Creamy Turkey Barley Soup

A bowl of turkey barley soup on the table with a gold spoon in the bowl.

Turkey Barley Soup is a hearty, nourishing soup made with fresh veggies, leftover turkey, cream, barley, and fresh herbs. It’s easy to make and the whole family will love it.

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Course: Main Course, Side Dish, Soup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: turkey barley soup

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 30

Total Time: 45

Servings: servings

Calories: 229kcal

Author: Lyn Croyle

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil or butter
1 medium carrot sliced thin, about 1 heaping cup
1 medium onion diced small, about 1 cup
2 ribs celery sliced
8 ounces button mushrooms sliced
3-4 cloves garlic minced
6 cups turkey broth or chicken broth
1 cup half and half or coconut cream
2 cups chopped turkey
½ cup pearled barley rinsed and drained
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dry
1-2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 1-2 tablespoons of water
¼ cup chopped parsley plus more for serving
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Heat olive oil or butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add carrots, onion, and celery and cook until softened, about 6-8 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook another 2-3 minutes to soften mushrooms. Add garlic cook one minute more. Add broth, chopped turkey, barley, bay leaf, and thyme to pot.
Bring to a low boil, cover with lid, reduce heat to low, and cook for 25-30 minutes or until barley is tender. Mix the 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 1 tablespoon water together and add to pot along with half and half or coconut cream.Cook until thickened, about five minutes longer. You can repeat with another tablespoon of cornstarch mixed with water if you want it a bit thicker.
Remove bay leaf. Stir in chopped parsley and season with salt and pepper. Serve up soup garnished with more parsley on top.

Recipe Tips

Using Hulled Barley: To use hulled barley, soak the barley overnight in water then cook it in slightly salted water on its own. Reduce the amount of broth by 1 ½ cups in your soup. Add the cooked hulled barley to the soup towards the end of cooking. Personally, I think pearled barley works better for this recipe, but you can use hulled if you prefer.
Keep a Close Eye: When you bring the soup to a boil, make sure you turn it down right away and reduce to a simmer so nothing burns or boils over. Barley does often get a bit foamy and can make a mess if it boils over.
Take Off Any Turkey Skin: Remove as much excess skin as possible from the turkey meat, so the soup doesn't get too oily.
Soup Thickness: This soup will thicken as it cools, so the texture is even better the next day! You can always adjust using the cornstarch slurry.

Nutrition