Chase away the winter chill with a bowl of thick and hearty Vegetable Barley Soup!
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My husband travels constantly for work, and I got to go on a quick trip to Oklahoma City with him last week. It was cold, but so fun!
I wasn’t sure what to expect. But after a couple days spent wandering around downtown OKC, I was impressed by how much there was to do and see. (Check out all the details of my Oklahoma City trip here.)
I can’t wait to go back sometime, although I’ll probably wait until the weather warms up first!
Unfortunately, I seem to have brought a cold home with me. At first, I thought my sniffles were brought on by the freezing weather, but nope, it’s a full-blown cold. Ugh.
Vegetable Barley Soup
I don’t know about you, but there’s nothing I crave more when I’m ill than a bowl of hot, comforting soup.
And while I love everything from Lentil Soup to Tomato Tortellini Soup to classic Minestrone, this vegetarian barley soup is a fave!
Whether you’re sick or not, this Vegetable Barley Soup will warm you up from the inside out. It’s thick, hearty, and perfect for combating cold winter weather.
You are going to love this easy to prepare recipe! It’s packed with tons of healthy veggies, and unlike many Barley Vegetable Soup recipes, it’s vegetarian (actually vegan).
How to Make Vegetable Barley Soup
Tomatoes, basil, and oregano give this thick Vegetable Barley Soup a yummy Italian flavor, and the combination of vegetables, chickpeas, and barley make it stick-to-your-ribs filling!
One tip: be sure to use pearl barley, not quick-cooking barley. If you use quick-cooking barley, it will be finished cooking before your veggies are ready (no bueno).
Since it can be hard to find good quality vegetables at this time of year, I kept things simple and used a combination of fresh and frozen veggies.
The frozen vegetables work perfectly and taste fresh, but if the produce at your grocery store looks good, then feel free to use all fresh veggies instead.
This barley soup recipe is easy to prepare and most of the cooking time is hands off, which makes it just as good for busy weeknights as it is for relaxed weekends.
Are you serving a crowd?
Then, this recipe is perfect for you. Use a large pot (this Calphalon Dutch Oven is my fave!), because this hearty Vegetable Barley Soup recipe makes a lot. Although even if you aren’t, any leftovers you have definitely won’t last long!
So chase away the winter chill (or a cold) with a big bowl of this Vegetable Barley Soup. It’s a recipe your whole family is sure to love!
This hearty Vegetable Barley Soup is packed with veggies and perfect for chasing away the winter chill!
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 carrots, thinly sliced
- 1 large stalk celery, thinly sliced
- 8 oz mushrooms, sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 8 cups vegetable broth
- 1 (15-oz.) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 (14.5-oz.) can diced tomatoes
- 1 1/2 cups frozen cut green beans
- 1 cup pearl barley
- 2/3 cup frozen corn
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 bay leaf
- 2/3 cup frozen peas
- 1/3 cup chopped Italian parsley leaves, plus extra for serving
- salt
- pepper
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Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.
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Add onions, carrots, and celery to oil; season with salt and pepper.
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Saute veggies until softened, about 5 minutes.
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Increase heat to medium-high; then add mushrooms and cook until lightly browned, stirring frequently.
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Stir in garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant (about 30 seconds).
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Add broth, chickpeas, tomatoes, green beans, barley, corn, basil, oregano, and bay leaf.
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Bring soup to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
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Cook soup until barley is tender, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.
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Mix in peas and cook until tender and hot, about 1 to 2 minutes.
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Remove soup from heat and discard bay leaf. Stir in parsley and season to taste with salt and pepper.
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Serve soup hot, sprinkled with additional parsley. Enjoy!
Love this Barley Soup and Want More?
If you liked this easy Barley Vegetable Soup recipe, then you’re going to LOVE my easy Vegetable Soup recipe … so good and packed with veggies!
While you’re looking for recipes, check out all of my amazing Soups! I’ve got so many tasty options for you, from Minestrone to Beer Cheese to Tomato … and so much more!
Still want more? I rounded up 40 Hearty Vegetarian Soup Recipes right here!
Let me know if you try this yummy vegetable soup.
I’d love to know what you think!
What is your favorite sick day recipe?
Have not tried the recipe yet, BUT in the directions, some info is missing, e.g. when to add barley, chickpeas, green peas, corn, spices, tomatoes. Should direction #6 read: add (items listed above) to broth and cook soup, etc.?
Hi, Rita! I’m sorry the recipe was unclear. In step #6, you should add the broth through the bay leaf (from the above ingredient list), so add the broth, chickpeas, tomatoes, green beans, barley, corn, basil, oregano, and bay leaf. I hope that helps! Let me know if you try the recipe … I’d love to hear what you think!
Made this over the weekend it was AMAZING. What is the serving size? I’m adding to My Fitness Pal.
I”m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Gina! It’s definitely one of my faves, too. The soup serves 6 to 8 people and has about 304 calories (for 6 servings). Hope that helps! 🙂
Made today! Added a jalepeño and it was awesome
Oooh … I love spicy food. What a great idea! So glad you enjoyed the recipe 🙂
Just pulled up this recipe for the millionth time, and realized I should prob leave a review:) it’s vegan, and my husband loves it. enough said.
I’m so glad you and you husband love it, Jessica! Sometime convincing the husband is the hardest part … ha ha 😉
This is a great soup recipe. Yummy!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Noelle! I’m planning to make it on repeat all fall long 😉 Thank you so much for your review and comment.
Can I cook the barley separately and add at the end if I have some gluten-free guests?
Hi, Jen! Yes, you could definitely do that. Just keep in mind that you’ll want to cut back on the vegetable broth in the soup, since the barley soaks up a lot of liquid as it cooks.
Made this last night and it was very simple quick and easy. I made a few modifications, added more veggies and some herbs de provence. So perfect, thank you!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Meghan! I will have to try it with herb de provence next time I make it … sounds delish! 🙂
This is a flavor packed easy to make soup. Delicious! I used my Instant Pot which it was perfect for.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the soup, Bob! How long did you cook it in your Instant Pot? I’ll have to try that sometime! 🙂
Wonderful! Thank you!
So glad you enjoyed it, Denise! 🙂
I’m confused, there are carrots in the picture but not in the recipe?
Hi, Sacha! The carrots are the third ingredient in the list. I hope you get a chance to try the recipe … let me know what you think! 🙂
One of my favorite soups growing up was beef and barley. I stopped eating read meat several years ago and I’ve been looking for a good meatless barley soup ever since (surprisingly difficult). Just made this today and I love it. My wife loves it too, especially the mushrooms (which I kept nice a big!). Perfect for a cold and grey January day (rhymed that unintentionally).
Thank you so much for the feedback, John! I’m so glad to hear that you and your wife loved the recipe. It’s one of my faves, too, and definitely perfect for those grey January days! 🙂
have you tried to make this soup in a crock pot? I’m looking for something really quick for a party and so I kinda just want to throw it all in there =) Thanks!
Hi Jaime! I haven’t tried it the crock pot unfortunately. You could try it on low for 6 to 8 hours and see how it turns out. I think it should work, but can’t guarantee results. 😉
The first sentence could have been written by my wife. I am an airline pilot. A couple months ago she went on a trip with me to OKC and we froze our faces off! Vegetable barley soup would have been good!
The first sentence could have bee written by my wife! I also travel constantly for work as a airline pilot. A couple months ago she went with me on a trip to OKC and we too froze our faces off. Funny.
That is so funny, Zach! May be better to visit in OKC in warmer months, I guess! 😉
I just made this today, and it was very good! I used no salt veggie stock, added red pepper flakes, and herbs de Provence (like someone mentioned) and it was delicious!
I’m so glad you like it, Rebecca! 🙂
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I added 1/2 cup wild rice for some other texture. But also added 4 cups chicken broth (only one on hand) to thin out. Wound up with my 7 1/2 quart Le Creuset almost full!
Lots in the freezer.
It definitely makes a lot. Love the idea of adding wild rice!
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This is one of my favorite, go-to soups. I was just about to make it for the 20th? time, and thought I should leave a review;)
Thank you so much for the sweet review, Jessica! So glad you love the recipe! 🙂
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