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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Print
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
Made this soup today (10/16/24) and it is just a wonderful mushroom soup! I followed the recipe exactly and the flavors are amazing! I will be making this soup often in the future! Thanks for the great recipe!
Last fall, I was looking for a mushroom barley soup recipe and this one seemed perfect. This also served as my introduction to the site and I am forever grateful. Since then, I have made dozens of recipes from the Mediterranean Dish (all winners!) and improved my family’s health along the way as we now stick to a Mediterranean diet. Now back to the mushroom barley soup, which is delicious as written, however I like to mix it up sometimes by replacing some of the bellas with shiitakes and adding a dash of low sodium soy sauce. So good! Now that cooler weather has returned, I’m making a double batch tomorrow, it freezes beautifully.
Thank you so much for your sweet review, Nic! So glad to have you as a part of The Mediterranean Dish community!
This soup is so good, it doesn’t even make sense. I did add 1tsp of Better Than Boullion Mushroom base and a few dashes of Maggi (iykyk), but honestly, the soup didn’t really need either since I used beef broth. Thank you, Suzy, for another fantastic recipe!
This sounds SO delicious and cannot wait to make it. Do you think it would be ok to trade something like Farro instead of the barley?
Absolutely! Other grains would totally work!
Question: For the half can of crushed tomatoes, what size can are you using? I could only find a 28 oz. can. Is this the correct size, or should I use less of it?
Thank you
Hi, Nicki. It’s actually 1/2 of a CUP, not of a can. So, you can just pull 1/2 cup from the can you have, and use the rest another time. Hope you enjoy the soup!
This was outstanding, full of flavor, and the texture was great! I added a full can of crushed tomatoes, rather than wasting the rest. It just added more flavor. I used a teaspoon of low sodium soy sauce rather Kosher salt! This recipe will go to the regular rotation for dinner!
Terrific core recipe.
I added lentils to complement the barley for a complete protein.
And I cooked the barley & lentils independently before adding to the pot.
All good.
I made this for dinner tonight and my husband and I loved it. The smoked paprika was a great addition. We have made several of your soup recipes that we love and this will be made again
Excellent recipes without meat are very helpful in managing my diabetes. Thanks
We love to hear that, Dana! Thank you!
Made this tonight. I loved my husband loved and and to dog was unhappy she didn’t get any leftovers!
Absolutely delish!! Loved the mild Smokey flavor from the paprika❤️
Perfect for this cold windy day!
Great hearty comfort food on a cold day with crusty forbidden rice bread for dipping—YUM!! Didn’t have coriander or crushed tomatoes so used extra cumin & added oregano for the spice and used watered down tomato paste for the tomatoes. Will add more beef broth next time since the barley (used traditional, added 20 min cook time) sops up the liquid. Delish!!
Thanks so much for the great review!
This was so delicious! I added more tomatoes for a richer broth.
Very tasty! Other mushroom barley soup recipes include soy and/or Worcestershire sauce, but this recipe was delicious as is! I used only half the amount of smoked paprika because for me it can overpower.
Mediterranean mushroom and barley is the BEST…and easy to prepare
Thanks, Steve!
Very earthy, satisfying soup for a chilly day. My family loved it. The only barley I found at my store cooks in 10 minutes, so I just put it in during the last 10 minutes of simmering. I used chicken broth, as our daughter isn’t keen on beef. So tasty! Thanks!
I knew my husband and I would love this soup, so I made a double batch from the get go with just a few changes. I used less parsley, added a clove of garlic and used a combination of baby bella and shiitake mushrooms. Absolutely delicious!! Tonight we’re eating the last portion I froze for dinner so I’ll be making this amazing soup again soon. Definitely one to keep in rotation during our bitterly cold New England winters!
Thanks, Nic! Stay warm out there :).