Vegetable Barley Soup

4.82 from 11 ratings

from kristineskitchenblog.com

This Vegetable Barley Soup is one of our favorite vegetable soup recipes. It's hearty and healthy, packed with colorful veggies and barley in a rich and flavorful broth. Make it on the stove top, or follow the slow cooker or Instant Pot instructions in the notes below.

Prep Time20

Cook Time1

Total Time1 20

Servings: servings

Calories: 239kcal

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion chopped
3 ribs celery chopped
3 carrots sliced into ¼-inch thick rounds or half rounds if large
4 cloves garlic minced
¾ cup pearl barley rinsed
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon salt or to taste
½ teaspoon black pepper
6 cups low sodium vegetable broth plus more as needed
15 ounce can petite diced tomatoes
1 bay leaf
½ pound Yukon gold potatoes 1-2 potatoes, chopped into ¾-inch pieces
¾ cup frozen green beans

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or other large pot over medium heat. Once hot, add the onion, celery and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.
Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds.
Stir in the barley, Italian seasoning, dried thyme, salt and pepper.
Add the vegetable broth, diced tomatoes and bay leaf. Stir to combine. Bring the pot to a simmer and then reduce the heat so that the soup maintains a low simmer and cover the pot.
Simmer the soup with the lid on for 25 minutes and then stir in the chopped potatoes. Cover the pot again and simmer the soup for 20-35 more minutes, until the barley is tender, adding the frozen green beans during the last 5 minutes of cooking.
Remove the bay leaf before serving.

Notes

To make in the slow cooker: Sauté the onion, celery and carrots in the olive oil in a pan on the stove. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Transfer to the slow cooker. Add all of the remaining ingredients and stir. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours, or until the barley and vegetables are tender.
To make in the Instant Pot: Use the Instant Pot sauté function to cook the onion, celery and carrots in olive oil until slightly softened. Then stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds; turn off sauté. Pour in 1 cup of the broth and stir, scraping up any bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Close the Instant Pot lid, move the steam release valve to the sealing position, and pressure cook on high pressure for 20 minutes, followed by a 15 minute natural release. Then quick release any remaining pressure, remove the bay leaf and serve.
Storage instructions: Soup may be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.

Nutrition

Nutrition information is only an estimate.