Turkey and barley soup
65 min · 32 g protein · 324 cals / serving
A big, comforting pot for the weekend after the feast: pearl barley simmered in broth with onion, carrot, celery, thyme and bay until plump and chewy, then leftover turkey and a few handfuls of kale stirred through at the end. A squeeze of lemon and plenty of parsley wake it right up.
Ingredients
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 medium carrots, diced
- 3 stalks celery, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 2 leaves bay leaf
- 2/3 cup barley, pearl barley, rinsed
- 6 1/4 cups chicken broth, low-sodium, or turkey stock from the carcass
- 1 cup water
- 12 oz turkey breast, roasted, leftover roast turkey, shredded
- 2 big handfuls kale, stems removed, leaves torn
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- a small handful fresh parsley, chopped
- 1/3 tsp salt, to taste
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Steps
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot and celery with a pinch of salt and cook, stirring now and then, for 8–10 minutes until soft and starting to colour. Add the garlic for the last minute.
- Stir in the thyme, bay leaves and rinsed barley, then pour in the broth and water. Bring to the boil, lower to a gentle simmer, set the lid ajar and cook for 35–40 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the barley is tender but still has a little chew.
- Stir in the turkey and kale and simmer for 5 minutes, until the turkey is hot all the way through and the kale is soft and dark green.
- Take out the bay leaves. Add the lemon juice, parsley and pepper, then taste and add salt only if it needs it, since stock and leftover turkey are often salty already. Ladle into bowls.
Good to know
Can I make stock from the turkey carcass?
Yes, and it makes the soup. Break up the carcass, cover with cold water, add an onion, a carrot and a bay leaf and simmer for 2–3 hours. Strain, chill and lift off the fat before using it here in place of the broth.
The soup thickened overnight. Is that right?
Yes: barley keeps drinking liquid as it sits. Thin it with a splash of broth or water when you reheat it. It keeps 4 days in the fridge and freezes well for 3 months.
Can I use farro instead of barley?
Farro works the same way and takes about the same time, with a nuttier chew and about the same score. Keep the dry weight the same.
Alternatives
Per
- Calories
- 53
- Protein
- (42%)
- 5 g
- Fat
- (16%)
- 1 g
- Carbohydrates
- (42%)
- 6 g
- of which sugar
- 1 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sodium
- 282 mg
More meals
Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. General guidance, not medical advice. Talk to your prescriber. How
As written, 1298 kcal goes into the pot and 2768 g of ingredients comes out as about 2470 g of food: 53 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.