American
Vegetable Barley Soup
Pearled barley, carrot, celery, and tomato simmer into a vegetarian soup with some chew. Barley is not gluten-free, and this recipe does not pretend otherwise.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 40 min
- Total
- 55 min
- Servings
- 6
- Difficulty
- Easy
Why you’ll love it
- Barley makes the soup filling.
- The vegetables are the point, not a garnish.
- One pot.
- It keeps for lunches.
Ingredients
Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.
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Instructions
- 1
Cook the onion, carrots, and celery in the oil until the onion softens, about 5 minutes.
- 2
Add the garlic for 30 seconds.
- 3
Add the barley, tomatoes, broth, and salt.
- 4
Simmer 30 to 35 minutes, until the barley is tender.
- 5
Stir in the spinach until it wilts.
- 6
Taste for salt and serve.
Pro tips
- Pearled barley takes about half an hour. Do not use it if you need dinner in 15 minutes.
- It thickens as it sits. Add water when you reheat.
- Barley contains gluten.
Easy substitutions
- Barley
- 1 cup small pasta, added in the last 10 minutes, still not gluten-free if it is wheat pasta
- Spinach
- Chopped kale, added 5 minutes earlier
- Vegetable broth
- Chicken broth, and then it is no longer vegetarian
Storage and reheating
Storage
Refrigerate up to 4 days.
Reheating
Simmer with a splash of water until hot.
Nutrition
Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.
- Calories
- 210
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbs
- 40 g
- Fat
- 4 g
- Fiber
- 8 g
Budget friendly · Stovetop, One Pan · Vegetarian, Dairy-Free
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From the kitchen
Kitchen tools we love
Practical tools these recipes actually use. This is not a review roundup, and these are not paid placements. If affiliate links are added later, they will be labeled and disclosed.
A heavy 12-inch skillet
Most of the chicken and steak recipes are written for one pan that holds heat. Stainless or cast iron both work.
An air fryer with a real basket
The air-fryer recipes expect a single layer. A crowded basket steams instead of browning.
A half-sheet pan
Drumsticks, potatoes, sausage, and carrots all use one. A dark pan browns faster than a very shiny one.
A sharp chef’s knife
These recipes do not need a specialty blade. A sharp 8-inch knife is faster and safer than a dull one.
A large cutting board
Big enough that the onion and the raw chicken are not sharing the same puddle.
Dry cups and a liquid cup
Desserts in particular expect level dry measures and a separate cup for milk.
An instant-read thermometer
Use it for poultry, pork chops, and meatloaf. Color is a weak guide.
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