This is a beige/brown food alert! 

With the newest round of lockdown restrictions for so many here in Ontario, we’re all in need of a big serving of comfort food. We are back to working remotely, virtual learning, restaurant closures and so much more. We all miss our family, friends and life in general. There’s a lot of fear, anger and frustration. But we will get through this! 

Shake up mealtime with this hearty mushroom barley soup that is satisfying and healthy. It may be lacking in colour but it comes through with loads of earthy flavour. And the addition of tender pearls of barley makes it a perfect warm-me-up vegetarian meal with real body, texture, and depth of flavour for a cold winter’s day. 

This recipe uses simple ingredients: mushrooms, vegetables and pearl barley. The addition of the spices make all the difference to this mushroom-lovers barley soup.

The Secret to Making this Mushroom Barley Soup

• Use a variety of mushrooms and lots of them 
• Chop and slice the mushrooms to build flavour and texture. 
• Use aromatics and spices to add flavour. Onions, garlic, celery and carrots are standard in mushroom barley soup. And the addition of coriander, cumin and smoked paprika takes this soup to a new level of deliciousness.

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Mushroom Barley Soup

Course Soup

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 leek, thinly sliced and rinsed really well
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, finely chopped
• 1 carrot, finely chopped
• 1 pound assorted mushrooms, cleaned and chopped (cremini, shiitake and/or porcini)
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• ½ tsp cumin
• ½ tsp smoked paprika
• ½ cup dried mushrooms reconstituted in 2 cups boiling water, save the water – lots of flavour there
• 3 cups mushroom stock
• 3 cups vegetable stock, low sodium
• 1 cup pearl barley, uncooked
• salt and pepper

Instructions

• In a large pot cook onion and leek in a little oil. Add garlic when the onions and leeks have softened.
• Add celery and carrots and cook for a few minutes.
• Add mushrooms and sauté, stirring often until tender.
• Add all the spices and stir well to coat the veggies.
• Add reconstituted mushrooms, broth, water and barley.
• Bring to a boil and reduce heat and cook for 25 minutes.
• You may need to add more liquid as the barley soaks up a lot of it.
• Season the soup with salt and pepper and serve.