Ground Turkey and Cabbage Soup

This soup is so good! It's warm, healthy, and settled wonderfully. After eating a bowl, my body FEELS good. It's a great base soup...you can really add any vegetables you want! Serve with warm, crusty bread (I made breadsticks and they went together perfectly!), but any yeast bread would be great...or even corn bread! My whole family LOVES this and it's a perfect way to use up veggies in my refrigerator. My son even requested it for his 5th birthday dinner. :) Serves 8.

Ground Turkey and Cabbage Soup

2 Tbsp olive or avocado oil
1/2 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, sliced
2 stalks celery, chopped
4 oz mushrooms, chopped
small bell pepper, seeded and diced
any other chopped vegetable of your choice
1 lb ground turkey
8 c water*
8 chicken bouillon cubes*
1/2 head small cabbage, chopped
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 bay leaf
1 tsp Italian seasoning
2 Tbsp flash parsley, chopped
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 c instant barley
salt and pepper, to taste (optional)

1. Heat oil in large soup pot over medium heat; cook onion 4 minutes. Add garlic, carrots, celery, mushrooms, pepper and any other chopped vegetables, and ground turkey; cook until turkey is no longer pink, 5 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add water and bouillon (or chicken stock) cabbage, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaf and Italian seasoning. Rub leaves off thyme stems into the soup and discard the stem. Bring to a boil; lower temperature and simmer 10 minutes.
3. Add barley and simmer 15 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper to taste, if desired. Remove from heat and let rest 10 minutes before serving.

* or 8 c chicken broth. I prefer to use 6 tsp Better Than Bouillon.