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!
Vegetable Barley Soup
Ingredients
- 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
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.
- Add onions, carrots, and celery to oil; season with salt and pepper.
- Saute veggies until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Increase heat to medium-high; then add mushrooms and cook until lightly browned, stirring frequently.
- Stir in garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant (about 30 seconds).
- Add broth, chickpeas, tomatoes, green beans, barley, corn, basil, oregano, and bay leaf.
- Bring soup to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
- Cook soup until barley is tender, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.
- Mix in peas and cook until tender and hot, about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Remove soup from heat and discard bay leaf. Stir in parsley and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Serve soup hot, sprinkled with additional parsley. Enjoy!
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Nutrition
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 my amazing Soups! I’ve got so many tasty options for you, including classic Mushroom Barley, my fave Minestrone, decadent and delicious Beer Cheese, comforting 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?
Easy, delicious and everyone liked it!
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed the soup, Carla! Thank you so much for the comment and rating! 🙂
Awesome! I cooked this almost as directed. I put in fresh Kale instead of peas and, though I used regular salt and ground pepper, I put in a couple shakes of seasoning salt. Used chicken stock just because I had no vegetable stock. I fixed it for myself and have about ten more bowls in the freezer. 😊
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Patricia! It definitely makes a great freezer meal! 🙂
The fam loved! Omitted the tomatoes. Used Herbs de Provence in addition to the spices listed & triple the barley. Used chicken stock. Fantastic!!!
I’m so glad you and your family loved the recipe, Peg! 🙂
Sorry but this soup was flavor less.
Like eating oatmeal with vegetables.
Very disappointed.
I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy the recipe, Pam. Did you follow it as written and season with salt before serving?
Just made your veg. barley soup. It was very good but a little too thick. Next time I make it I will not use Diced Tomatoes. The flavour was way too tomatoe for my husband who just loves thick barley soup. I added potatoes and cauliflower for extra thickness. Worked out great.
Hi, Deanna! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe … it’s definitely thick. 🙂 I love the idea of adding cauliflower. Yum!
This soup is so good 🤤 thankfully, because I have made enough for a week!
So happy to hear you enjoyed the soup, Shay! There’s nothing better than having a great meal to look forward to! 🙂
5 STARS! I followed your recipe to the letter. I’m not vegan or vegetarian. I just love vegetables. Its AMAZZZZING! Thank you for sharing it.
Yay, so happy to hear you loved the recipe, Dee! It’s definitely made for veggie lovers … vegan, vegetarian, or not! 🙂
I added extra barley to make it more filling. Great flavor. Thank you!
This is one of the best soups I’ve ever had. I added extra barley to make it a hearty meal.
I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe, Cynthia! It’s definitely a stick to your ribs kind of soup, especially with extra barley. Thank you so much for leaving a review. 🙂
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! 🙂
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!
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! 🙂
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 live in OKC. Summer is brutal hot. I’d recommend trying our lovely state out in spring (May) or fall (Oct or Nov).
That sounds like the perfect time to visit, Corinne! I hoping to go back next year. 🙂
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!
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. 😉
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! 🙂
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! 🙂
Wonderful! Thank you!
So glad you enjoyed it, Denise! 🙂
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! 🙂
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! 🙂