Vegetable Barley Soup

Vegetable Barley Soup is a great mix-up for your hearty and satisfying soup repertoire. It’s easy to make with a wonderful variety of fresh vegetables.

I have been waiting and waiting for cooler weather to get here. It is so fun to start combining this and that for stews, soups, and chilies. It makes us feel cozy and warm from the inside out.

Well, it's not that cool here yet but I know it probably is at your house.

I see pictures of people all over Facebook wearing long pants, sweaters, and boots so it must be that time. Right?

So I am taking advantage of the visuals and starting the fun early. We're enjoying spoonfuls of wonderful soup right along with you.

Jump to:

• Is barley soup healthy
• Warming soups
• What does barley taste like
• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Can barley soup be frozen
• 📋 Recipe

Is barley soup healthy

Absolutely! There are whole grains and high in fiber.

Low in fats and can be free of fat is you saute your onion, garlic, and carrot in vegetable broth.

Lots of with the veggies mentioned above there is also spinach, tomatoes, and bell pepper.

Warming soups

We eat a lot of soup during the winter months. A few of our favorites are:

• Spicy Vegan Pumpkin Soup
• Red Lentil Dahl Soup
• Homemade French Onion Soup
• Baked Potato Soup

I'd love to show you a picture of one of these soups. I was going to try to show the one that is the most popular on the blog.

They are all pretty much neck and neck so maybe I'll choose the one that has been on the blog the longest and is still being made like crazy. Oh my gosh, it's so good!

So let's get back to a great whole grains and fresh vegetable soup.

What does barley taste like

Barley and pearl barley has a texture that is chewy with an almost nutty flavor and it holds it's bite for a very satisfying soup.

Both barley's have their hull removed but pearl barley is 'polished' to remove the bran layer. High in protein too.

Ingredients

• Pearl barley is the star for this soup and gives great texture.
• Extra virgin olive oil adds flavor and aids in sauteing.
• Yellow onion is the best base for so many recipes. They cook up sweet and taste great.
• Garlic has a pungent flavor but when used sparingly it is delicious.
• Red bell pepper is mildly sweet and adds a great flavor to your soup.
• Carrots are sweet and cut into very small pieces for quick cooking.
• Vegetable Broth adds flavorful liquid for the soup.
• Diced Tomatoes add to the texture and melds the veggies all together.
• Bay Leaf is an added herb flavoring and gets removed at the end of the cooking.
• Spinach gives bulk and lots of nutrition.
• Salt - a little bit goes a long way for this seasoning.
• Ground black pepper is very spicy so don't use a lot.

Instructions

• Add 4 cups of water and 1 cup of barley to a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil.
• Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 30-40 minutes, or until the barley is soft.
• Drain and set aside.
• While the barley is cooking, heat the oil in a large stockpot over medium heat.
• Add the onion and saute for 5 minutes. Then add garlic, red bell pepper, and carrots.
• Cook until the carrots are almost tender which is about 10 minutes.
• Add the vegetable broth, diced tomatoes, and bay leaves.
• Bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer.  Simmer for 10 minutes.
• Stir in the cooked barley and torn spinach.  Cook over medium heat or 15 minutes.
• Remove the bay leaves. Add salt and pepper. Taste to check the seasoning.  Serve hot.

Can barley soup be frozen

• So easily.
• Just let it cool and pack in rigid sided glass freezer containers.
• It will keep really well for 4 months.

📋 Recipe