This hearty and savory soup is fiber-full and flavorful. Not only is it delicious, but it’s a great way to use up some of your leftover turkey from Thanksgiving too!
So Thanksgiving is over and now you’re wondering what on earth to do with all your leftover turkey?! Let’s be real, there’s only so many cold turkey sandwiches on leftover dinner rolls a person can take… Instead, why don’t you try whipping up this super easy and extremely tasty turkey barley soup! You can even have a leftover dinner roll on the side. ;)
First things first, you’ve got to wash and chop up all of your veggies. Dice your onion, chop your carrots, celery and mushrooms, and mince your garlic. Make sure to thoroughly wash your mushrooms as it isn’t uncommon for them to have a little dirt on them in the package. When chopping your veggies, think about how everything will fit on a spoonful of soup. I chopped my mushrooms even smaller than I ordinarily would because I made this soup for my family and my dad doesn’t like mushrooms. Correction: he doesn’t like them if they’re big enough to notice/pick out. He still knew they were in there (I’m not that sneaky, I promise). Since they were so small, however, he barely noticed them (even though he knew they were there). Everybody wins! If you’re in a chopping groove you can chop your fresh parsley at this point too. Otherwise, you’ll have plenty of time later when the barley is cooking to chop your parsley.
Now, I wrote this recipe before Thanksgiving which means I made it with ground turkey instead of leftovers. So when you try it with your leftover turkey and love it so much you want to make it again, you can do just that with a pound of ground turkey! If you’re using leftovers, you’ll want to shred 1-2 cups of your turkey and add it to your soup at the very end. Otherwise, you’ll start cooking by browning your ground turkey in a stock pot over medium heat.
Once your turkey is cooked (this’ll be the first step for those of you using leftovers) add your minced garlic into the stock pot and saute until fragrant. Then, add in your onion, carrots, and celery and saute until slightly softened (about 5-7 minutes). You don’t want your veggies to be too soft at this point because they’re going to boil in the soup which will further soften them. I generally air on the side of under-cooking them when sauteing rather than over-cooking. I like my veggies to have a little more texture than mush!
Once your veggies are a little soft, add in your mushrooms, rinsed barley, chicken broth, bay leaf, salt, black pepper, and thyme and bring everything to a boil. It’s a good idea to rinse barley before cooking to remove any dust or debris that might be in the package. I’ve never had an issue with barley being really dusty, but it’s always best to be safe than sorry! Once your soup is boiling, cover it and turn the heat down to low. Let the soup simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the barley is tender.
Finally, add your chopped parsley and remove your soup from heat! Serve with crackers and cheese, crusty bread, a leftover Thanksgiving dinner roll, or your favorite soup side. Refrigerate any leftovers promptly, and consume within 3-5 days. This soup tastes AMAZING leftover because barley maintains its texture well. Seriously, I’m a picky leftovers person, and I will happily eat this soup leftover.
If you liked this recipe, please be sure to share it with your friends and family. You can also leave me a review in the comments below! You can also tag me on social media with your soup creation at @HookomOnHealth, or use the hashtag #HookomOnHealth. I’d love to see how you’re enjoying this recipe!
Turkey Barley Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb lean ground turkey
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 5 large carrots peeled and chopped
- 3 celery stalks chopped
- 8 oz crimini (baby bella) mushrooms chopped
- 1/2 cup pearled barley rinsed
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in stock pot over medium heat. Add ground turkey and brown until cooked through, about 3-5 minutes.
- Add garlic to browned turkey and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add onion, carrots, and celery and saute until slightly softened, about 5-7 minutes.
- Add mushrooms, barley, chicken broth, bay leaf, salt, black pepper, and thyme and bring to a boil.
- Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until barley is tender, about 30 minutes.
- Add fresh parley and immediately remove from heat.
Video
Notes
- Have leftover turkey from Thanksgiving (or any other day)? Substitute the ground turkey in this recipe with 1-2 cups of pre-cooked, shredded turkey. Add pre-cooked turkey right before the last step of the recipe.
- If using dried parsley instead of fresh, use 1 tablespoon of dried parsley and add to the soup with the other dried herbs, salt, and pepper (step 4).
- If using hulled barley instead of pearled your cook time will be longer (about 20 minutes), adjust accordingly.