Too cold to think about anything BUT a warming bowl of soup? Try my meatless yet oh-so hearty (and healthy) slow cooker Barley & Bean Soup.
It’s been a wild few days here in New England. With 20 inches of snow on the ground and more in the forecast, I’ve been cooking up some nutritious new soup recipes for my resident snow blowers, Tim (crazy dad removing snow from roof) and Simon (helpful teen making sure crazy dad doesn’t fall off ladder).
Just another day in the neighborhood …
Tim doesn’t eat meat, so this soup (like most of the soups I make) is vegetarian. For the recipe, I chopped up some mushrooms and onion and sautéed them first to bring out their flavors.
I added pearled barley to the brew, a whole grain high in fiber with a bit of a chewy texture. I love it!
And I also incorporated a few other simple, nutritious ingredients into the mix: carrots, chickpeas, canned tomatoes, vegetable broth, and thyme.
Lunch is served. I topped our soup with grated Parmesan cheese and some fresh parsley. I could eat this every day!
- Serves: 6
- Serving size: 1 generous cup
- Calories: 220
- Fat: 5g
- Saturated fat: 0.5g
- Carbohydrates: 37g
- Sodium: 630mg
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 9g
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- One 10-ounce package sliced mushrooms, roughly chopped
- 1 small onion, roughly chopped
- 4 cups all-natural vegetable broth
- One 14.5-ounce can petite diced fire-roasted tomatoes
- One 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 3 carrots, peeled, sliced lengthwise, and cut into ¼-inch-thick half moons (about 1-1/2 cups)
- ⅓ cup pearled barley
- 6 fresh thyme sprigs
- Grated Parmesan cheese, optional
- Fresh parsley leaves, optional
- Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and onion and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 7 minutes. Season with kosher salt and black pepper.
- Place the cooked mushroom mixture, broth, tomatoes, chickpeas, carrots, barley, and thyme in a 5- or 6-quart slow cooker and mix until combined.
- Cover and cook on low until the carrots are tender, about 7 hours.
- Remove the thyme stems, serve in individual bowls, and top with Parmesan cheese and parsley as desired.
What are your go-to soups in winter? I’m always looking for new ideas.
Pin me PLEASE 🙂
I love some warm & hearty soup! Perfect for this chilly weather…thx!
Wow that snow is something else!! Glad you have this yummy & healthy soup to keep you warm 🙂
We got off easy with just a foot of snow, a lot less than predicted, although I hear there’s more coming next week. I love how hearty this soup looks and sounds – perfect for this time of year.
You know this is my kind of soup! Can’t wait to try this one! Hope you are staying warm and dry!
Could you sub sweet potato for the carrots? Mu Hubby hates carrots.
Absolutely. I love this idea. Tell me how you and your hubby like the recipe!
Great recipe. Thanks.
I will definitely try it with sweet potatoes. Thanks for this great recipe!
Norma, let me know how it turns out. Happy shoveling and slow cooking!
Just made my first podcast recipe. (long time listener) No new snow in Maine but plenty of cold temperature. Can’t wait until it’s done.
Well, we are honored. How did you like the soup?!
Soup was yummy and very filling. I added frozen Kale (from my garden) near the end of cooking time. Very easy to make.
I love the addition of your frozen kale. A great way to re-purpose food and a nutritious addition to the soup. This recipe is one of my favs 🙂