Description
This hearty Vegetable Barley Soup is a comforting and nutritious dish perfect for cozy meals. Featuring tender pearl barley simmered with fresh vegetables like onions, celery, carrots, potatoes, and green beans in a flavorful vegetable broth with herbs and diced tomatoes, this soup is rich in texture and taste while remaining light and healthy.
Ingredients
Scale
Vegetables
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 3 ribs celery, chopped
- 3 carrots, sliced into ¼-inch thick rounds or half rounds if large
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ pound Yukon gold potatoes (1-2 potatoes), chopped into ¾-inch pieces
- ¾ cup frozen green beans
Seasonings and Grains
- ¾ cup pearl barley, rinsed
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 bay leaf
Liquids
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 6 cups low-sodium vegetable broth, plus more as needed
- 15-ounce can petite diced tomatoes
Instructions
- Saute Vegetables: Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add chopped onion, celery, and carrots. Cook the vegetables, stirring occasionally, until they become softened and fragrant, approximately 5 minutes.
- Add Aromatics: Stir in the minced garlic and cook for about 30 seconds to release its flavor, being careful not to let it brown.
- Incorporate Barley and Seasonings: Add the rinsed pearl barley along with Italian seasoning, dried thyme, salt, and black pepper. Stir everything together to evenly coat the barley and vegetables with seasonings.
- Add Broth and Tomatoes: Pour in the low-sodium vegetable broth and the can of petite diced tomatoes. Add the bay leaf for aroma. Bring the soup to a simmer, cover the pot, and let it cook gently for 25 minutes, allowing the barley to absorb flavor and soften.
- Cook Potatoes and Green Beans: Stir in the chopped Yukon gold potatoes, cover again, and simmer for an additional 20 to 35 minutes until the potatoes are tender. Add the frozen green beans in the last 5 minutes of cooking to warm through while keeping some texture.
- Serve: Remove the bay leaf from the soup before serving. Ladle the warm soup into bowls and enjoy this wholesome meal.
Notes
- Rinsing the pearl barley before cooking helps remove excess starch and any debris.
- Adjust the salt to taste, especially since vegetable broths can vary in sodium content.
- If the soup becomes too thick, add extra vegetable broth or water to reach your preferred consistency.
- For extra flavor, garnish with fresh parsley or grated Parmesan cheese before serving.
- This soup stores well and tastes even better the next day as flavors meld together.
