Hearty Halloween Soup

After a cold evening of trick-or-treating, this is the soup you want waiting on the stove. Ground turkey, diced red potatoes, fresh tomatoes, celery, onion, and garlic simmer for an hour in a vegetable broth enriched with turkey gravy. Vermicelli pasta goes in at the end and cooks right in the pot.

The turkey gravy stirred into the broth is the clever touch. It adds body and a savory richness that plain water and a bouillon cube alone can’t deliver. The soup ends up thick and satisfying without needing cream or a roux.

Basil, thyme, parsley, and a bay leaf keep the herb profile warm and autumnal. Everything goes into one kettle, simmers for an hour, and you’re done.

Kitchen Tips

• Break the ground turkey into small pieces as you add it to the pot. Large clumps don’t distribute evenly.
• Add the vermicelli in the last 10 minutes. Pasta added too early turns mushy and absorbs too much broth.
• Dice the potatoes small so they cook through in the hour-long simmer without staying hard.
• Remove the bay leaf before serving. Nobody wants to bite into that.

Variations

• Use chicken instead of turkey and chicken gravy if that’s what you have.
• Add corn kernels or diced butternut squash for more fall flavor.
• Swap vermicelli for egg noodles or small shells for a different pasta shape.