See the AVR assembly output from the IDE

SamBrownADK:
Can this be done in the IDE? Is there some setting I can change so I not only have my compiled sketch, but readable assembly output as well.

Probably not.

SamBrownADK:
I also have an ".elf" file: would that be a better route to take?

Yes. The ELF file will also contain some symbols (e.g. main, loop, and setup).

How is your Python?