This soup is filling, nourishing and full of nutrients. Lots of chopping but umami through the roof.
We love this soup especially when it's cold outside. It warms the heart. Enjoy
“Delic!” - Blog author and fam
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Equipment and Tools
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
Beans - Use any cooked or canned beans such as black beans, navy beans, garbanzo beans or combination thereof.
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
Cook the beans in advance and freeze. Make extra as beans take long to use. Of course to save more time use canned
Meal Planning Tips
None
Recipe for Vegetarian Vegetable Soup
1: Ingredients
Main Ingredients
½ cup barley , sorted and rinsed
1 medium yellow or white onion
2 stalks celery (optional)
1 sweet potato
3 small red potatoes
1 carrot
1/2 cup frozen corn
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup cooked or canned beans
Chopped green onion or spinach for garnish (optional)
Seasoning Mix
2 tsp chicken bouillon / soup flavoring, see tip
1 tsp salt
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 barley in 3 cups of water for 30 minutes
Chop onion (in food processor if available) and sauté onion for a few minutes and then add celery. Cook until onion is golden brown, see time saving tip
Wash and cut into ½-1 cm (¼-½") cubes the potatoes and sweet potatoes
Wash and but the carrot into rings
When barley is finished cooking and potatoes, sweet potatoes and 8 cups of boiling water Bring mixture to boil and cook for 5 minutes
Add the carrots and cook for another 10 minutes
Add frozen peas and corn, reboil, and cook for another 5 minutes
Add cooked beans
Add spice mixture
Add boiling water to top of pot
Let mixture reach boiling and serve
3: Mix it up
Add garlic to the soup when adding the chopped onion
For an extra thick and filling soup add 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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