Growing up, vegetable barley soup used to be the one and only canned soup that I would eat. Even though it mostly just tasted like tinny tomatoes, mushy flavorless veggies and salt—something about those tiny little pearls of barley were just so cozy.
And for whatever reason, it took me all these years to finally make my own version. One that didn't just taste like tomatoes and salt and really terrible "vegetables".
So, a quick saute of some veggies, plus a few good spices (+ a dash of curry for a fun kick!), some beans for protein, peas for color and a heap of barley makes the coziest soup possible. And nearly as easy as out of the can... but definitely tastier!
This Vegetable Barley Soup makes an awesomely hearty #meatlessmonday dish (if you use vegetable broth!). Barley is packed with fiber and tons of vitamins so it has tons of staying power! Make this big batch one cold night of the week and serve with some crusty bread. Then, you'll have 3 or 4 big bowls for lunch throughout the week!
Vegetable Barley Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion
- 1 small carrot
- 2 stalk celery
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1/8 teaspoon curry powder
- 1/2 can cannellini beans
- 1/4 cup peas
- 3/4 cup barley
- 6 cups broth chicken or vegetable
- salt + pepper
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Cut the onion, carrots and celery in a small dice and toss into the pot with the minced garlic and red pepper flakes. Stir and cook for 8 minutes or until veggies have softened.
- Add in the thyme, curry powder, a little salt and pepper, cannellini beans, peas and barley. Stir together, then pour in the broth. Cook for 20 minutes or until barley is tender.
- Taste and season with more salt and pepper.
Leave a Reply