This easy barley soup with vegetables is a vegetarian and vegan soup option that’s perfect for chilly days. It comes together quickly for a nourishing lunch or dinner.
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, see my affiliate disclosure.
It’s October 1st and I’m posting about soup. Could a food blogger be any more predictable?!
Even though it certainly doesn’t feel like soup season (we still have our AC on!), I’m ready for it. Soup is just so easy to make. AND it’s such a great way to pack more veggies into your diet. I eat it at least a few times a week in the winter.
This barley soup with vegetables will definitely be a repeat recipe in our house this season. It’s ridiculously simple but still has a ton of great flavor. I even used quick cooking barley to shorten the prep time.
So, what are you waiting for?! Grab a spoon, and whip this one up!
How to Make Barley Soup
The full ingredients list and instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. Here’s a preview of the steps for this barley soup with vegetables recipe.
- Cook the veggies in some olive oil.
- Add minced garlic, tomato paste, and seasonings.
- Add barley and broth. Bring to a boil.
- Cover, reduce heat to a maintain a simmer, and cook until barley is tender.
- Stir in frozen peas, and cook for a few more minutes.
- Ladle into bowls, and enjoy!
Expert Tips
- To make this soup in under 30 minutes, use quick pearled barley. I used Quaker brand and it worked great.
- You can feel free to use other types of pearled barley, like Bob’s Red Mill or Good and Gather brands, but you will need to adjust the cooking time. Follow the instructions on those packages.
- If you have a well-stocked freezer, you can actually use ALL frozen veggies for this barley soup with vegetables. For instance, if you followed my tutorials on How to Freeze Carrots and How to Freeze Celery, you may have these frozen veg on hand. You don’t need to adjust the cooking time if you use frozen vegetables, and you can add them directly to the pot from frozen.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for two to three days. The barley will absorb liquid as it sits in the soup, so you will need to add some extra broth or water when reheating. Reheat in a saucepan until warmed through, stirring frequently.
- Possible additions include white beans or chickpeas and shredded chicken or turkey. Add a sprinkle of shredded parmesan cheese before serving the soup if desired (and if you don’t need the soup to be vegan).
More Healthy Soup Recipes
If you love this barley soup with vegetables, check out the Slow Cooker Mushroom Barley Stew while you’re here! You may also enjoy the Veggie-Loaded One Pot Lasagna Soup, Vegan Stew with Winter Vegetables, and Broccoli Soup with Potatoes and Peas.
I’d love to hear how you like this recipe! Rate/review using the stars on the recipe card or in the comments, and follow the Veg World on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. Looking for something totally different? Browse the recipe library.
📖 Recipe
Barley Soup with Vegetables
Equipment
- Soup pot or Dutch oven
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 yellow onion - diced
- 3 carrots - sliced
- 2 stalks celery - sliced
- 3 cloves garlic - minced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup quick pearled barley
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup frozen peas
Instructions
- Warm the olive oil in a soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic, tomato paste, oregano, thyme, salt, and pepper. Add the barley and vegetable broth to the pot.
- Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to maintain a simmer. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes until the barley is tender.
- When the barley is finished cooking, take the cover off of the pot and stir in the frozen peas. Cook for 4 to 5 more minutes.
- Ladle into bowls, and enjoy! I like to serve the soup with crunchy bread and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.
- Leave a rating or review by tapping the stars on this recipe card (above) or in the comments section (at the end of the post)!
Notes
- You can use other types of pearled barley that are not quick-cooking, but you will have to adjust the cooking time. Refer to the package instructions.
- Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 to 3 days. Reheat in a saucepan until warmed through. Since the barley absorbs liquid while it sits in the soup, you will need to add some extra broth or a little water when reheating.
- You can bulk up the soup with some white beans, chickpeas, shredded turkey, or chicken.
Nutrition
Have a good weekend! – Lizzie
Kathy
This was nice and easy. I added 1.5 C ahredded cabbage because I had it left over. Allworked out well. I suggest you mention the time to cooke if one has used regular barley as opposed to auick barley. Thanks!
Aunt Karen
I’m that crazy “aunt” who makes/ eats soup all seasons! Barley soup is a favorite. I often use Quaker Quick Batley, I always add white beans, and sometimes diced tomatoes.
Thank you for the yummy recipe!
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN
I love soup all year round too!! Sounds like you make a delicious version of barley soup!
Natalie
It’s a good and easy soup if you have these staples in your fridge and pantry. Don’t be shy with the seasoning. Extra pepper, extra salt, extra oregano, extra garlic…literally however you want it (mild, medium, or even spicy).
Thank you for the recipe!
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN
I’m thrilled that you enjoy this recipe, Natalie!
Jwiltz
Absolutely delicious! I added cumin, coriander, and sage. It reminded me of Chicken Soup. Yum😋
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed it! The additions you made sound delicious!
Pam
This is delious, but is the potassium right as there is only 1 tablespoon of tomato paste in this and all the veggies are low potassium? Please advise
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN
Hi Pam, I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe! The potassium calculation per serving (approximately 2 cups) is correct. One tablespoon of tomato paste has about 160 mg of potassium. The veggies also provide potassium, but some are not that high in potassium. So, spread out over the whole soup, the amount of potassium per serving makes sense.
Maggie Ornduff
Where is all the sodium coming from? Seems super high..
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN
Hi Maggie, thanks for your question…and good catch! It seems that the nutrition calculator was inputting a very high amount of sodium for the vegetable broth. I have adjusted it to the correct amount, which is now visible on the recipe card.