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Vegetable Barley Soup is a vegan/vegetarian bowl of deliciousness that appeals to the whole family! The barley makes it very filling, and the vegetables bring great color and rich flavor.
Update: This was originally posted in January or 2015 and has been updated to improve reader experience with new photos and step by step instructions. The original photos (if you need a laugh) can be found underneath the recipe card. Scroll on down!
I’m a huge believer in soup being the entire meal, and thankfully my family agrees with me! I love to make this barley soup recipe ahead and let it hang out in the fridge ready for when one of us needs a quick dinner or lunch. The barley adds are really nice chewiness to each bite, but the flavor …. oh, it’s rich and bold and really more-ish.
With the weather being a little gloomy (for like, a day) here in Phoenix, soup is back on the menu. This has such a robust flavor and gorgeous color. It is a healthy and yummy dinner or lunch.
If you’re into soup (and why wouldn’t you be?) you’ll love my Lentil Soup, as well as my Broccoli Cheddar Soup!
What is barley? It’s a grain that is sold in 2 forms – hulled and pearled.
- Hulled barley is a whole grain, and is chewier (and has more fiber and nutrients than pearled)
- Pearled barley has been polished, removing the bran and some of the fiber and other nutrients (and is not considered a whole grain). You can use either for this recipe – but the hulled version will take longer to cook.
How do you cook barley?
I use 3 to 1 – 3 cups of liquid to 1 cup of barley.
- Measure out your barley, and rinse it to wash away anything that shouldn’t be there.
- In a medium saucepan, add the water and barley – and bring to a boil. You may add a little salt if you wish.
- Cover, reduce heat to low, and keep at a bare simmer for 30 minutes, or until the barley is soft.
- Drain and set aside.
Ingredients:
- WATER – to cook the barley in. See notes for if you want to cook the barley in the soup.
- PEARLED BARLEY – see my note above about the type of barley to buy.
- OIL – this can be any oil – vegetable oil, olive oil, coconut oil – whatever you want
- ONION – diced up finely
- GARLIC – use more or less depending on taste
- RED BELL PEPPER, CARROTS, CELERY – cut these all roughly the same size
- STOCK – make your own vegetable stock (can sub chicken broth but it won’t be vegan/vegetarian)
- CANNED TOMATOES – I like regular and fire-roasted in this recipe.
- BAY LEAVES
- SPINACH – fresh baby spinach. Frozen can be used if thawed, and squeezed dry.
How to make this recipe:
- See above for how to cook barley.
- Heat the oil in a large pot or dutch oven over medium high heat.
- Add the chopped onion and 5 minutes. Add the garlic, red bell pepper, carrots, and celery and cook until the carrots start to soften – about 10 minutes.
- Add the vegetable broth, diced tomatoes and bay leaves.
- Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Remove the bay leaves, and season to taste.
- Add the barley and spinach, simmer until spinach is wilted (about 5 minutes).
FAQs and Kylee’s Notes
- ADDITIONS/SUBSTITUTIONS
- You may use chicken stock, or beef stock if you’d like to – but the soup will then not be vegetarian vegetable soup!
- Some diced sweet potato is great in this!
- Why not cook the barley in the soup?
- Well, you absolutely could. You’d increase the stock by 3 cups, and your cooking time by 30 minutes. Totally doable.
- Why is Vegetable Barley Soup so good?
- It fills your belly! AND it’s healthy. Dairy-free, vegetarian, vegan – and tastes amazing.
- How much does this make?
- About 2 and a half quarts – about 10 cups.
- Love soup recipes? Here are some of my favorites:
- Chicken Tortilla Soup – hearty and warming with just the right amount of spice, blended with cheese, topped off with jalapenos, cilantro, and crispy tortilla strips.
- New England Clam Chowder – an old classic, but a good one! It has bacon, so I mean…
- Best Ever Corn Chowder – quite a lofty title, but it’s true. It really is the best!
- ALL SOUP RECIPES:
If you have tried this recipe or any other recipe on Kylee Cooks, leave a comment and rating – I truly love to hear from you!
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Vegetable Barley Soup
Ingredients
BARLEY
- 3 cups water
- 1 cup pearled barley
SOUP
- 1 Tbs vegetable oil
- 1 medium onion (diced)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 red bell pepper (diced)
- 3 large carrots (chopped)
- 2 stalks celery (chopped)
- 6 cups vegetable stock ((can sub chicken broth but it won’t be vegan/vegetarian))
- 14.5oz can can diced tomatoes
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 cups baby spinach (torn)
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
TO COOK THE BARLEY
- In a medium saucepan, add the water and barley – and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and keep at a bare simmer for 30 minutes, or until the barley is soft.
- Drain and set aside.
TO MAKE THE SOUP
- Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat.
- Add the onion and 5 minutes. Add the garlic, red bell pepper, carrots and celery and cook until the carrots start to soften, about 10 minutes.
- Add the vegetable broth, diced tomatoes and bay leaves.
- Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer for 10 minutes.
- Stir in the cooked barley and spinach, simmer until spinach is wilted (about 5 minutes)
- Remove the bay leaves, and season to taste.
Nutrition
Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Vegetable Barley Soup 
Vegetable Barley Soup
Kate says
My family had soup as a meal last night!