Easy Turkey Lentil Soup (Turkey Soup Without Noodles)
The lentils and barley give this turkey soup an earthy and down-home flavor. Turkey lentil soup is a healthy and easy way to use up leftover Thanksgiving turkey.
3cupswater2 - 3 cups water, depending on how brothy you want the soup.
1turkey wingor leg
16ounceCanned chopped tomatoesundrained
½teaspoondried basil
½teaspoondried oregano
¼teaspoondried rosemary
¼teaspoondried thyme
2cupsRoasted Turkey or ChickenCut into bite sized pieces
½cupQuick Cooking Barley
Instructions
Rinse lentils in a colander before using.
Melt butter or heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add sliced carrots and celery and cook, stirring occasionally for about 7 minutes. Add onion and cook for another 5 minutes.
Add Chicken Broth, tomatoes, water and spices. Stir until all is mixed together.
If you want, add a whole turkey wing or leg. The bone and remaining meat will add flavor to the broth. You'll remove it when ready to serve.
Add lentils and cook according to package instructions. 10 minutes before lentils are to be done, add quick cooking barley, and turkey or chicken. Simmer until barley and lentils are tender.
Serve and garnish with chopped fresh parsley. Some grated Parmesan cheese is nice here. These are both optional.
Notes
This recipe calls for quick cooking barley which cooks in roughly 10 minutes. If using pearl barley, adjust cooking time instructions accordingly. If you want to make this without using leftover Thanksgiving turkey, purchase 1 pound of ground turkey. Add the ground turkey at the same time you add the vegetables. You can also use ground chicken or a rotisserie chicken.