Lentil Barley Soup is a meal in a bowl that will feed a mixed group of eight vegetarians and omnivores without complaint.
Barley does its wonderfully satisfying thickening to give this soup rib-stickability.
You can use pot or pearl barley here. Pot barley is less polished than pearl, leaving more of its exterior bran layer is present. As a result, it takes longer to cook – but in this recipe the instructions will work for either.
Use flat green or brown lentils, not the little red ones.
The ingredient list might look a bit long, but getting the soup ready is quick, and the ingredients are easy to find.
![Lentil Barley Soup (vegan)](https://i0.wp.com/ketchupwiththat.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Lentil-Barley-Soup.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1)
This thick soup can be made ahead of time and refrigerated for several days before serving. You can also freeze it for up to 3 months.
- 2 tablespoons /30 ml olive oil
- 1 cup /250 ml finely chopped onion (1 medium onion)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon /5 ml salt
- 1-1/2 cups /375 ml diced carrots (approx 3 medium carrots)
- 1 cup /250 ml diced celery (approx 3 stalks of celery)
- 1/2 cup /125 ml barley
- 1 cup /250 ml green or brown lentils
- 1 large can crushed tomatoes (28 oz / 796 ml)
- 4 cups /1 liter vegetable stock
- 2 cups /500 ml water
- 1/2 teaspoon /2.5 ml ground pepper
- 2 tablespoons /30 ml brown sugar
- 1-1/2 tablespoons /22.5 ml dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon /15 ml dried basil
- 1 teaspoon /5 ml dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon /5 ml ground sage
- 1/4 teaspoon /1.25 ml chili pepper flakes
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Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add onions and cook for 2 minutes, or until they begin to soften. Add garlic and salt and continue cooking for 1 minute. Do not let onions or garlic brown. If they start to brown, turn down the heat.
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Add carrots, celery, lentils and barley to pot. Stir to coat with onions. Add crushed tomatoes, vegetable stock and water. Stir to combine ingredients.
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Stir in remaining ingredients (pepper, sugar, oregano, basil, thyme, sage and pepper flakes) and bring soup to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low or low to maintain a simmer, and cover. Simmer for 40-45 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep soup from sticking.
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Serve soup hot, or refrigerate or freeze until needed.
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