Soup is a very comforting and satisfying meal. Soup can also be one of the healthiest and most enjoyable meals you eat if, you do it at home. Most canned soups are high in sodium and fat, but when you make it yourself, you are “in charge” and can create a very healthy soup.
We eat a lot of soup during the winter months. A few of our favorites are: Vegetarian Lentil Soup, Tomato and Roasted Pepper soup, Tortilla Soup, and Tortellini Vegetable Soup. I love making big batches of soup so we can enjoy leftovers during the week. I also like to freeze smaller portions for quick lunch or dinners when our schedules are busy.
I made this mushroom barley soup on a snowy day and it really warmed my heart, soul, and stomach. Barley is a good source of fiber, selenium, phosphorus, copper and manganese. Barley makes this soup very hearty and will fill you up for hours. The simple broth and vegetables give the nutty barley the perfect amount of flavor.
This soup will warm you up in an instant. Give it a try this winter.
Mushroom Barley Soup
1 cup barley
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 package of white button mushrooms, sliced
3 cans low sodium vegetable broth
1 cup water
2 bay leaves
2 T. fresh thyme, minced
Salt and pepper, to taste
In a medium pan, bring 4 cups of water and the 1 cup of barley to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 30-40 minutes, or until the barley is soft. You can make this the night before.
Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic. Cook until soft. Add the carrots and celery and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the sliced mushrooms and cook until they are soft. Add the vegetable broth, water, bay leaves, and fresh thyme. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Stir in the cooked barley and cook for 15 minutes or so.
Remove the bay leaves. before serving. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.
If you like this soup, you might also like:
Soba Noodle Soup with Spinach and Mushrooms from Two Peas and Their Pod
Beet, Barley, and Black Bean Soup from Eat Me Delicious
Vegetarian Barley and Lentil Soup from Eating Out Loud
Mushroom Barley Soup with Ham and Leeks from Kalyn’s Kitchen
Subscribe to Two Peas and Their Pod by RSS
Follow Two Peas and Their Pod - Twitter
Get updates via Facebook
What a comforting soup – wish I had a bowl right now!
[...] time we had 3 bottles of stock plus about 6 cups. We used the stock that was left to make Mushroom and Barley Soup, a recipe I found on Two Peas and Their Pod’s Blog. As you will see in her recipe she used [...]
This is perfect! I’ve been looking for a soup recipe with barley that looks appealing. Definitely want to try this.
Your soup looks really rich and nutritious.
this looks REALLY REALLY good. i know barley is so healthy but i’m never quite sure what to do with it…i can tell your recipes are going to become faves of mine!
[...] Sweet Potatoes with Agave Nectar and Fresh Rosemary (Sweet Potatoes-96) Mushroom Barley Soup (Mushrooms-96, Barley-91) Spinach Salad with Oranges, Pomegranate, and Almonds (Spinach-76, [...]
I made your mushroom barley soup today (2-26-10) and it was absolutely out of this world delicious, it has now become my favorite soup. I can’t stay out of it so heaven help me. I have been looking for a barley mushroom soup ever since I tried one at a bowling alley restaurant during league bowling and that was several years ago and have never been able to find one that even measured up to the one i had at bowling alley (of all places huh?) until I made your recipe today. It is even better!!! Thank you so much for your fabulous recipe!!
Chris-We are glad you enjoyed the soup. It is a good one, huh? Thanks for letting us know!