Turkey Barley Soup is one of the best leftover turkey recipes. This Indian-inspired turkey barley soup is a healthy way to use up leftover roast turkey. Our Tikka Masala turkey barley soup recipe is easy to prepare the day after Thanksgiving or Christmas. There’s nothing more satisfying than transforming leftovers into a healthy and flavourful soup!

From Turkey Carcass To Turkey Broth
I hate wasting food in the kitchen. If you’re like me, you get great satisfaction from turning leftovers into a new and delicious dish.
The day after roasting a turkey, use your hands to remove dark and white meat from the bird. Add bones and skin into a dutch oven. Then add the turkey neck and giblets located inside the cavity. Fill the pot with tap water until it covers the leftover turkey scraps.
In our turkey barley soup recipe below, we’ve outlined what herbs and spices you can add to the turkey broth to enrich its flavour. Once the turkey broth is finished simmering, strain the stock and skim the fat with a spoon.

How To Make Turkey Barley Soup
Once the turkey broth is finished it’s easy to prepare the rest of this Indian inspired soup. You’ll chop onions, celery and carrots into a mirepoix and sauté with butternut squash and Tikka Masala curry paste. Once incorporated into the stock we add barley and cook until al dente. The final step before serving is adding cooked turkey, chopped parsley and salt and pepper to taste.
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Our Turkey Barley Soup recipe offers an easy lunch or dinner best enjoyed on a cold winters day. If you enjoy spicy food you can add additional curry paste or finely chop your favourite hot pepper.
This turkey soup is best served with fresh slices of bread or naan. Enjoy with a sandwich or salad for a well-balanced and healthy meal.
Turkey is typically served seasonally in Canada and the US, during Thanksgiving and Christmas. If you can’t find turkey throughout the year, swap out roast turkey for roast chicken.
Turkey barley soup keeps in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for 3 months.
Tikka Masala Turkey Barley Soup
Ingredients
Turkey Broth
- 1 cooked turkey carcass meat removed and bones broken into large pieces
- 2 onions quartered
- 2 celery stalks chopped
- 2 carrots peeled and chopped
- 1 tsp whole black peppercorns
- 10 parsley sprigs
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger minced
Tikka Masala Turkey Barley Soup
- 1/2 cup pearl barley
- 1 cup carrot diced
- 1 cup celery chopped
- 1 onion chopped
- 2 cups butternut squash diced
- 4 cups cooked turkey diced
- 2 tbsp Tikka Masala Curry Paste
- 2 tbsp parsley chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Turkey Broth
- Place the turkey carcass, onions, celery, carrots, peppercorns, parsley and ginger. Add enough water to cover.
- Bring to boil over medium-high heat. Simmer approximately 3 hours, until reduced by half.
- Set a sieve over a large bowl. Remove large bones with a tong. When only small bits remain, pour the stock through the strainer and into the bowl.
Tikka Masala Turkey Barley Soup
- Return the stock to simmer; stir in barley and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes.
- Add diced carrots, onion, butternut squash, and curry paste then simmer for another 30 minutes.
- Add turkey. Season well with salt and pepper. Garnish with parsley.