I love soup for so many reasons! Not only is it easy to make and super filling, but it reheats and freezes well too. This barley vegetable soup recipe is also super healthy and loaded with wholesome ingredients. It can be a one-pot recipe for the stovetop or even made in a slow cooker.
What I really love about this recipe is that it can be made completely from start to finish in one pot or even a slow cooker. Begin by washing and dicing up your vegetables of choice into bite-size chunks. You'll also want to rinse off the barley under warm water.
In a large stockpot, add the veggie broth (or water), uncooked barley, onions, cauliflower, and potatoes. Allow these to come to a boil and cook for approximately 10 minutes.
Next, add all other ingredients(except the spinach). Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and cook for approximately 30 minutes. I wait until this point to add the carrots and celery (and broccoli if using) because these are the veggies that I like to keep a little firmer texture. It's simply a preference thing, so you could add all the veggies in the first step if desired.
I like to use in this soup. It adds such a great spicy flavor. Be forewarned that it has a slight punch. If you do not like your soup a little spicy, begin with 2 Tbsp, or less. Taste and add to your preference.
Once the cooking time is up--whether you're using the stovetop or slower cooker methods--add the spinach leaves and allow them to wilt, for approximately 3-5 minutes. These should not be added until the end because they really don't need to cook, only wilt.
Remove from heat and enjoy! I love to serve this soup with crusty sourdough bread or my cornbread recipe.
Crockpot Instructions & Settings
If using a crockpot, I simply add all of the ingredients (except the spinach) to my pot--vegetables and seasoning--and stir them up well.
There are a couple of choices for settings. For slower cooking, set it to LOW for 5-6 hours. If you want to speed up the cooking time, set it to HIGH for approximately 3 hours.
Instant Pot Instructions
Set to Manual high pressure for 15 minutes. Once it has finished cooking allow for a slow release for 10 minutes then carefully turn the Vent to release pressure.
Video
Notes
Tips & Suggestions:
The recipe calls for using either vegetable broth or water. Using vegetable broth really adds a lot more flavor in my opinion. Another option is to mix it up and use 3 cups veggie broth plus 3 cups water.
For the potatoes, I usually leave the peelings on mine, but they can be peeled before adding to the soup if preferred.
If you're in a hurry, all of the vegetables can be added at the same time.
Covering the pot during cooking can reduce the cooking time by 5-10 minutes.
Be aware that barley is not gluten-free, but other gluten-free grains such as brown rice, millet, or buckwheat groats can be substituted for it in this soup.
Keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5-7 days. Freezes well.