Ingredients
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1.5 lbs cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 1 large yellow onion, finely diced (~1.5 cups)
- 4 medium carrots, diced
- 2 large celery ribs, finely diced
- 1 1/4 cups pearl barley, rinsed
- 10 cups vegetable broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
- 2 tsp kosher salt to start
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
Sauté the Vegetables and Brown the Mushrooms
Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add the diced onion, carrots, and celery and cook for ~7-10 minutes, until the vegetables soften up.
Add the sliced mushrooms, kosher salt, and black pepper. Keep cooking and stirring every so often for another 8-10 minutes. The mushrooms will release their water first and then start to brown.
Simmer Until the Barley is Tender
Add the rinsed barley, vegetable broth, bay leaves, and fresh thyme to the pot. Stir it all together and bring it to a boil.
Once it’s boiling, turn the heat down to low, cover the pot, and let it simmer for ~45-55 minutes, or until the barley is tender. Take out the bay leaves before you serve it.
Earthy Mushroom and Barley Soup
The mushrooms give this soup a meaty flavor without any actual meat. Simmering the barley for close to an hour gets it tender, but it still has a nice chew.
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Ingredients
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1.5 lbs cremini mushrooms sliced
- 1 large yellow onion ~1.5 cups, finely diced
- 4 medium carrots diced
- 2 large celery ribs finely diced
- 1 1/4 cups pearl barley rinsed
- 10 cups vegetable broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
- 2 tsp kosher salt to start
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
Instructions
- Melt butter in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
- Cook onion, carrots, and celery 7-10 minutes until softened.
- Add mushrooms, salt, and pepper; cook 8-10 minutes until mushrooms release water and brown.
- Add barley, broth, bay leaves, and thyme; bring to boil.
- Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 45-55 minutes until barley is tender.
- Remove bay leaves before serving.
Notes
Makes about 8-10 servings of soup.
