Hearty Vegetable Barley Soup

Name: Hearty Vegetable Barley Soup
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 h 5 min
Total time: 1 h 25 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons (30 ml) extra-virgin olive oil; 1½ cups (210 g) yellow onion, cut into ½-inch (1 cm) dice (about 1 large onion); 1½ cups (190 g) carrots, peeled and cut into ½-inch (1 cm) dice (about 3 medium); 1 cup (120 g) celery stalks, cut into ½-inch (1 cm) dice (about 3 stalks); 3 cloves (10 g) garlic cloves, minced; 2 tablespoons (32 g) tomato paste; ¾ cup (150 g) pearl barley, rinsed under cold water in a fine-mesh strainer and drained; 8 cups (1900 ml) low-sodium vegetable broth; 1 can (14.5 oz) (411 g) canned diced tomatoes, with their juices; 2 leaves (2 g) dried bay leaves; 1 teaspoon (1 g) dried thyme; 1½ teaspoons (9 g) kosher salt, plus more to taste; ½ teaspoon (1 g) black pepper, freshly ground; 1 cup (110 g) green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) pieces; ¼ cup (15 g) fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped; 1 tablespoon (15 ml) lemon juice, freshly squeezed

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

A thick, cozy American-style soup built on a sautéed mirepoix of onion, carrot and celery, with chewy pearl barley, tomatoes and herbs simmered in vegetable broth until tender and rich.

Prep: 20 min
Cook: 1 hr 5 min
Wait: 5 min
Total: 1 hr 30 min
Makes: About 3 quarts (2.8 L), 6 generous bowls

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Ingredients

6 servings

2 tablespoons (30 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
1½ cups (210 g) yellow onion, cut into ½-inch (1 cm) dice (about 1 large onion)
1½ cups (190 g) carrots, peeled and cut into ½-inch (1 cm) dice (about 3 medium)
1 cup (120 g) celery stalks, cut into ½-inch (1 cm) dice (about 3 stalks)
3 cloves (10 g) garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons (32 g) tomato paste
¾ cup (150 g) pearl barley, rinsed under cold water in a fine-mesh strainer and drained
8 cups (1900 ml) low-sodium vegetable broth
1 can (14.5 oz) (411 g) canned diced tomatoes, with their juices
2 leaves (2 g) dried bay leaves
1 teaspoon (1 g) dried thyme
1½ teaspoons (9 g) kosher salt, plus more to taste
½ teaspoon (1 g) black pepper, freshly ground
1 cup (110 g) green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) pieces
¼ cup (15 g) fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 tablespoon (15 ml) lemon juice, freshly squeezed

Equipment (5)

5- to 6-quart (4.7–5.7 L) heavy-bottomed soup pot with lid (stovetop only; no oven needed)
Wooden spoon
Fine-mesh strainer (for rinsing barley)
Chef's knife and cutting board
Ladle

Steps

Before you start

Use pearl barley, not hulled or hull-less barley, which needs a much longer cook time.
Chop all vegetables before you start so the sauté goes smoothly.
The soup thickens as it sits; keep an extra cup of broth or water on hand to thin it.
If your broth is unsalted, you will need the full amount of salt listed; if salted, add salt gradually at the end.

1
Heat the oil
- Set a 5- to 6-quart soup pot over medium heat and add the olive oil.
- Let it heat for about 1 minute until it shimmers and flows easily across the pot.
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Ready when: Oil shimmers.
2
Sauté the mirepoix
- Add the onion, carrots, celery and 1 teaspoon of the salt.
- Cook, stirring every minute or so, for 8 to 10 minutes, until the onion is soft and translucent and the carrots begin to look slightly tender at the edges.
- Do not let them brown deeply.
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Ready when: Onion is translucent and soft; vegetables smell sweet.
Tip: Salting early draws out moisture so the vegetables soften instead of browning.
3
Add garlic and paste
- Stir in the garlic, tomato paste, thyme and pepper.
- Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until the tomato paste darkens to a brick red and the garlic smells fragrant.
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Ready when: Paste darkens to brick red and smells sweet and toasty.
Tip: Lower the heat if the paste starts to stick or scorch on the bottom.
4
Toast the barley
- Add the rinsed, drained barley and stir for 1 minute so the grains are coated in the oil and vegetables and smell lightly nutty.
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Ready when: Grains look glossy and smell nutty.
5
Add liquids
- Pour in the broth and the canned tomatoes with their juices.
- Add the bay leaves and scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to release any browned bits.
- Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil, about 5 minutes.
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Ready when: Large bubbles break across the surface.
6
Simmer the barley
- Reduce the heat to medium-low so the soup bubbles gently.
- Cover with the lid slightly ajar and simmer for 35 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes to keep the barley from sticking to the bottom.
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Ready when: Barley is mostly tender but still a little firm at the center.
Tip: Stir from the bottom; barley settles and scorches easily.
7
Add green beans
- Stir in the green beans and the remaining ½ teaspoon salt.
- Continue simmering uncovered for 10 to 12 minutes, until the beans are tender-crisp and the barley is fully tender and plump with a pleasantly chewy bite.
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Ready when: Barley has no hard white center when bitten; beans are bright green and tender.
Tip: If the soup is thicker than you like, add up to 1 cup (240 ml) hot water or broth.
8
Finish and season
- Remove the pot from the heat and fish out the bay leaves.
- Stir in the lemon juice and parsley.
- Taste and add more salt or pepper as needed.
- Let the soup rest 5 minutes before serving.
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Ready when: Soup tastes bright and well seasoned, not flat.
Tip: Lemon at the end lifts the flavors; add it off the heat so it stays fresh.
9
Serve
- Ladle into warm bowls, making sure each gets plenty of barley and vegetables.
- Serve hot with crusty bread.

Good to know

Tips

Rinsing the barley removes surface starch and dust, giving a cleaner broth.
Dice vegetables to a uniform size so they cook evenly and fit on a spoon with the barley.
For a richer flavor, drop a Parmesan rind into the pot with the broth and remove it with the bay leaves (not vegan).
Soup keeps thickening; always plan on adding liquid when reheating leftovers.

Make ahead

Make the soup up to 3 days ahead and refrigerate. Barley keeps absorbing liquid, so thin with broth or water when reheating, and add the parsley and lemon juice fresh.

Storage & reheating

Room temperature: no more than 2 hours. Refrigerator: up to 4 days in an airtight container. Freezer: up to 3 months; leave 1 inch (2.5 cm) headspace and thaw overnight in the fridge. Reheat in a pot over medium-low heat, stirring often, adding ½ to 1 cup (120–240 ml) water or broth to loosen, until steaming hot.

Substitutions

pearl barley → farro or brown rice. Farro cooks in about the same time; brown rice may need 5–10 more minutes. Only rice is gluten-free.
green beans → frozen peas or diced zucchini. Add peas in the last 3 minutes; zucchini in the last 8 minutes.
dried thyme → Italian seasoning. Use the same amount for a more herbal flavor.
lemon juice → apple cider vinegar. Use 2 teaspoons in place of 1 tablespoon lemon juice.