Turkey-Barley Bean Soup

A hearty, healthful soup that checks off all the after-Thanksgiving boxes, this soup can also be made with fresh boneless chicken thighs. Instead of adding the cooked turkey later on, you begin the soup by sautéing a pound to a pound and a half of well-seasoned (salt and peppered) chicken cut into 1-inch pieces in 2 tablespoons olive oil and follow the basic directions from there. You can simplify the soup by using only onions, carrots, celery, and potatoes but I think the wide variety of vegetables creates a soup with greater depth and increased interest and nutrition. Have other cooked, chopped vegetables from dinner? Add for the last 5 minutes of cooking.

6-8 servings

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
Fennel bulb, diced
2 leeks, white and light green parts only, sliced
1 large yellow Spanish onion, chopped
2 EACH: celery stalks and large unpeeled carrots, sliced
Handful minced fresh parsley
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
3 large plump cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon plus one teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
½ teaspoon each rubbed sage and dried rosemary – or more to taste
½ cup white wine or water/broth
8 cups (2 quarts) low-sodium chicken broth
6 cups water (or more as needed)
⅔ cup pearl barley, well-rinsed
1 cup chopped cabbage
1 EACH: small turnip and parsnip, peeled and cut into small dice
2 cups diced or shredded cooked turkey
1 1/2 cups cooked navy or cannellini beans- or one (15 oz) can of any white beans, drained
Dash hot sauce or to taste, optional
Fresh croutons or grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese for garnish, optional

Instructions

SAUTÉ VEGETABLES: Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a large soup pot and sauté fennel, leeks, onion, celery, carrots, and parsley with a teaspoon of salt and a ½ teaspoon pepper for 10 minutes or so until vegetables are softening. Add garlic, thyme, bay leaf, sage, and rosemary; stir well and cook another minute or two.
DEGLAZE THE POT WITH THE WINE: Add the wine to the seasoned vegetables. Stir to bring up any brown bits from the bottom and simmer for a few minutes or until wine is nearly absorbed
POUR IN BROTH AND WATER and bring to a boil.
ADD BARLEY, CABBAGE, TURNIP, PARNIP, TURKEY, AND BEANS. Taste and adjust seasonings. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 30-40 minutes or until everything is tender, adding more broth or water –if needed-- to keep the soup quite brothy as it cooks. Add hot sauce, if using. Taste and adjust seasonings one last time.
SERVE HOT WITH CROUTONS OR GRATED PARMIGIANO-REGGIANO CHEESE.
Storage: If your cooked turkey is already 2+ days old when you make this soup, you should eat all of it the day you make it or freeze it for up 2 months. (Heating it from frozen and eating the leftovers that day.) If you’ve made it with fresh chicken, it should keep well-covered in the fridge 3-4 days and in the freezer 4-6 months.

Notes

CHANGE IT UP: Use rice in place of the barley or instead add some thin egg noodles or broken spaghetti for the last 10 minutes or so of cooking.