Turkey Barley Soup

I felt like I was channelling my mom last week when I made this Turkey Barley Soup recipe.  My mom is the MASTER of using every ingredient to it's fullest.  She doesn't waste ANYTHING in the kitchen.  We actually tease her quite a bit about her extreme resourcefulness but the truth is - she can squeeze more meals out of one bag of groceries than anyone I know.  

I think we would all be better off if we took a lesson from mom and reduced the amount of waste coming out of our kitchens.  Since Thanksgiving is around the corner, consider making a batch of homemade turkey stock instead of just tossing that turkey carsass into the garbage after dinner.  I know that it takes more time to make stock from scratch but it's easy to make, it tastes better and in my opinion - it's better for you than store bought turkey stock.   Not to mention the fact that it's cheaper than buying it in the grocery store and it's reusing something that I would otherwise toss into the trash. 

I love that this Turkey Barley Soup is truly homemade - none of the ingredients came from a box or a can.  I used the leftover turkey and carcass from the Apple Cider Turkey that I made last week to make this yummy soup.  I also love the barley but if you're not a fan - swap it out for noodles or rice.  

Turkey Stock
carcass from 12-14 pound turkey
10 cups water

Soup
​2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
pinch of red pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 cups turkey stock
3/4 cup pearled barley
1 bay leaf
2 celery rib, cut into 1/4" pieces
2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch pieces
2 cups shredded turkey
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
​salt and pepper

To make turkey stock, place turkey carcass in dutch oven.  Cover with water and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer 4-5 hours.  Pour stock through strainer to remove bones.  

Heat fat in dutch oven.  Add onion, thyme and pepper and cook until onion is soft. Add garlic and cook 1 minute longer. 

Add stock, barley and bay leaf. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes.  

Add celery and carrots and simmer 15 minutes.  

Add turkey and cook until barley and vegetables are tender.  (10 minutes)

Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice.  Season with salt and pepper.  

Inevitably, at some point this winter, we will all end up with a cold or a cough - or both - and this soup is going to be my go-to meal.  I still believe that homemade turkey soup is the best medicine.  My mom gave it to me when I was a kid and I still feed it to my family when they're feeling under the weather. 

Thanks mom for sharing your love of cooking and for the endless bowls of homemade soup.  Love you.

​Ciao!

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