Smoked Turkey Barley Soup with Kale and Squash

Smoked Turkey Barley Soup with Kale and Squash is chock full of healthy ingredients – lean smoked turkey, butternut squash, vitamin-rich kale, cannelini beans (or other white beans), and barley. This hearty soup is perfect comfort food on a chilly fall or winter evening!

During the colder months, soups and stews are my “go to” meal… especially on weeknights. One key to making delicious soups in a hurry is to keep good quality ingredients on hand. I keep medium-cook barley in my pantry, along with onions, garlic, and canned cannelini beans. During the cooler months, I’m likely to have a butternut squash on hand, but if not, carrots or sweet potatoes are a great substitution.

I have to sing the praises of smoked turkey drumsticks. They provide all the smoky flavor of a ham hock, but are far meatier and less fatty. The smoked turkey is a key flavor in this soup. The drumsticks really vary in size. If they’re small (under one pound), you may want to use two.

This soup recipe is quite flexible, so don’t feel limited to these ingredients. I recommend using a hard orange vegetable (butternut squash, sweet potatoes, carrots), greens (any variety of kale, chard, or spinach), barley (or other whole grain like farro, bulgur wheat, quinoa), and cannelini (navy, mayocoba, great northern). You can make it vegan by leaving out the smoked turkey, but make sure you use a good quality vegetable broth in place of the water and turkey drumstick.

📋 Smoked Turkey Barley Soup Ingredients

• smoked turkey leg – Smoked turkey legs can really vary in size. If your turkey leg is smaller than 1 pound, you may want 2. Alternatively, you reduce some of the water and replace with broth.
• bay leaves – I love fresh bay leaves, but dried are fine as well.
• barley – I keep Quaker medium-cook barley in my pantry, but on photo day, all I had was this heirloom medium-cook barley. It requires the same time to cook. I like medium because it retains some “bite,” but cooks faster (45 minutes) than hulled barley (60 minutes plus). Avoid “quick” barley as it lacks the nutritional value and falls apart in the soup. See How to Cook Barley for more information.
• garlic
• crushed red pepper – Crushed red pepper is totally optional, but we like a little bit of heat.
• butternut squash – Butternut squash is a pain to break down, but it’s so good in this soup. Many markets have cubed butternut squash available, and it’s a great time saver. You can also substitute any winter squash, sweet potatoes, or carrots for the butternut squash.
• kale – Chard is a great alternative to the kale. You may use the stems or ribs, chopping them prior to adding to the soup. The leaves will only require wilting in the hot soup.
• cannelini beans – Cannelini beans are white kidney beans, and I always have them in my pantry. Substitute any white bean.
• fresh herbs – Use one or a combination. On photo day, I had rosemary, thyme, and parsley in my garden, so that’s what I used.

🔪 Instructions

• Make the turkey broth – Place the turkey drumstick in the bottom of the Instant Pot. Cover with 6 cups of water, and add the bay leaves. Lock, and set on high pressure for 45 minutes. Do a 10 minute pressure release.

• Cook the barley – While the turkey cooks, start the barley cooking in a medium saucepan covered with water. When it is tender but not soft, drain and remove from the heat. The brand I use requires about 45 minutes.

• Bone the smoked turkey – Remove the smoked turkey drumstick with a slotted spoon or spider. Strain the broth. When the drumstick is cool enough to handle, shred the turkey. Be sure to remove the spindly bones and fibrous strings.

• Start the soup – You have choices. You can wait until the broth is out of the Instant Pot to start it, or you can start it in a soup pot while the broth and barley are cooking. On photo day, I opted to skip washing another pan because I had plenty of time. If you want to speed the process, follow the soup instructions in a separate pot while both barley and turkey drumstick is cooking.

• Sauté the aromatics – Add a drizzle of olive oil, the onion, and garlic to the pot. Sauté until fragrant.

• Sauté the vegetables – Add the chopped kale and diced butternut squash. Cook until the kale starts to soften and the butternut squash shows some caramelization (about 5 minutes). Pour in the broth, and bring to a boil. Simmer until squash is tender.

• Finish the soup – Add in the cooked barley, cannelini beans, and shredded turkey. Bring back to a boil, and simmer 10 minutes before serving to allow flavors to combine.

• Serve – Ladle soup into bowls. Garnish with fresh herbs (I have parsley, rosemary, and thyme in my garden, and they work well). NOTE: If you want to serve as shown below, I just drizzle sliced crusty bread with olive oil, broil, use a peeler to shave on some parmesan, and return to the broiler until it begins to melt.

💭 Tips

Avoid quick-cooking barley. It lacks the texture necessary to stand up to this soup recipe. Choose pearled or hulled barley, and cook to al dente (tender with a bite). See Everything You Need to Know About Barley for more information. Be sure to follow cooking times for your specific barley!

Breaking down a butternut squash is a pain, and pretty time consuming. Most markets now carry fresh, cubed butternut squash… for a price of course.

Kale bunches really range in size, and it does wilt when cooked, but if you have a huge bunch, you may wish to use less than a whole bunch.

Kale comes in several varieties including dino (or Tuscan) kale, redbor kale, red Russian kale, etc. Remove the woody stems and coarsely chop the leaves.

Smoked Turkey Barley Soup with Kale and Squash

Tamara Andersen

A super healthy, delicious soup with smoked turkey, and loaded with healthy vegetables and cannelini beans…

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

De-pressurize Instant Pot 10 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Course Soups and Stews

Cuisine Tuscan/Eclectic

Servings 6 servings

Calories 294 kcal

Equipment

• Instant Pot

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

In the pressure cooker:

• 1 large smoked turkey drumstick - or 2 small
• 6 cups water
• 2 bay leaves

In a medium saucepan:

• 1 cup medium-cook barley - see notes
• 4 cups water

In a soup pot or heavy dutch oven:

• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 3 cups cubed butternut squash - see notes
• 1 medium onion - chopped
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
• 1 tsp. crushed red pepper - optional
• 2 tbsp. fresh rosemary - finely chopped
• 1 bunch kale - ribs or stems removed, leaves chopped
• 1 cup stock
• 1 can cannelini beans - rinsed and drained
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• Place the turkey drumstick in the bottom of the Instant Pot. Cover with 6 cups of water, and add the bay leaves. Lock, and set on high pressure for 45 minutes.
• While the turkey cooks, start the barley cooking in a medium saucepan covered with water. When it is tender but not soft, drain and remove from the heat. The brand I use requires about 45 minutes.
• Do a 10 minute pressure release. Remove the smoked turkey drumstick with a slotted spoon or spider. Strain the broth. When the drumstick is cool enough to handle, shred the turkey. Be sure to remove the spindly bones and fibrous strings.
• You can wait until the broth is out of the Instant Pot to start the soup (saves a pan), or you can start it in a soup pot while the broth and barley are cooking. Add a drizzle of olive oil, the onion, and garlic to the pot. Sauté until fragrant.
• Add the chopped kale and diced butternut squash. Cook until the kale starts to soften and the butternut squash shows some caramelization (about 5 minutes). Pour in the broth, and bring to a boil. Simmer until squash is tender.
• Add in the cooked barley, cannelini beans, and shredded turkey. Bring back to a boil, and simmer 10 minutes before serving to allow flavors to combine.
• Ladle soup into bowls. Garnish with fresh herbs (I have parsley, rosemary, and thyme in my garden, and they work well). 

Notes

* Medium-cook barley has better texture and holds up well in soup. Hulled barley requires more time, but is a whole grain option. Quick-cook barley turns mushy in soup, and I do not recommend it.

** I don’t really care to pay for the convenience of packaged, cubed butternut squash, but it is a time-saver and a healthy option.

*** Cannelini beans are white kidney beans, and widely available. However, you can substitute other white beans.

Nutrition

Calories: 294kcal | Fat: 8g

NOTE: Macronutrients are an approximation only using unbranded ingredients and MyFitnessPal.com. Please do your own research with the products you’re using if you have a serious health issue or are following a specific diet.

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a comment and/or star rating! Email us with any questions: tamara@beyondmeresustenance.com

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