Turkey Barley Soup: Hearty, Tomato-Rich, and Built for Leftover Turkey
This turkey barley soup is perfect when the fridge is full of leftover turkey. It gives everyone something different instead of another plate of the same meal. The tomato-rich broth, chewy barley, and a last-minute handful of spinach make it taste like a brand-new dinner instead of a rerun. It works as a Thanksgiving turkey barley soup the weekend after the feast, and just as well any night you have cooked turkey to use up. Shaved parmesan on top turns an ordinary weeknight dinner into something that feels like a small occasion. Make the full pot, because second bowls go fast.
This turkey barley soup recipe starts with onion, carrots, celery, bell pepper, and garlic softened in olive oil. Then, dried herbs, paprika, chicken broth, and tomato passata go in. Pearl barley simmers in the broth until tender, and the shredded turkey, baby spinach, and parsley go in at the very end. The whole pot takes about 90 minutes, and most of that is hands-off simmering. The key to turkey barley soup is adding the cooked turkey last. That way, it only heats through and stays tender instead of turning stringy.
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Why You'll Love This Turkey Barley Soup
- It is a smart answer to Thanksgiving turkey leftovers. The tomato broth and paprika give the turkey a completely new flavor.
- It is an easy turkey barley soup that comes together in one pot. The barley does most of the work while it simmers, which earns it a spot among your easy weeknight dinners.
- Pearl barley gives every spoonful of this turkey soup a satisfying chew. As a result, this hearty meal works well as dinner on its own.
- Five vegetables go into the pot, so it doubles as a turkey vegetable soup without any extra chopping.
- It stretches a modest amount of turkey into six generous bowls, which makes it a smart dinner on a budget.
- A big-batch turkey barley soup like this one means tomorrow's lunch is already sorted.
See the recipe card for the complete list of ingredients and quantities.
Key Ingredients for Turkey and Barley Soup
A great turkey and barley soup depends on a few ingredients doing their jobs.
- Pearl barley: Pearl barley has its tough outer bran polished off, so it turns tender in under an hour. It also releases a little starch that gives turkey barley soup its body. Hulled barley takes much longer and will not be tender in the time this recipe gives.
- Tomato passata: Most turkey barley soup recipes lean on a plain broth, and the passata is what sets this one apart. It gives this homemade soup with carrots and celery a rich red broth, and plain tomato puree works the same way.
- Leftover turkey: White meat, dark meat, or a mix all work in turkey barley soup. Shredded turkey soaks up the broth and stays soft, while neat cubes tend to feel dry.
- Paprika and dried herbs: Oregano, thyme, and Italian seasoning give the soup its savory backbone. Meanwhile, paprika adds warmth and that deep orange color. Toasting them in the pot for a minute or two before the liquid goes in wakes up their flavor.
- Parmesan: Shave it with a vegetable peeler rather than grating it. Wide shavings soften on top of a hot bowl of turkey barley soup without melting away into the broth.
How to Make Turkey Barley Soup
- Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat.
- Add the onion, carrots, celery, bell pepper, and garlic with a good pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the vegetables start to soften.
- Stir in the oregano, paprika, thyme, and Italian seasoning. Then, cook for another 1 to 2 minutes, until the spices smell fragrant.
- Pour in the chicken broth and tomato passata. Then, turn the heat to high and bring the soup to a boil.
- Add the pearl barley, then turn the heat down to medium right away and cover the pot.
- Simmer the turkey barley soup for 45 to 65 minutes, until the barley is cooked through.
- Uncover the pot and add the turkey, baby spinach, and parsley.
- Cook for another 6 to 8 minutes, until the turkey is heated through.
- Taste, adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, and serve right away with shaved parmesan on top.
Tips for the Best Turkey Barley Soup
Knowing how to cook barley is the difference between a good pot and a gluey one. Therefore, take the pot off the heat as soon as the grains are tender.
Start tasting at the 45-minute mark. Some brands of barley cook faster than others. Turkey soup with pearl barley is ready when the grains are plump and chewy with no hard white center.
Keep the lid on while the barley simmers, so the broth does not reduce too far before the grains are cooked.
If the soup looks thick before the barley is tender, add a splash of broth. Barley keeps absorbing liquid the whole time it simmers.
The sauteed veggies only need a few minutes at the start. They will keep softening in the broth for the rest of the cook.
Season with salt at the very end, after the turkey goes in. Both the broth and parmesan already bring plenty of salt to the bowl.
What to Serve with Turkey Barley Soup
A bowl of turkey barley soup wants something to drag through the broth.
- Garlic bread: This cheesy garlic pull-apart bread is the crowd-pleaser for a family dinner.
- Grilled cheese: For the classic soup and sandwich pairing, a gourmet grilled cheese with caramelized onions is hard to beat.
- Toasted whole grain bread: Thick buttered slices are the simple option for scooping up every last bit of barley.
- Lemon wedges: A squeeze of lemon over each bowl of turkey barley soup brightens the tomato broth.
Planning a whole week of cozy dinners? Pair this recipe for turkey barley soup with a few more pots from the fall soup recipes roundup.
Turkey Barley Soup FAQs
Yes, and homemade turkey soup always tastes deeper with a carcass broth. Simmer the carcass with water, an onion, a carrot, and a celery stalk for a few hours, then strain it and use that turkey broth in place of the chicken broth. The rest of the turkey barley soup recipe stays exactly the same, and you end up with a turkey carcass soup with barley that uses every last bit of the bird. If there is no carcass to hand, homemade chicken stock is the next best thing.
Yes, slow cooker turkey barley soup works with a few changes. Soften the vegetables and spices on the stove first, then add them to the slow cooker with the broth, passata, and barley. Cook on low until the barley is tender, which usually takes 6 to 8 hours, then stir in the turkey, spinach, and parsley for the last 15 minutes. A crockpot turkey version frees up the stove for everything else, and the crockpot soups and stews collection has more ideas in the same spirit.
This turkey barley soup is written for the stovetop, so pressure cooker timing has not been worked out for it. If you adapt it, use the saute setting for the vegetables and spices, pressure cook the broth, passata, and barley until the barley is tender, then switch back to saute to stir in the turkey, spinach, and parsley.
Yes. Brown the ground turkey in the pot first, breaking it up as it cooks, then lift it out and carry on with the vegetables. Add it back in with the broth so it simmers alongside the barley. The result is a ground turkey barley soup with a meatier, chunkier texture.
Cooked chicken works exactly the same way and turns this into a classic chicken barley soup. Rotisserie chicken is the easiest shortcut.
Farro is the closest swap in turkey barley soup and cooks in a similar time. Long-grain rice works too, but it cooks much faster, so add it later in the simmer, or follow the turkey rice soup that is built around it. Avoid quick-cooking barley, which turns mushy over a long simmer. Barley contains gluten, so rice and a gluten-free broth are the way to go for a gluten-free bowl.
Barley keeps absorbing liquid as it sits, so leftover turkey barley soup always thickens in the fridge. Loosen it with a splash of broth or water when you reheat it until it looks like soup again.
Let leftover turkey barley soup cool, then keep it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat it gently on the stove over medium-low heat, adding broth to thin it as needed. Add the parmesan only when serving, so it stays in neat shavings.
Yes, turkey soup with barley freezes well. Freeze it without the parmesan in freezer-safe containers for up to 3 months. The barley softens a little after freezing, so pull the pot off the heat as soon as the barley is just tender if the whole batch is headed for the freezer. Thaw it in the fridge overnight and reheat it on the stove with extra broth.
Yes, which makes it one of the easiest holiday soup ideas for a busy week. Cook the turkey barley soup up to the end of the barley simmer a day ahead and refrigerate it. When you are ready to eat, reheat it with a splash of broth and stir in the turkey, spinach, and parsley, so the spinach stays bright. Leftover turkey soup made this way tastes just as good as a fresh pot, and it means dinner for a houseful of guests is nearly done before anyone arrives.
Tried this Hearty Turkey and Pearl Barley Soup? Please rate the recipe and leave a comment below to let us know how it turned out. Your feedback helps others find and enjoy it too!
Hearty Turkey and Pearl Barley Soup
Equipment
- 1 large soup pot with a lid, or a Dutch oven
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion diced
- 2 medium carrots peeled and diced
- 2 celery stalks diced
- 1 yellow bell pepper diced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups tomato puree or passata
- ½ cup pearl barley
- 2-½ cups leftover turkey shredded with a fork
- 3 cups baby spinach
- ¼ cup fresh parsley chopped
- 2 ounces shaved parmesan cheese for serving
- Sea salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add in the onion, carrots, celery, bell pepper, and garlic; season with a fat pinch of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the veggies soften up slightly, around 3-4 minutes.
- Add in the oregano, paprika, thyme, and Italian seasoning; continue cooking until the spices become fragrant, another 1-2 minutes.
- Pour in the chicken broth and tomato passata; increase the heat the high. Bring the soup to a boil, add in the pearl barley, then immediately decrease the heat to medium and cover with a lid. Let the soup simmer away until the barley is cooked through, around 45-65 minutes depending on your particular barley.
- Uncover and add in the turkey, baby spinach, and parsley. Continue cooking until the turkey is heated through and the parsley is wilted, another 6-8 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning with more salt and pepper, if needed.
- Serve immediately with shaved parmesan on top. Enjoy!
