Looking for a healthy vegetable soup that is both delicious and filling? Try this Vegetable Barley Soup! This soup is perfect for weeknight dinners during winter and is easily made in either the pressure cooker / instant pot or stovetop in under an hour. Serve with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese on top and a slice or two of crusty bread for dipping. Perfection! Make up a batch at the start of the week and use it as an easy work lunch or a quick dinner. Or portion out and freeze it for those times you are in a pinch.
WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE…
Can be made in pressure cooker or stovetop Quick and easy Hearty and healthy soup
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
Here’s what you’ll need to make this Vegetable Barley soup at home…
Olive Oil Onion Garlic Carrot Celery Pearl Barley - OR you could use farro if you’d prefer. Green Beans - Either fresh or frozen. Diced Tomatoes Cannellini Beans - Or you could use chickpeas or red kidney beans if you’d prefer. I use canned beans but if you’d prefer to use dry - go for it. Chicken Stock - OR you could use vegetable stock if you’d prefer. Cayenne Pepper, Basil, Oregano, Salt & Pepper - I like how the cayenne pepper gives it a little kick. Corn Kernels - Either fresh or frozen.
HOW TO MAKE VEGETABLE BARLEY SOUP - STEP BY STEP
Pressure Cooker / Instant Pot Instructions:
First, select sauté mode on Instant Pot or pressure cooker. Heat the oil, then add onion, carrot, celery and minced garlic and cook, stirring regularly, for 3-5 minutes (photo 1). Next, add everything else except for the corn kernels in the Instant Pot or pressure cooker. Set to high pressure for 20 minutes. Release the steam (photo 2). Stir in the corn kernels. Set to high pressure for another 5 minutes. Release the steam (photo 3). Let the soup rest for a few minutes to allow it to thicken slightly. Serve with your favourite toppings (parmesan, crusty bread etc.) and enjoy (photo 4).
Stovetop Instructions:
Heat oil in a large pot on medium heat, then add onion, carrot, celery and minced garlic and cook, stirring regularly, for 3-5 minutes. Add everything else except for the corn kernels to the pot and bring to boil, then reduce to simmer for 20-30 minutes until the barley is cooked. Add corn kernels to the pot and simmer until cooked, around 5 minutes. Serve with your favourite toppings (parmesan, crusty bread etc) and enjoy.
TIPS FOR MAKING THIS RECIPE
Feel free to use what vegetables you have on hand. You could also try farro in place of barley. Use vegetable stock to make it vegan. STORING - Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days, or in the freezer for 3 months.
MORE SCRUMPTIOUS SOUP RECIPES:
Cannellini Bean Soup Cauliflower and Bacon Soup Split Pea Soup with Ham Bone Pumpkin and Cauliflower Soup Roasted Cauliflower Soup Pumpkin and Sweet Potato Soup OR see all Soup Recipes
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Ingredient Substitutions:
Beans - I’ve made this with both chickpeas and cannellini beans and loved both. Feel free to add what you have on hand. I use tinned beans but if you’d prefer to use dry - go for it. Corn - I generally cut kernels off an uncooked cob to pop into this soup but you could easily sub for ½ a cup of frozen corn kernels.Grains - This soup lends itself well to substitutions, so feel free to try it with your favourite grain. I think farro would be wonderful. Vegetables - I almost always have green beans in the fridge so they were any easy choice to include in this soup. Feel free to experiment with whatever you have on hand - zucchini, frozen peas etc.
Storage - Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 4 days, or in the freezer for 3 months. Nutrition - Nutrition information is from a nutrition calculator and is based around one serve.
