Vegetable Barley Soup
You will not miss the meat in this hearty, healthy vegetable barley soup with fiber and protein-rich beans.
I make a big batch and serve it as a meal-in-a-bowl for lunch all week. The best…
I use onions, carrots, celery, butternut squash and spinach, but feel free to throw in whatever you have lying around in your fridge. There’s no need to worry about the exact amounts of vegetables in the recipe.
Normally I would make this hearty vegetable barley soup recipe with beef as in our Beef Barley Vegetable Soup, but I was determined to make a veggie barley soup version for Jenna (the other kook) who spends all her time worrying about the nutrition of her toddler rather than herself.
The end result is a healthy, hearty vegetable soup with lots of protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals – a complete vegetarian meal in a bowl – the whole family will love. Thick, comforting and full of rich flavor.
I love eating it with warm bread slathered with butter. For me, that makes it a complete and satisfying meal on its own. A perfect Fall or Winter soup recipe.
Tailor To Your Taste
This simple soup is totally adaptable to your preferences and what you have on hand. Here are several variations and substitutions you can use.
Vegetables
- In addition to (or to replace) the carrots, butternut squash and spinach, other good options are parsnips, celeriac, green beans, pumpkin, sweet potatoes. A great way to use up those limp fresh veggies in your fridge.
- You can also sauté mushrooms or celery with the onions.
- Or try adding cauliflower, a bell pepper or zucchini about 10 minutes before the end of cooking.
Seasonings
- Try other seasonings you might prefer such as oregano, bay leaves or celery salt.
Barley
- Pearl barley or pearled barley is the most commonly sold barley in a grocery store. It is filling and has a slightly nutty flavor and chewy texture. The outer husk and bran layer is stripped away, so it’s not quite as healthy as hulled barley and not considered a whole grain.
- You can use either type of barley in the recipe. Hulled barley will need at least 1 hour (or more) of cooking time. Pearly barley will need about 45 minutes.
- Note that barley is not a gluten-free grain.
Beans
- Use any cooked beans for this recipe
- I like white kidney beans or cannellini, but chick peas, pinto beans and red kidney beans would be good too.
Broth
- Good brands for vegetarian broth, based on taste tastes, are: Brodo, Zoup, Better Than Bouillon sous base (mixed with water) and Swanson’s Organic Vegetable Broth.
- If you’re not a vegetarian, you can use chicken broth or bouillon cubes instead.
- You can also substitute 4 cups of broth with a 28-ounce can of diced tomatoes if you like.
Shortcuts
- Buy fresh pre-peeled and cut butternut squash.
- Use frozen 1-teaspoon cubes of garlic and/or basil.
- Use the food processor for chopping the vegetables (as per recipe). Of course you can chop by hand if you don’t have a processor.
Make Ahead
- This vegetable barley soup can be kept in the fridge for a week and freezes well for a few months. I freeze it in smaller portions in zipper lock bags or containers.
- The soup thickens quite a bit on standing as the barley absorbs the liquid, so add extra broth or water if you want to thin it out a bit when you’re reheating it in the microwave or on the stove.
Other healthy vegetable soup recipes you might like
- curried lentil soup (instant pot)
- root vegetable soup with barley
- hearty ratatouille soup
- red lentil soup recipe with vegetables
- vegetarian split pea soup
- broccoli and cauliflower soup (easy to customize)
How to make vegetable barley soup
Vegetable Barley Soup
You will not miss the meat in this hearty, healthy vegetable barley soup with fiber and protein-rich beans. I make a big batch and serve it as a meal-in-a-bowl for lunch all week. The best…
Servings: 8
Equipment
- large soup pot
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion
- 2 -3 cloves garlic
- 3 medium carrots, peeled, Note 1
- 3 ribs celery
- 2 cup butternut squash, peeled
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 8 cups vegetable broth, Note 2
- 1 cup pearl barley, Note 3
- 1 cup canned white kidney beans, Note 4
- 3 cups packed fresh baby spinach
Seasonings
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried basil (or 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh basil)
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 bay leaf (optional)
Instructions
- PREPARE VEGETABLES AND SAUTE: Cut onions, carrots, celery and butternut squash into 2 inch pieces. Vegetables will be processed in two batches in food processor. (Alternatively, all vegetables can be chopped by hand.) °First, process garlic until finely chopped, then add onions and pulse into small pieces. In large pot, heat oil on medium heat. Add onions and garlic to pot and sauté for 3-4 minutes. °Second, pulse carrots, celery and butternut squash into a small dice (it's fine if a few pieces are larger). Add to pot and sauté another 5 minutes.
- COOK SOUP: Stir in tomato paste. Add broth, barley, beans and all seasonings. Stir. Bring to boil. Cover, then lower heat and simmer for 50-60 minutes until barley is tender and fluffy.
- FINISH AND SERVE: Add baby spinach (I tear it up as I add it to pot). Stir until wilted, about 1 minute. Taste and adjust seasonings. Sprinkle on chopped fresh herbs if you like. Soup will thicken upon standing or in fridge the next day. If too thick, add additional broth or water. Ladle into bowls and serve with warm crusty bread and butter or garlic croutons if desired. Keeps in fridge for a week. Soup freezes well in a freezer-safe container.
Video
Recipe Notes
- Vegetables: In addition to (or to replace) the carrots, butternut squash and spinach in the recipe, other good options are parsnips, celeriac, green beans, pumpkin, sweet potatoes. You can also sauté mushrooms or celery with the onions. Or add cauliflower or zucchini about 10 minutes before the end of cooking.
- Vegetable broth: Good brands for flavorful broth are: Brodo, Zoup, Better Than Bouillon soup base (mixed with water) and Swanson’s Organic Vegetable Broth. If you’re not a vegetarian, you can use chicken broth or bouillon cubes instead. You can also substitute 4 cups of broth with a 28-ounce can of diced tomatoes if you like.
- Barley: Instead of pearl barley, you can use hulled barley but the cooking process will take 20-30 minutes longer (or more) to make the barley tender.
- Beans: Use any cooked beans for this recipe. I prefer white beans like white kidney beans or cannellini, but chick peas, pinto beans and red kidney beans would be good too.
- Make Ahead: Store leftovers in the fridge for a week and freezes well for a few months in zipper lock bags or an airtight container. It thickens quite a bit on standing as the barley absorbs the liquid, so add more broth or water if you want to thin it out a bit when you’re reheating it in the microwave or on the stove.
Nutrition
Calories: 191kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1237mg | Potassium: 490mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 9229IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 62mg | Iron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?We’d love you to rate it above under ‘rate this recipe’ or in the comment section below. Thanks!
This vegetable barley soup, originally published in 2018, has been updated with new information and edits.
Looking forward to trying this recipe. Is it ok to leave out the tomato paste or would I need to substitute something if I leave it out? Thanks so much!
Hi Joanne, The tomato paste gives it extra flavor, but if you don’t have any you can substitute it with 1/2-3/4 cup tomato sauce or tomato puree. You can even use ketchup in the same amount (if you find the soup too sweet, add a splash of lemon juice to the soup). If you are looking to avoid tomatoes altogether, I would just add a couple of teaspoons of bouillon base (e.g. Better than Bouillon) or more seasonings and herbs to your taste. Hope that helps!
Excellent soup very easy to make. My family loves it.
Appreciate the comment Gail. Thank you.
This is a very flavorful recipe and quick to put together. Served with warm bread, it was a home run for my family. Thanks
Thanks for taking the time to comment Mary Joe. Glad it was a hit.
I just discovered you two kitchen Kooks the other day while looking for a vegetable barley soup recipe. I made the soup today and quite frankly its the best soup I ever made. Like a warm hug. Thank you and I look forward to trying more recipes.
So nice Lauren. Thank you! I hope you find other recipes you like too. I think you might like the root vegetable soup too if I can make a suggestion.
Delicious! I used kale and quick cooking barley and chicken broth. Finished with parmesan and drizzle of olive oil.
Thanks for leaving a comment Christen! Glad you liked the soup and made it the way you like it.
This is a delicious soup, thinking of making another batch of this, especially as the fall is approaching.
Gabor
Thanks Gabor. One of our favourites too!
This was so delicious. I used regular gold potatoes, navy beans and hulled barely because that’s what I had and it turned out so good. The flavor was incredible. This will be my go to barely soup from now on.
Thanks for commenting Tammy. So glad you like it.
This is absolutely DELICIOUS!!!!! I think it’s my favorite soup ever!
Music to my ears! Thanks Jennie. So glad you liked it!
Can you make this in the crock pot?
Hi Janet. The soup should be fine in a crockpot. Put everything in except the spinach. Cook on low for 7-8 hours. Then stir in baby spinach if using until it wilts, about 1 minute. Adjust seasonings. Enjoy.
I made this tonight and it was one of the best soup I ever had. I had a leftover beef broth in the fridge so I used it for four cups of the broth, the other half was vegetable broth. I served it with baguette, pâté and cheese, it really made for a beautiful dinner.
That does sound delicious. So glad you enjoyed the soup. 😊
Soup looks great, but help me understand, what is the point of having nutrition info if you do not have the portion size to go with it???
As the recipe is for 8, the portion would be 1/8 of the soup. I would say approximately 1 1/2 – 1 3/4 cups per serving. The amount will depend if you add extra vegetables or broth. I hope that helps.
We made this tonight with chicken bouillon. It was so hearty and delicious! Definitely will be a repeat recipe. It was so easy with the pre-cubes butternut squash. Thank you! xxxo
Wonderful to hear! Thanks for leaving us a comment. I love the convenience of the pre-cut butternut squash too.
Can you sub frozen spinach for the fresh?
Absolutely. I’d say about 1/3 of a 10 ounce package. Or more if you like.
I made two batches of this soup tonight one for my family and one to take to a friend who is recovering from lung cancer surgery – the recipe was eased to follow and the only change I made was substituting frozen spinach for fresh – it was so delicious – thank you so much for this recipe!!
I’m thrilled to hear it Donna. Hope your friend likes the soup too. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. We really appreciate that.
Absolutely delicious!! Made it for the first time and will definitely make again. One of the best veggie stews I’ve made and I cook a lot!
Thanks so much for letting us know Sara. So glad you liked it!
I made this soup tonight it was yummy thank you
Glad you liked it 😊