl, combine all of the meatball ingredients.  Form the mixture into balls, approximately 1in each.

Preheat your pressure cooker on the Saute/Browning setting.  When hot, add 1tbsp of butter or ghee and brown the meatballs on both sides, working in batches and adding more butter/ghee as needed.  When the meatballs are browned, set them aside.

Quickly saute the onions and garlic (if using) until fragrant, then add 1 cup of turkey stock.  Stir to loosen the browned bits stuck to the bottom of the liner.  Add the remaining turkey stuck.

Return the meatballs to the pot. Cover, seal, and cook on Manual (High Pressure) for 10 minutes.  When the timer is up, manually release the pressure.

Stir in the sliced mushrooms and let sit for about 5 minutes.  The soup should be hot enough to cook the mushrooms through.  Stir in the spinach until wilted.

Makes 6-8 servings