Medium | Servings: 8 | Ready In: 45 minutes | Yield: 16 cups soup
This hearty vegan soup pairs creamy barley with leeks and mushrooms for classic comfort-food flavor. The simple flavors in this oil-free recipe will fill your kitchen with aromas transporting you back to childhood. Make a big batch and freeze extras for healthy, plant-based meals. Serve with Lacinato Kale Waldorf Salad, Italian Red Quinoa Fennel Citrus Winter Salad, or Quick Whole Wheat Flatbread.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces white mushrooms, quartered
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, quartered
- 1 leek, sliced and rinsed well
- 1 carrot, diced
- 2 teaspoons dried sage
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ cup pearled barley
- 12 cups water
- 2 teaspoons Simple Girl vegan bullion powder ( or 1 vegan bouillon cube) (optional)
- Salt, to taste
How it’s Done:
To make the Mushroom Leek Barley Soup: Heat a large soup pot over medium-high heat. While the pot heats up, you can prepare you vegetables.
Add the mushrooms and leeks to pre-heated pot. Cook over medium high until the mushrooms are dark brown, about 10-12 minutes, stirring often.
Add the carrot, sage, and thyme. Sauté 1-2 minutes, until the dried herbs become aromatic.
Add the bay leaf, black pepper, barley, water, and bouillon (if using). Use a wooden spoon to scrape up any bits from the bottom of the pot. Cover, bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer. Simmer until the barley is tender, about 25 minutes.
Remove the lid, taste to adjust seasoning, and serve.
Yield: 16 cups
Chef Katie’s Tips
Mushroom Varieties: You can use any variety of mixed mushrooms in this recipe. Woodsier varieties like oyster and porcini will add richer flavor. Trumpet, Lion’s Mane, and Puffball can be cut into big chunks for big, hearty texture. Shiitake and enoki would add an Asian twist.
Pearled Barley for Hearty Texture: Pearled barley has been “polished” to remove some of the extra starches. Using pearled barley in this soup helps it retain its texture and give you a clearer broth. For a starchier broth, use unpearled barley. Simply add 10 minutes or so to the cooking time
Barley and Gluten-Free Option: Barley is a whole grain, and a member of the wheat family so it contains gluten. If this is a concern for you, you can a gluten-free version of this soup by substituting brown rice or a wild rice blend for the barley.
Vegan Bullion in the Pantry: Keep a sugar-free, oil-free vegan boullion on hand to add rich flavor to simple plant-based soup and stew recipes
Nutrition Facts
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings 8.0 | |
| Amount Per Serving | |
| calories 69 | |
| % Daily Value * | |
| Total Fat 1 g | 1 % |
| Saturated Fat 0 g | 0 % |
| Monounsaturated Fat 0 g | |
| Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g | |
| Trans Fat 0 g | |
| Cholesterol 0 mg | 0 % |
| Sodium 267 mg | 11 % |
| Potassium 283 mg | 8 % |
| Total Carbohydrate 14 g | 5 % |
| Dietary Fiber 3 g | 11 % |
| Sugars 2 g | |
| Protein 4 g | 7 % |
| Vitamin A | 31 % |
| Vitamin C | 6 % |
| Calcium | 3 % |
| Iron | 7 % |
| * The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA. | |
Shopping and Gear List
- Simply Organic Bay Leaf Certified Organic, 0.14-Ounce Container
- Bob’s Red Mill Pearl Barley, 30-ounce
- Simple Girl Dry Bouillon Base – Natural, Gluten Free and Sugar Free
- Edward & Sons Low Sodium Veggie Bouillon Cubes, 2.2-Ounce Boxes (Pack of 12)
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