This popular Mushroom Barley Soup is packed with veggies, chewy barley, and warming broth. It’s a cozy recipe for gray weather!
Here are the coziest soups ready to join the ranks of basil tomato and wild rice. Yes, it’s Mushroom Barley Soup! This one is packed with flavor: it uses both dried and fresh mushrooms for an earthy flavor. And it has a warming broth and nutritious veggies. But the star? Barley, which gives each bite a chewy, pasta-like texture. If you like barley soup, you will fall for this one! It’s perfect for a healthy office lunch in a thermos or for enjoying a large steaming bowl after a long day. Alex made this for me and from the first bite I was hooked.
Mushrooms: both dried and fresh!
If you’re reading this, we’re assuming you’re a mushroom lover like us. It’s taken years, but I’ve finally learned to embrace the incredible flavor that can be obtained from the humble mushroom, especially in plant-based recipes.
For this recipe you will use two types of mushrooms: dried and fresh! Don’t be afraid of dried mushrooms: they are very easy to use! If you have never worked with them, you can use dried mushrooms like this:
- Use any type. For this mushroom and barley soup, you can use any type of dried mushroom you can find at the store. Porcini is probably the easiest to find, but anyone will do it.
- Soak before use. Dried mushrooms must be dehydrated before use. For this recipe, soak the mushrooms for 30 minutes before adding them to the soup.
- Also use the soaking liquid. You’ll also pour the mushroom soaking liquid into the soup as that has loads of flavor too! Just make sure to strain the liquid to make sure it doesn’t contain any hard parts of the mushrooms.
want more? Here’s everything you need to know about how dried mushrooms work.
Tips for preparing mushroom and barley soup
This Mushroom Barley Soup is comforting and comforting, but you can literally make it any time of the year. Packed with whole grains and veggies, it’s a relaxing and healthy recipe for dinner or perfect for lunch. This soup is quite easy to make if you follow the directions for using dried mushrooms above. Aside from that, you will find that it is similar to many soup recipes that you will find. Here are some notes about this soup:
- Speed it up with knife skills. The easiest place to save time in the kitchen is to know your knife skills! For a refresher, visit our Knife Skills 101 or click on the vegetable links in the recipe below.
- Try the homemade vegetable broth. Did you know you can make your own vegetable broth? It’s super easy and a great way to use up leftover veggies. Go to How to Make Vegetable Stock.
- To make it heartier, add kidney beans. The soup is really good and fills you up on its own. If you want to take it to the next level, add 1 15-ounce can white kidney beans with all the veggies. It adds even more plant-based protein to keep you full!
- Is barley gluten free? nope! Barley contains gluten, so it is not part of a gluten-free diet.
What to serve with barley soup
How do you make this Barley Mushroom Soup into a meal? With the soup, everything is on the good side. Here are some of our favorites to add to this one:
This barley soup recipe is…
Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based and dairy-free.
The description
This popular Mushroom Barley Soup is packed with veggies, chewy barley, and warming broth. It’s a cozy recipe for gray weather!
- ½ ounce dried mushrooms
- 8 ounces Baby Bella Mushrooms (aka Cremini)*
- 1 medium onion
- 2 carrots
- 2 celery sticks
- 4 Garlic cloves
- 3 tablespoons Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 tbsp soy pasture
- 1 pint vegetable soup
- 1 cup pearl barley
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- Ground fresh pepper
- Soak the dried mushrooms in 2 cups of room temperature water for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile chop the onion. Peel and cut carrots. Dice celery. Slice the mini bella mushrooms. Chop the garlic.
- In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add sliced baby bella mushrooms, soy sauce and basil. Boil 4 minutes. Add onion, carrots, celery and garlic and cook until tender, 5-6 minutes. Stir in barley and cook for 2 minutes. Add vegetable broth and kosher salt.
- Bring to a boil and cook until barley is tender, 25 to 30 minutes. When the dried mushrooms are soaked (probably by the time the cooking starts), remove and rinse them, then add them to the soup. Pour the remaining liquid into the soup through a fine sieve (this avoids hard particles).
- Finish the remaining simmering time, then taste and add additional salt or pepper, if desired. Pour into bowls and serve hot.
- Category: main course
- Method: Cook
- Kitchen: vegetarian
Keywords: Barley soup, barley soup with mushrooms, barley soup with vegetables
Mushroom Recipes
Mushroom obsessed like us? Here are some other recipes you might like:
