This soup is filling, full of protein, low fat and even has turmeric. The soup is hearty because it contains barley, a natural thickener that is much healthier than cream. Barley is good for you because it is relatively high in calcium, vitamin C, fiber, has zero cholesterol and is low in fat. Not only does it have no cholesterol but it aids in lowering cholesterol. Compare that to other thickeners such as cream! The reason turmeric is very good for you is that it contains curcumin, which reduces blood vessel inflammation. For other benefits of curcumin I recommend one of my favorite health books Eat to Beat Disease by Dr. Li.
We love this soup especially when it's cold outside. It warms the heart. Enjoy
“Anyone who’s trying to manage inflammation could benefit from adding some turmeric to their foods.” –Johns Hopkins Medicine
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Equipment and Tools
Food processor (optional) - I use a food processor to chop the onion. If you opt for a food processor I recommend the Braun brand; I've owned mine for over 15 years.
Pot - I like to use pots that have markings inside in order to save measurement time. If you do not have one, go for a simple 5 quart pot and know that final soup amount will be about the size of the pot
Electric pot (optional) - Everyone. Everyone. Everyone in Europe has an electric pot. They are such time savers for boiling water. Here is an example of one so you know what to look for when shopping for one yourself. This one is very pretty but a little heavier and this one is lighter so it's easier to lift.
Tips
Bean selection - Most white beans work well in this soup. I usually use navy beans, sometime in combination with great white beans. Make sure to purchase dry beans and not canned.
Onion - Yellow or white have an abundance of flavor. Use a food processor to save time but be careful not to chop it too fine. For extra flavor, sauté the onion instead of cooking it together with the soup. In this case add the onion together with the barley.
Soup flavoring - For vegetarians I recommend this consomme soup and seasoning mix, which does not contain meat or dairy!
Budget friendly tip - Although you can use chicken stock or vegetable stock for the liquid in this soup I recommend using this soup and seasoning mix. One container is equivalent to 67 cups of soup stock! Not only is it less expensive it is also better for the environment. Note that if you do use stock for some of the liquid in the soup lower the salt amount.
Steps - The beans and barley can be cooked longer. Do not fret if your soup sits around for an hour or two after any of these steps. It will taste even better!
Time Saving Tips
Skip sautéing the onion - some flavor will be lost but taste will still be good; in this case you may want to add more seasoning, such as Trader Joe every day seasoning, to enhance flavor
Bean soaking - In this recipe I call for using beans that were soaked overnight. To do this simply sort beans for stones (rare), rinse and put in pot with 4 cups of room temperature water. If you only realized you wanted to make the soup the morning or day of, do not fret, and use the quick soak method. Here, sort the beans to remove any stones (rare), rinse and then put the beans in a pot with about 4 cups of water and boil for two minutes. Let sit for one or more hours.
Gather up the Seasoning Mix ingredients in advance and store in small covered glass bowl container
Meal Planning Tips
This soup freezes well. To make it more interesting when reheating try adding spinach, asparagus or a different fresh herb.
Recipe for Hearty Vegetarian Bean and Barley Soup
1: Ingredients
Main Ingredients
1 cup dry white beans
1 medium yellow or white onion
½ cup barley
1 carrot
Chopped green onion or spinach for garnish (optional)
Seasoning Mix
2 tsp chicken bouillon / soup flavoring, see tip
1 tsp salt
2 bay leaves
½ tsp turmeric
¼ tsp Trader Joe every day seasoning - optional, see tips section
¼ tsp black pepper (or amount per taste)
Fresh parsley, spinach, or chives - optional
2: Directions
Cook soaked beans with 6 cups of water for 1½ hours, see tip
Chop onion (in food processor if available) and sauté onion until golden brown, see time saving tip
Wash and cut carrots
Sort and rinse barley
Add barley, sautéed onion, carrots, seasoning mix and 4~6 cups of water to pot with beans.
Simmer, covered, for 30 minutes or longer
Add fresh pepper and TJ everyday seasoning per your taste
3: Mix it up
Add garlic to the soup when adding the chopped onion
For an extra thick and filling soup dd 3/4 cup barley instead of 1/2 cup
4: Serving suggestion
Pour hot soup over raw washed spinach. This will wilt the spinach slightly and cool the soup just a bit. Spinach is a great addition especially for vegans and vegetarians because it contains iron. Add fresh herbs such as parsley and/or chives. Great with a baguette or this bread
Add ramen noodles (without the seasoning mix that comes with some ramen pockets) to soup two minutes before serving.
5: Storage
After soup cools move to storage container and put in refrigerator. Depending on your refrigerator temperature this soup is good for about 5 days. Reheat carefully on stove top if serving size is two or more, or microwave for one serving. We recommend storing the noodles separately from the soup and they can get soggy if reheated together with the soup.
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