The Best Vegetable Barley Soup Recipe

The BEST Vegetable Barley Soup recipe ever. Packed with flavor, color and texture; this soup is thick, hearty and healthy. This homemade soup is easy to make with a 30 minute cooking time.

Want to make this barley soup recipe in your slow cooker? Simply add all the ingredients except the frozen peas, and cook on low for six hours.

Are you looking for a budget friendly soup that the whole family will love? This Vegetable Barley Soup is the perfect warm up meal that can be made in no time.

Packed with healthy yet simple ingredients, this simple soup stretches so far and fills you up.

This barley vegetable soup recipe is perfect for using up extra veggies in the fridge or those small portions left in the bags of frozen vegetables.

Versatile is it’s super power! Vegetable and barley soup is versatile to allow for preferred substitutions. It can also be a vegetarian soup, or not if you add protein like chicken or beef.

This old fashioned vegetable barley soup is freezer-friendly. It’s great for meal planning and having comfort food on hand for when you need dinner on the table, stat!

For another barley soup to try, I suggest our Tuscan Barley Soup. It’s delicious!

Ingredients and Variations

Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make this best vegetable barley soup. The full ingredients and instructions are on the printable recipe card at the end of this post.

VEGETABLES – This soup has fresh vegetables, frozen vegetables and a canned vegetable. Yet check out the tips on using other vegetables in the FAQ section below.

Included in this recipe are leek, garlic cloves, carrots, kale, diced tomatoes, and frozen peas. I go over the vegetable substitutions in the FAQ below.

I like to use white beans in our veggie barley soup, because they are creamy and have a neutral flavor, yet you can use any type of canned bean in this soup.

BARLEY – We make our Vegetable Barley Soup with Pearl Barley (uncooked barley). It is a type of barley that has been polished to remove the outer husk.

Pearled barley is often used in soups and stews, because it cooks quickly and has a chewy texture. 

FLAVORFUL BROTH – I use vegetable broth (or vegetable stock) for our hearty vegetable barley soup, yet you could also use chicken broth or beef broth if preferred.

SPICES – Simple seasoning gives this soup it’s great flavour. I use oregano, salt and black pepper.

If you don’t add fresh minced garlic, feel free to add garlic powder instead. Likewise, use fresh oregano if you wish. I love using fresh herbs where I can do so.

Optional: Add Protein

To make a beef vegetable barley soup, toss in some cooked chuck roast beef, steak, or ground beef. You could also use or turkey, or leftover shredded chicken.

If your meat is already cooked, add it in the last hour of cooking.

You can keep it meatless with added protein by adding in lentils, garbanzo beans or black beans. This will stretch this soup even further too.

How to Make Vegetable Barley Soup

1. In a large pot (large soup pot) over medium-high heat, add the olive oil. Once hot, add the leek and garlic, and cook for 5 minutes until the leek has softened. 
   
   
2. Add the rest of the ingredients except the frozen peas.
   
   
3. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
   
   
4. Add the frozen peas cook for another minute, and remove from heat. 
   
   
   
5. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. 
   
   
6. Ladle the soup into bowls. Enjoy!
   
   

What to serve with Vegetable Barley Soup

This hearty soup is a meal in itself, yet I love to serve with buttered crusty bread or sourdough for dipping. Sometimes I sprinkle some fresh parmesan cheese on top.

Other options could include biscuits, homemade no knead bread, or even cornbread.

More side dish options include a tossed salad, cucumber salad or even cheesy breadsticks.

How to Make Crockpot Vegetable Barley Soup

It’s easy to make this recipe into a Slow Cooker Vegetable Barley Soup!

To do so, simply add all the ingredients except the frozen peas into the crockpot, and cook on low for six hours. In the last hour add the frozen peas, and some additional broth if needed.

Storage

Storing Leftovers

Store leftovers in the fridge for up to four days, in an airtight container or covered with plastic wrap.

Freezing

Vegetable Barley Soup freezes great. This soup can be frozen for up to six months, when stored in a freezer-safe container. Thaw it overnight in the fridge before you want to enjoy it. 

Make it Ahead – since it freezes so well, it’s the perfect soup recipe for meal planning and those busy weeknights.

Reheating

For best results, I like to reheat this soup on the stovetop over medium heat.

More Soup Recipes

• Roasted Tomato Soup
• Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup
• Buffalo Chicken Soup
• Slow Cooker Cabbage Roll Soup
• Easy Wonton Soup
• One Pot Lasagna Soup