Kitchen Sink Vegetable Barley Soup

Kitchen Sink Vegetable Barley Soup is not only bursting with barley and good-for-you vegetables, it’s a flavorful bowl of cold weather comfort food.  I call it Kitchen Sink Vegetable Soup, because I practically clear out the fridge and use everything but the kitchen sink when I make it!

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Kitchen Sink Vegetable Barley Soup is not only incredibly tasty, but healthy and easy-to-make, too. 

In addition to the requisite mirepoix (onion, carrot, and celery), I added some curly kale, garlic, a russet potato, canned fire-roasted tomatoes, and some fresh Italian parsley to this soup. 

I love curly kale in soup because unlike spinach, it holds its texture well and doesn’t become a slimy blob.  Plus, it’s a great pop of color, and they always say you need to eat the rainbow! 

The addition of pearl barley gives this soup a wonderful texture and chew that just completes this bowl of deliciousness.

Feel free to make this soup your own.  I generally add all of the above to this soup, but if I have some green beans, cabbage, broccoli or cauliflower in my produce drawer, it’s fair game!

Ingredients needed to make this recipe (scroll down to recipe card for complete recipe):

• Butter
• Onion
• Carrots
• Celery
• Garlic
• Potato
• Kale
• Broth
• Canned diced tomatoes
• Bouillon
• Pearl barley
• Seasonings (bay leaf, dried thyme, salt & pepper)
• Fresh parsley – optional garnish
• Parmesan cheese – optional garnish

Sautéing the veggies in butter first, helps give this soup a savory depth of flavor that is essential – especially in a healthy soup such as vegetable. 

The addition of Better than Bouillon is another soup game-changer for me.

The great thing about Kitchen Sink Vegetable Barley Soup is that it’s almost impossible to mess up. 

How to make this recipe

1. You sauté the veggies in butter for a little bit.  Add everything else, then let it simmer for about 40 minutes. 
2. When I get ready to serve it, I add some chopped fresh Italian parsley for freshness and a sprinkling of parmesan cheese to round out the soup. 

How to serve Vegetable Barley Soup

I like to serve this vegetable soup with some freshly baked biscuits or a loaf of crusty French bread, which is perfect for dipping!  Another great option is Calabrian Chili Garlic Bread (shown below)!

How to store this soup:

Store leftover soup in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.

The longer the soup sits, the more the barley will absorb the liquid, so when you reheat leftovers, you may need to add more liquid.

Looking for more soup recipes?  Here are some favorites:

• Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup 
• Slow Cooker Cheesy Broccoli Potato Soup (shown below)
• Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup
• Slow Cooker Creamy Green Chile Chicken Soup
• Slow Cooker 15 Bean Soup with Kale

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NOTES:

• This soup can easily be made vegetarian by replacing the chicken bouillon with Better than Bouillon Vegetable Base or their organic version, and can then be made vegan by replacing the butter with olive oil and omitting the parmesan cheese.
• Muir Glen Organic Fire-Roasted Diced Tomatoes are my favorite.  I love their fire-roasted flavor and the fact that they’re organic is a bonus!

Kitchen Sink Vegetable Barley Soup

Flavorful Eats

Kitchen Sink Vegetable Barley Soup is not only bursting with barley and good-for-you vegetables, it's a flavorful bowl of cold weather comfort food.  I call it Kitchen Sink Vegetable Soup, because I practically clear out the fridge and use everything but the kitchen sink when I make it!

5 from 2 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 55 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Servings 6

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 4 tbsp butter
• 1 yellow onion diced
• 1-2 carrots sliced
• 1-2 celery stalks sliced
• 3 garlic cloves minced
• 1 tsp. dried thyme
• 1 large russet potato cubed
• 3 cups chopped curly kale
• 2 quarts 8 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• 14.5 oz can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
• 1 1/2 tbsp. Better than Bouillon Organic Vegetable or Roasted Chicken Flavor bouillon
• 1 dried bay leaf
• 1/3 cup pearl barley
• salt & pepper
• chopped Italian parsley garnish
• parmesan cheese garnish

Instructions

 

• In a large stock pot, sauté onion, carrot, and celery in butter for about 6-7 minutes, stirring often so the veggies don't burn. Add the garlic and dried thyme and sauté for another minute, then add the potato, kale, stock, tomatoes, bouillon, bay leaf, and barley. Bring to a boil and let the bouillon paste dissolve, then taste for needed salt & pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for about 40 minutes or until the vegetables have softened and the barley is tender.
• When you serve the soup, sprinkle chopped Italian parsley on the top and finish with a grating of parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

Keyword Barley, Soup, Vegetables, Vegetarian

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