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    Home » Recipes » Vegan Recipes

    Vegetable and Barley Soup

    Published: Sep 22, 2010 · Updated: Apr 13, 2022 · by Nicole · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Vegetable and Barley Soup
    Vegetable and Barley Soup
    Vegetable and Barley Soup
    Vegetable and Barley Soup

    This vegetable barley soup is the ultimate in healthy comfort food. Fresh seasonal veggies are simmered with heart-healthy barley in this easy one-pot soup.

    Barley and vegetable soup recipe

    With the recent spate of cold wet weather we've been having, I found myself craving a big bowl of soup.  

    I wanted something healthy (to make up for all the baking I've been doing recently) and satisfying, so I decided to make a vegetable and barley soup.

    It helps of course that this is a one-pot recipe, making it simple to throw together during the week. (For more of my favorite one-pot recipes, grab this free printable e-book.)

    Vegetable and barley soup reminds me of a soup my grand-mom used to make when I was a little girl.  When we visited, we'd often find that she'd have a big pot of soup bubbling away on the stove.  

    I think this is where my love of soups comes from.....I guess that's also what happens when you grow up in the north, where the winters are bitterly cold.

    Barley, if you're not familiar with it, is a grain derived from grass.  It's health benefits include the fact it is high in both soluble and insoluble fiber, assists in lowering cholesterol and aids in regulating blood sugar.  

    Aside from it's health benefits, barley is super filling, making it a great addition to soups.

    For more amazing ways to eat barley, check out my barley risotto, burghul pilaf, or this barley and mushroom salad.

    This vegetable barley soup is:

    • Packed with nutritious veggies and healthy barley.
    • Totally delicious.
    • 100% vegan and vegetarian friendly
    • Filling enough to serve for dinner.
    • An easy one-pot vegetarian meal!
    vegetable barley soup being served

    How to Make Vegetable Barley Soup

    You won't believe how incredibly easy this hearty soup is to make!

    Start off by cooking some onion, celery, shallot, and garlic in a bit of olive oil.

    Add some fresh carrots, zucchini, parsnips, and mushrooms to the mix and cook until they are softened and just a bit caramelized.

    Add ripe cherry tomatoes and a few sprigs of fresh thyme, and cook for a minute more.

    Then pour in your vegetable stock, a can of diced tomatoes, and the barley. Cover your pot and cook for one hour, until the barley is tender.

    Tips for Perfect Barley Soup

    • If you want to take your soup to the next level, consider trying your hand at homemade vegetable broth. You won't believe the difference in taste compare to the store-bought variety! Grab my vegetable stock recipe here.
    • Experiment with your own favorite mix of fresh veggies - you can mix and match this recipe to suit whatever produce is in season near you.
    • For a gluten-free alternative, try substituting quinoa or brown rice for the barley.
    • For more easy dinner ideas, be sure to grab this free printable of my favorite one-pot recipes.
    Vegetable and Barley Soup

    Vegetable and Barley Soup

    This vegetable barley soup is the ultimate in healthy comfort food. Fresh seasonal veggies are simmered with heart-healthy barley in this easy one-pot soup.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Pin Save Saved!
    Course: Appetizer, Bread, Main Course, Soup
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: how to make barley soup, recipe for barley, what to do with barley
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
    Calories: 353kcal
    Author: Delicious Everyday
    6 servings

    Ingredients

    • 1 onion diced
    • 1 shallot diced
    • 2 stalks celery diced
    • 3 cloves garlic diced
    • 2 tbsp olive oil
    • 2 carrots peeled and diced
    • 8 mushrooms cleaned and diced
    • 1 parsnip peeled and diced
    • 2 zucchini diced
    • 12 cherry tomatoes chopped into quarters
    • 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves chopped
    • 14.5 oz diced tomatoes canned
    • 2 cups barley
    • 8 ½ cups vegetable stock
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions

    • In a large soup pot, over medium heat, saute the onion, shallot, celery and garlic in olive oil for 3-5 minutes, until the onion begins to turn translucent.
    • Add the carrot, parsnip, mushrooms and zucchini and cook for 8-10 more minutes, until they start to soften and slightly caramelize.
    • Then add the cherry tomatoes and thyme and cook for a couple more minutes.
    • Add the vegetable stock, canned tomatoes and barley.
    • Cover and simmer for 1 hour or until the barley is tender, stirring occasionally.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 353kcal | Carbohydrates: 66g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1385mg | Potassium: 979mg | Fiber: 15g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 4588IU | Vitamin C: 36mg | Calcium: 87mg | Iron: 4mg
    Shop our Cookbooks!Check out our collection of vegetarian and vegan cookbooks for more tasty meatless recipe ideas.

    Need more incredible soup recipes? Check out this Vegan Pho Soup or this Thai Pumpkin Soup. They're both long-time reader favorites.

    And don't forget to download this free printable of all my favorite one-pot recipes!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Katrina Bruce says

      May 04, 2011 at 4:54 pm

      I'm going to do this soup in the slower cooker 2MORO do you think it will work out the same

      Reply
      • delicieux says

        May 05, 2011 at 8:49 am

        Hi Katrina, I suspect it would be fine in the slow cooker. Let me know what you think 😀

        Reply
    2. Pammie says

      March 05, 2011 at 4:29 pm

      Luv this recipe and tastes great - but it's so thick

      with barley. I did exactly as the recipe. Did anyone

      else discover this too.

      Reply
      • delicieux says

        March 05, 2011 at 7:03 pm

        Hi Pammie, sorry to hear your soup turned out so thick. Whilst the one I made had a relatively large amount of barley it wasn't thick. Maybe you will need to reduce the barley by half next time. Glad to hear you enjoyed it nonetheless. 🙂

        Reply
    3. Kara says

      November 22, 2010 at 6:00 pm

      Love the pictures! Making this tomorrow/making a big batch in hopes that I can munch on it until we have Thanksgiving here in the states. The cold has just recently hit my state pretty good so this'll keep me warmed up!

      Reply
      • delicieux says

        November 24, 2010 at 1:49 pm

        Thanks for stopping by Kara. 🙂 How did the soup turn out?

        Reply
    4. Pretty. Good. Food. says

      October 02, 2010 at 8:02 am

      I love barley soup. Perfect fall soup, can't wait to give this a try :)!

      Reply
      • delicieux says

        October 02, 2010 at 12:23 pm

        Thanks 🙂 Hope you enjoy it if you give it a try.

        Reply
    5. Mary says

      September 29, 2010 at 1:31 am

      Oh, yum! This is soooo perfect for fall!

      Mary xo
      Delightful Bitefuls

      Reply
    6. Erika @ H&H in LA says

      September 28, 2010 at 3:48 pm

      I just made barley soup today, too! It's so nice and chewy. I love it.

      Reply
      • delicieux says

        September 28, 2010 at 3:50 pm

        That's great, I'm glad you enjoyed it. 🙂

        Reply
    7. Trudy~Veggie num num says

      September 28, 2010 at 9:39 am

      What a simple and delicious soup.. lots of lovely vegetables for loads of healthy flavour... yum!! Great recipe!
      My recent post Super Simple Israeli Couscous Salad

      Reply
      • delicieux says

        September 28, 2010 at 3:55 pm

        Thanks Trudy 🙂 I love soup. I never realised how much soup I made until I started this blog. We had a storm earlier so today is perfect soup weather too.

        Reply
    8. Kathryn says

      September 25, 2010 at 6:29 am

      I love this time of year- it's the perfect soup weather! I recently made tortellini sausage soup, but your soup looks WAY better!

      My recent post Food in the News- Pumpkin Beer- Gelato University and the Sparkling Water Fountain of Paris

      Reply
      • delicieux says

        September 25, 2010 at 4:15 pm

        I love soup whether too but soon it will be too hot here for soup so I'm enjoying them while I can 🙂

        Reply
    9. Tanvi says

      September 24, 2010 at 1:02 am

      I stumbled on your site while searching for a barley soup....and I m so glad to have found you.beautiful pictures and easy recipes...what more could one ask for.I particularly like the addition of parsnip in this recipe...never tried it in soups.
      Will come back soon for more goodies!

      Reply
      • delicieux says

        September 25, 2010 at 4:14 pm

        Thanks for your kind words Tanvi and thanks for stopping by. 🙂

        Reply
    10. Jess says

      September 23, 2010 at 9:05 am

      Ooh, I very much got into soups with the cold wet weather recently too. I ended up making Chinese noodle soups though, so nothing quite as hearty as this. My stomach feels full just looking at these photos (but I still want to eat the soup, regardless of whether I feel full!).
      My recent post Your imagination vs chocolate cravings

      Reply

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    Nicole - Vegetarian Food Blogger

    Nicole is a 25+ year vegetarian, and author of a vegan cookbook. She shares her recipes on Delicious Everyday, an award-winning vegetarian and vegan food blog.  About Nicole

    the one pot vegan cookbook, by nicole malik
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