With the endless snow that’s been falling in NJ, coupled with the constant need for nourishing, comfort food, soup has been on endless rotation in our house.
One recipe that never disappoints is my mom’s mushroom barley soup. It’s delicious, easy to make and perfect for those cold winter days – plus it’s easy to customize based on what you have in your house. Choose the broth of your choice and I can attest from first-hand experience that farro is an awesome substitute for barley, too – I found that out after running out of barley and may use this protein and fiber-packed whole grain going forward!
I also took our soup up a notch and added some homemade croutons for a nice crunch – totally optional, but super simple and (IMO) worth it!
Enjoy!
Mushroom Barley Soup
Ingredients
- 3 T butter
- 2 cups chopped onions
- 1 lb sliced mushrooms (I usually get 2 packages of regular or portobello shrooms)
- 1 T flour
- 1 T ground parsley
- 1 T ground thyme
- 32 oz broth of your choice (I use chicken, but could use veggie or beef)
- 1 cup barley OR farro (rinsed)
- Salt and pepper
- 1 t fresh lemon juice
Instructions
Melt butter and saute onions until soft.
Add mushrooms, parsley and thyme.
Cook on low heat until mushrooms produce liquid.
Mix in flour and add broth.
Bring to boil and stir in barley.
Simmer for 30 minutes and add salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste.
Croutons
Ingredients
- Day old bread
- Oil of your choice (I used avocado but EVOO works great, too)
- Spices of your choice – I tossed mine in Balanced Bites trifecta blend (garlic, salt and pepper)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cut or rip bread into small pieces.
Toss bread with oil and spices.
Bake until crunchy.
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