Mushroom Barley Soup

Mushroom Barley Soup

Mushroom Barley Soup is perfect for a chilly day! Plan ahead and soak your barely in overnight in the fridge. 

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup hulled barley
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1⁄2 lb fresh mushrooms, cleaned well and sliced
• 1⁄2 teaspoon of salt, divided
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 onion (yellow or white), chopped 
• 1-2 carrots, chopped
• 4 cups of water, more if needed
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• Handful of dark leafy greens such as: spinach, kale, swiss chard
• Pepper to taste

Directions

1. Rinse and soak the hulled barley in cold water for a few hours or overnight, covered, in the refrigerator. Drain before using.   
2. Wash your produce. Clean the mushrooms well.   
3. In a large pot, heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add mushrooms and ¼ tsp salt. Cook until the mushrooms soften and release their liquid, about 5 minutes. Remove from the pot and set aside.   
4. In the now empty pot, heat the remaining 1 tbsp of olive oil until hot but not smoking. Add the onion, celery carrots, and remaining ¼ tsp salt.  Cook until the vegetables begin to soften but not brown, about 3-5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds or until fragrant.  
5. Add the water, soaked barley, cooked mushrooms and bay leaves. Bring to boil, then turn down the heat to low. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes – 1 hour or until barley is tender and cooked.   
6. Add greens to the soup. Cook for 5 minutes or until greens are wilted. Remove the bay leaves. Add pepper to taste.  
7. Remove from heat. Add the balsamic vinegar. Serve warm with love.  

Tips: 

• To make this a complete meal, consider adding chopped tofu. 

Photo credit: Alissa Saenz