Name: Vegetable Barley Soup
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 3/4 cup sweet potatoes (1/2 large sweet potato), diced; 1/2 cup red bell pepper (1/2 large red pepper), diced; 3/4 cup butternut squash, diced; 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary; 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar; 2 teaspoons dijon mustard; 2 teaspoons soy sauce (or Tamari); 2 cloves garlic, minced; 1 large yellow onions, diced (mild 1 cup); 1/2 cup zucchini, diced; 1/2 cup yellow summer squash, diced; 1/2 cup sweet potatoes (diced); 1 cup butternut squash, diced; 1/2 cup carrots, diced; 1/2 cup celery, diced; 6 cups organic vegetable broth; 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice, plus 1 teaspoon lemon zest; 1 teaspoon sea salt; 2 teaspoons fresh ground pepper; 1 1/2 cups cooked pearl barley; 1 bay leaf; Garnish (optional); 1/4 cup fresh, chopped dill; 3 Tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped; 3 Tablespoon fresh basil, chopped

Without a doubt, vegetable soup is one of my favorite soups. But, I also like a variety of types of vegetable soups, so I don’t get bored with the same flavors. So, I decided to make a vegetable barley soup recipe to add a little pizzazz to my soup experience.

Recently, I roasted vegetables for a new Vegan Carrot Soup recipe I made. Because I loved the rich flavors, I chose to do the same for vegetable barley soup.

In order to use a variety of veggies, I roasted some of the vegetables, while I left the other vegetables raw to cook in the pot. As a result, the roasted vegetables season and flavor the soup, while the other vegetables are cooked al dente.

WHAT IS PEARL BARLEY?

Pearl barley, similar to other whole grains, is high in fiber, minerals, and vitamins. Although not gluten-free, pearl barley is processed to remove its outer hull, making it easier to digest.

Because pearl barley expands about three times its original size when cooked, it is often used in soups or stews. As a result, vegetable barley soup leaves you full and satisfied.

For that reason, I often serve vegetable barley soup as an entree with a small salad, because it’s so filling. So, if you’re looking for a hearty, comforting soup, vegetable barley soup is for you.

COOKING BARLEY FOR VEGETABLE BARLEY SOUP

When I make vegetable barley soup, I suggest cooking the barley separately. As a result, you will avoid overcooking the barley when cooking the soup.

Although most recipes include oil, barley can be cooked without oil or butter. And, to cook barley perfectly, you simply need to use a 2:1 ratio of water to barley. I also suggest, for example, including a bay leaf and little salt while cooking.

Similar to cooking quinoa, all the ingredients are added to a pot, and then boiled, covered, and simmered. Barley, though, takes 45 minutes to cook. Then, it simply gets fluffed with a fork before serving, or in this case, used in a soup or stew.

PREPARING THE VEGETABLES FOR VEGETABLE BARLEY SOUP RECIPE

As I said before, I chose to roast some of the vegetables, while leaving the rest of the vegetables be cooked in the soup pot.

First, I roasted half the sweet potatoes, butternut squash, and red bell peppers with balsamic, soy, dijon mustard and fresh herbs.

Then, I added raw sweet potatoes, butternut squash with the following ingredients:

Garlic
Yellow onion
Yellow summer squash
Zucchini
Carrots
Celery
Fresh herbs and spices

In order to allow everything to cook at the same rate, it is important to try to cut all the vegetables in a uniform size. For that reason, I used my favorite vegetable chopper with a large blade. As a result, all my vegetables are cooked perfectly every time.

PUTTING THE VEGETABLE BARLEY SOUP TOGETHER

While the vegetable roast in the oven, I cooked the barley and chopped all the rest of my veggies.

Once the vegetables are roasted, and cooled, I mashed them with a fork. Consequently, the combination of flavors enhances the savoriness of the vegetable barley soup recipe.

Next, saute the onions and garlic in a large soup pot until the onions are translucent. Then, I add other raw vegetables and vegetable broth.

Once it comes to a boil, cover the soup pot and reduce the temperature to simmer. Subsequently, the sweet potatoes and butternut squash will become soft.

Of course, the next step is to add the mashed up roasted vegetables and the cooked barley. Once, it is all heated through, it’s time to eat and add the herbs to finish it off.

Not only will vegetable barley soup satisfy your hunger, but it also reheats well for lunch the next day.

LOOKING FOR MORE HEARTY SOUP RECIPES?

6 servings