Hearty mushrooms, chopped vegetables, and tender pearl barley make up this simple and satisfying mushroom barley soup. As comforting as your favorite deli’s barley soup, but with even more flavor and a subtle smoky finish! Vegan and Mediterranean diet friendly.
If you’re missing your favorite deli’s mushroom barley soup, you’ll want to give this comforting recipe a try. It’s even better!
This healthy mushroom barley soup skips the beef in favor of a vegetarian meal with real body, texture, and depth of flavor.
And it uses simple ingredients: mushrooms, vegetables, and pearl barley. But a a few things make all the difference in this mushroom-lovers barley soup.
Three secrets to my easy mushroom barley soup
- Use enough mushrooms (and more than one variety). I use about 1 1/2 pounds of mushrooms–baby bella mushrooms and white mushrooms, both are readily available and relatively inexpensive. You do not need to use any special dry mushrooms in this recipe, which require soaking in hot water for at least 20 minutes before adding (if you want to, you can, of course).
- Build volume and flavor by chopping and slicing the mushrooms. To give the soup texture and provide a good amount of that “meaty” mushroom flavor, prepare the mushrooms two different ways. Slice the baby bella mushrooms (I like them halved so they’re more meaty); when sauteed, these provide a great bite. And chop the white mushrooms to be used as part of the base for the broth. The bit of chopped mushrooms gives the barley soup great volume, while infusing it with flavor.
- Use aromatics and warm spices to add flavor. Chopped onions, garlic, celery, and carrots are pretty standard in mushroom barley soup. But a trio of warm spices–coriander, cumin, and a hint of smoked paprika–takes it to a new level of delicious. You’ll love the warm and subtle smoky flavor.
Ingredients
Let’s walk through what’s in this vegan mushroom barley soup:
- Extra virgin olive oil (I used Private Reserve Geek extra virgin olive oil)
- Mushrooms- 2 kinds of mushrooms, baby bell mushrooms and white mushrooms. The baby bell mushrooms are simply sliced and sauteed in extra virgin olive oil. The white mushrooms are chopped into small pieces, they act to add flavor and volume to the broth.
- Onions, garlic, celery, and carrots– this foursome of chopped veggies, sometimes called “soffritto” are sauteed in the olive oil to begin the flavoring process (we add the chopped white mushrooms to this mix).
- Canned crushed tomatoes– I think of this as the secret ingredient you don’t see in most mushroom barley soup recipes. Only about 1/2 cup of crushed tomatoes here provides great color and adds extra umami to the barley soup
- Spices- A trio of warm spices including 1 teaspoon coriander, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, and 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika. This combination of spices adds so much depth to the barley soup without overwhelming it. Find all three spices at our online shop.
- Pearl Barley- About 1 cup of pearl barley (I used this one from Bob’s Red Mill. Affiliate link) is all you need here. Rinse it well before using.
- Fresh Parsley for garnish- this is totally optional, but a great way to finish this hearty soup with an added pop of green
How to Make Mushroom Barley Soup: Step-by-Step
(Scroll down for the print-friendly recipe)
Time needed: 1 hour and 15 minutes
Mushroom barley soup: step-by-step
- Saute sliced baby bella mushrooms
Heat a little extra virgin olive oil in a large Dutch oven or pot. Add sliced baby bella mushrooms. Cook for a few minutes, tossing regularly until they mushrooms gain some good color. Season with kosher salt. Set the mushrooms aside for later.
- Saute onions, garlic, carrots, celery and chopped mushrooms
In the same pot, add a bit more extra virgin olive oil. Cook the chopped veggies and chopped mushrooms, stirring regularly, until tender and fragrant. Season with kosher salt and black pepper.
- Add crushed tomatoes and spices
Throw in the crushed tomatoes and season with 1 teaspoon coriander and 1/2 teaspoon each cumin and smoked paprika.
- Add broth and barley and cook
Add 6 cups broth (you can use vegetable or beef broth if you like). Add 1 cup pearl barley (make sure it’s well-rinsed). Bring to a boil for a good 5 minutes, then cover and let simmer for 45 minutes or until the barley is fully cooked to tender.
- Add in sauteed mushrooms
Remember those mushrooms you sauteed earlier? Now is the time to stir them in. Let them cook in the soup a good 5 minutes, and you’re ready to serve. If you like, sprinkle fresh parsley for garnish.
Pearl Barley Vs. Hulled Barley
Barley is one of the treasured super grains used often in Mediterranean cooking. It’s satisfying and loaded with nutrition–fiber, B-vitamins, and minerals.
Pearl barley is the most common form of barley. It’s the variety I use in this recipe and others like barley with roasted vegetables or Soupe Jo (Persian Chicken Barley Soup). It is created by removing the inedible coating of unhulled barley and creating pearled barley grains with a smooth surface and quicker cooking time. It’s still chewy, nutty, and nutritious.
If you have hulled barley, the whole grain form of barley where only the outermost hull removed, it can be used in this recipe, but budget extra time for cooking (budget another 30 minutes or until the barley is fully cooked to a tender and chewy consistency).
Can you freeze barley soup?
Leftovers of this vegan mushroom barley soup will last in the fridge for 4 days or so. Be sure the soup is completely cooled before you transfer it to tight-lid glass containers to refrigerate.
Because there is no cream in this soup, you can freeze it. Once the soup has cooled completely, transfer it to freezer-safe containers leaving enough room at the top.
Thaw overnight in the fridge. Reheat over medium heat, adding a little more broth to help the consistency.
I make this one regularly for soup night, and because it’s quite satisfying, I just add a side salad to complete the meal.
If you love mushrooms and looking for more mushroom recipes, you might also like to check out my garlic mushroom pasta, chicken and mushroom, or this braised chicken thighs.
Check out our collection of Mediterranean diet recipes. For all recipes, visit us here.
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Mushroom Barley Soup Recipe
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4 or more 1x
Description
Hearty mushrooms, chopped vegetables, and tender pearl barley make up this simple and satisfying mushroom barley soup. As comforting as your favorite deli’s barley soup, but with even more flavor and a subtle smoky finish! Vegan and Mediterranean diet friendly.
Ingredients
- Extra virgin olive oil (I used Private Reserve Greek EVOO)
- 16 oz baby bella mushrooms, cleaned well and halved or sliced
- Kosher salt
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 1 carrot, chopped
- 8 oz white mushrooms, cleaned and chopped
- ½ cup canned crushed tomatoes
- Black pepper
- 1 tsp coriander
- ½ tsp to ¾ tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp cumin
- 6 cups low-sodium broth (vegetable broth or beef broth)
- 1 cup pearl barley rinsed
- ½ cup packed chopped parsley
Instructions
- In a large Dutch Oven, heat extra virgin olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking. Add baby bell mushrooms and cook until mushrooms soften and gain some color (about 5 minutes or so). Remove from the pot and set aside for now.
- In the same pot, add a little more extra virgin olive oil. Add onions, garlic, celery, carrots, and chopped white mushrooms. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes over medium-high heat. Season with salt and pepper.
- Now, add crushed tomatoes and spices (coriander, smoked paprika, cumin). Cook for 3 minutes or so, tossing regularly.
- Add broth and pearl barley. Bring to a rolling boil for 5 minutes, then turn heat down. Cover and let simmer over low heat for about 30 minutes or until the barley is tender and cooked through.
- Add the cooked bella mushrooms back to the pot and stir to combine. Cook for about 5 minutes or so until mushrooms are well warmed through.
- Finish with fresh parsley. Transfer to serving bowls and enjoy!
Notes
- Cook’s Tip: Use pearl barley in this recipe because it does cook quicker. However, if you have hulled barley, you can use it as well. It will take a bit longer to cook (I’d budget at least 20 minutes longer).
- Cook’s Tip: If you want an even more smoky finish, add another pinch smoked paprika.
- Leftover Storage Instructions: This barley soup will keep well in the fridge for 4 days, if stored properly. Cool completely before transferring to a tight-lid glass container to refrigerate. You can freeze leftovers for later use. Thaw in the fridge overnight. Reheat over medium heat, adding a bit more broth to help the consistency.
- Visit our shop to browse Mediterranean ingredients including olive oils and spices used in this recipe
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Suzy, two questions. Can I substitute pickled garlic for fresh in this (and other) recipes? Also, is this soup a good choice for farro or frekkeh? I’m making this tonight with barley all as written. Will post a pic on your Insta. Love you and congratulations on making the NYT best seller list!
Nutrition info?
Hi, Theresa! I’m sorry that the nutritional information is not available for this one yet. We’re working our way through and adding the nutritional information as best as we can to our older content.
Made and loved this soup. I see someone already asked about the nutritional information. That was part of my question. I wanted to know if the nutritional information on other recipes is for individual servings or entire meal?
Thank you
Hi, Kathy! The nutritional information is based on one serving of the recipe.
Thank you for this delicious recipe. A very hearty and complex flavor without being super mushroom-y. I did add some extra veggies and some chicken, and just used water for the liquid. I am suspecting that water would be fine even without the chicken in there, since the spices and tomato/mushroom are so flavorful.
Made this soup last night – expectations exceeded! Brought me back to my childhood deli. Perfect on a cool night as Autumn ushers in. Thank you for sharing. This is a new staple in my soup arsenal : )
I made this recipe with one small change. I added a splash of red wine in the end. This was absolutely delicious. I did everything else exactly. The barley makes it hearty.
Love that idea! Thanks Shantelle!
I wasn’t sure about the spices but WOW!! I am a soup fiend and usually share my soups with friends, But I may just keep this pot for myself. Mushrooms are my favorite food and this recipe is truly perfection. I threw in some leftover roasted cauliflower that I had in the fridge. An excellent recipe thank you!
So glad you enjoyed it, Sandra!
I tried this recipe yesterday for some reason the broth wasn’t enough it was not soupy. I don’t know what I did wrong. Could it be my carrots and white mushroom were more chunky and not tiny? It still tasted good!
Absolutely loved this soup. Nice and chucky with pretty epic flavour.
Hi Suzy!
I made the mushroom soup yesterday. Substituted wild rice for the barley and used chicken broth. I added a little Worcestershire sauce to give a little more depth Refrigerated over night since everything tastes better the next day.. I served it with a squeeze of lemon and sprinkling of parmesan cheese. Fabulous!
Thanks for your great inspiration! Love your site. Btw, saw your new kitchen today. Beautiful! Congratulations.!
Awww! Thanks, Ginger!
I am enjoying a warm bowl of this amazing soup right now!
I am going to make this soup! I like to add a little wine to many things. Would you? And if so, red or white?
Hi, Liisa. Sure… adding some wine here may help to enhance the flavors even more! I really think white or red would be quite tasty!
This was exactly what our family needed on this fine winter day as we isolate with Covid…. Hearty, tasty, and warms to the bone
So glad the soup hit the spot! Hope you all get well soon!
We really enjoyed this soup. Even with the barley, it was a light, refreshing change from the heavy holiday meals.
Only minus is we thought it was a little bland. I’m going to add a little more of the seasonings plus a bit of lemon juice to the leftovers tomorrow. But even without those changes, this recipe is a keeper!
Thanks for the feedback, Laurie!
Just want to add, I heated up the leftover soup tonight, adding a teaspoon of white wine vinegar, and a teaspoon each of cumin and smoked paprika. It was pure perfection!
Awesome!
Bland and boring. I added more tomato and a ton of black pepper. I’ll put some grated cheese on tomorrow.
This soup was absolutely delicious! Highly recommend it. It will be a staple in our family.
Yay! Thanks, Rose!
Delighted, made as written
Awesome! Thanks, Christine!