This savory Tuscan turkey, bean and butternut squash stew is packed with Italian flavors and loaded with protein, fiber and nutrition. A perfect meal for home or re-heated when you’re on the go.

This savory Tuscan turkey, bean and butternut squash stew is packed with Italian flavors and loaded with protein, fiber and nutrition. A perfect meal for home or re-heated when you’re on the go.

It was another Pittsburgh Steelers night last night. In my house, that means time for me to whip-up some sort of chili, soup or stew to accompany the game. This week, the Steelers played during Monday night football. I have evening office hours on Monday’s, so I knew I wouldn’t have time to cook anything that night. I was prepared though! This Tuscan Turkey, bean and butternut squash soup was made on Sunday, with the rest of my weekly meal prep, then we re-heated it for the game.

My favorite thing about soups and stews is that they taste just as good re-heated. Well, most of them do. This stew is a great meal to make when you know you have a busy week ahead. If you heat it and put it in a soup thermos, you can take it with you for a quick lunch or meal on the go.

This savory Tuscan turkey, bean and butternut squash stew is packed with Italian flavors and loaded with protein, fiber and nutrition. A perfect meal for home or re-heated when you’re on the go.

Tuscan Turkey, Bean & Butternut Squash Stew

Soups and stews are a great way to use ingredients that you have left over from other meals you made. This recipe is no different. The main ingredients in this soup are ground turkey, garbanzo beans, butternut squash and spinach. Ground turkey, canned beans and spinach are foods I always have on hand. So, I just had to pick up the butternut squash from the store. And although I don’t always do it, this time I bought the butternut already peeled and diced from the grocery store.

The taste of Italian comes from the seasonings and the tomato paste. And, I just happened to have a jar of sun-dried tomatoes, so they got added to the mix as well.

How To Make This Tuscan Turkey Stew

As always, I highly suggest measuring all of the ingredients you need and want in advance. It’s horrible to be in the middle of making something and realize you are out  of something, or that you don’t have enough.

This savory Tuscan turkey, bean and butternut squash stew is packed with Italian flavors and loaded with protein, fiber and nutrition. A perfect meal for home or re-heated when you’re on the go.

STEP #1: Cook The Ground Turkey And Prep The Vegetables

To start, combine one pound of lean ground turkey, ¼ teaspoon ground pepper and the salt in a large sauté pan and cook on the stove top over medium heat. Continue to stir and break apart the turkey until it is browned and fully cooked. Remove it from heat and just set aside.

While the turkey is browning, you can chop the onions, orange pepper and squash. I used jarred minced garlic for this recipe, but if you choose to use fresh garlic cloves, you can dice those during this time, too.  The only other ingredient that needs prepared is the sun-dried tomatoes. Those get sliced into strips.

This savory Tuscan turkey, bean and butternut squash stew is packed with Italian flavors and loaded with protein, fiber and nutrition. A perfect meal for home or re-heated when you’re on the go.

STEP #2: Sauté the Onion, Garlic And Pepper

In a separate, smaller sauté pan, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the chopped onion, chopped orange pepper and ¼ tsp. ground pepper. Sauté until the orange pepper is soft and the onions become translucent, then add the chopped garlic and tomato paste. Stir and simmer for ~5 minutes to allow the tomato paste to thin and the flavors to completely combine.

This savory Tuscan turkey, bean and butternut squash stew is packed with Italian flavors and loaded with protein, fiber and nutrition. A perfect meal for home or re-heated when you’re on the go.

STEP 3: Combine Cooked Ingredients With Broth, Seasonings, Beans, Tomatoes & Spinach

Once cooked, add the turkey to the sauté pan with the onion and pepper mixture. Add the chicken broth, dry basil leaves and the oregano and stir until everything is combined together. Then, add the drained chickpeas, the sliced sun dried tomatoes and the spinach. Stir together, then cover and allow to simmer for ~5 minutes.

This savory Tuscan turkey, bean and butternut squash stew is packed with Italian flavors and loaded with protein, fiber and nutrition. A perfect meal for home or re-heated when you’re on the go.

Once this mixture simmers, you’ll be adding the 4 cups of diced butternut squash. If you don’t think your sauté pan will be large enough, I suggest transferring everything to a larger soup pot.

STEP #4: Add The Butternut Squash

After ~5 minutes, remove the lid and add the diced butternut squash. Increase the heat to medium and cook for 15 minutes or until the squash is fork tender.

This savory Tuscan turkey, bean and butternut squash stew is packed with Italian flavors and loaded with protein, fiber and nutrition. A perfect meal for home or re-heated when you’re on the go.

All said and done, this stew takes about an hour to make. Of course, I made this during my Sunday meal prep, so I was preparing other meals for the week at the same time.

This savory Tuscan turkey, bean and butternut squash stew has a delicious Italian flavor and is bursting with nutrition. If you prefer more broth, you can add another 2-3 cups of chicken broth. You can also substitute sweet potates for the butternut squash.

This savory Tuscan turkey, bean and butternut squash stew is packed with Italian flavors and loaded with protein, fiber and nutrition. A perfect meal for home or re-heated when you’re on the go.

Nutrition Information For This Tuscan Turkey Stew

This recipe makes ~6 cups of stew, or four 1 ½ cup servings. Each serving provides 380 calories, 44 grams of carbohydrates, 11 grams of fiber, 38 grams of protein, 8 grams of fat, 3 grams of saturated fat, 45 milligrams of cholesterol and 750 milligrams of sodium. It also provides 20 % of the daily value for potassium, 15% of the daily value for calcium and 40% of the daily value for iron.

If you like this recipe, you might also like my creamy, white bean chicken chili or my simple recipe for beef stew.

This savory Tuscan turkey, bean and butternut squash stew is packed with Italian flavors and loaded with protein, fiber and nutrition. A perfect meal for home or re-heated when you’re on the go.
Print Recipe
5 from 1 vote

Tuscan Turkey, Bean & Butternut Squash Stew

Author: Heather Mangieri, RDN

Ingredients

  • 1 pound lean ground turkey
  • 1 can (15.5 oz) Chickpeas, rinsd and drained
  • 4 cups butternut squash, diced
  • 1/4 cup sundried tomatoes, sliced
  • 4 cups baby spinach, fresh
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 medium onion
  • 1 orange bell pepper
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 2 tsp minced garlic (or 2 garlic cloves)
  • 1/4 tsp dried basil leaves
  • 1/4 tsp oregano
  • 1/2 tsp ground pepper
  • 1/8 tsp salt

Instructions

  • Put the lean ground turkey, ¼ teaspoon ground pepper and the salt in a large pan and cook on the stove top over medium heat. Continue to stir and break apart the turkey until it is browned and fully cooked.
  • In a separate, smaller sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the chopped onion, chopped orange pepper and ¼ tsp. ground pepper. Sauté until the orange pepper is soft and the onions become translucent, then add the chopped garlic and tomato paste. Stir and simmer for ~5 minutes to allow the tomato paste to thin and the flavors to completely combine.
  • Transfer all of the cooked ingredients into one large soup pan, then add the chicken broth, dry basil leaves and oregano. Stir until combined.
  • Add the drained chickpeas, the sun dried tomatoes and the spinach. Stir, then cover and allow to simmer for ~5 minutes. 
  • Remove the lid and add the 4 cups chopped butternut squash. Cook on medium heat for 15 minutes or until squash is fork tender. Enjoy!

Notes

  • Recipe Makes: 6 Cups
  • Serving Size: 1 ½ cups of Stew
  • Servings Per Container: 4
 
  • Nutrition Facts (per serving): 380 calories, 44 g carbohydrates, 11 g fiber, 38 g protein, 8 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 45 mg cholesterol, 750 mg sodium, 20% DV for potassium, 15% DV for calcium, 40% DV for iron.
 
  • Meal Planning Servings: 3 CHO; 5.5 PRO; 1.5 FAT

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