Turkey Vegetable Barley Soup
This soup keeps very well. Refrigerate up to 5 days, or freeze in airtight containers up to 3 months. Adjust the broth accordingly to desired thickness of the soup.
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 2 large carrots, diced
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 3 Tbsp. minced garlic
- 8 cups 2 quarts chicken broth (more or less for desired consistency)
- 2 cans diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1 cup pearl barley, uncooked
- 8 oz fresh cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
- 1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
- 2 small zucchini, diced
- 1 cup corn, if canned, make sure and drain it
- 2 cups spinach
- 1 cup basil, chopped
- 1/2 cup shredded Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a large nonstick saucepan over medium-high heat; add the ground turkey and cook until browned. Remove from pan and set aside.
- In the same pan, add the remaining 1 Tbsp. olive oil, and add the carrot, onion and celery; cook and stir for about 5 minutes until the onions are golden. Stir in the garlic for 1 minute.
- Remove to a large pot and add the onion mixture, ground turkey, broth and tomatoes; bring to a boil over high heat. Adjust the broth according to desired consitency of the soup.
- Add barley, mushrooms, salt and pepper; cover, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until barley is almost tender, about 40 minutes.
- Stir in zucchini, corn, and spinach; cover and cook until barley and zucchini are tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in basil. Season to taste, if desired. Serve!