Slow Cooker Vegetable and Ground Turkey Soup

1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add turkey, salt, and black pepper, and cook until turkey is browned, breaking up the turkey into rough 1/2-inch chunks with a wooden spoon, 5 to 7 minutes.

2. Stir in garlic and cook until garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Place cooked turkey into a 5-quart slow cooker, and set the cooker to low.

3. To the same skillet, add celery, carrots, and onion. Cook, stirring, until onions are translucent, 3 to 5 minutes; add onion mixture to the slow cooker. Pour chicken broth and diced tomatoes, with juices, into the slow cooker. Stir in Italian seasoning, cover the slow cooker, and cook on Low for 8 hours, or High for 4 hours.

4. Halfway through the cooking time, stir in zucchini slices, replace the lid, and resume cooking.

5. To serve, stir in lemon juice. Season with salt and ground black pepper. Tear up spinach leaves and put about 1/4 cup in the bottom of each soup bowl. Pour hot soup over spinach, stir, and serve. Garnish with shredded Parmesan cheese.

Tips

Of course you may add the spinach at the beginning, or with the zucchini, but the texture and color will be much better by adding the torn raw spinach to the serving bowls, and wilting it with the hot soup.