Vegan Portobello Mushroom Barley Soup is the perfect recipe for a chilly fall or winter night. The soup is hearty, comforting and filling. A healthy and delicious recipe full of vegetables, healthy grains and one of my favorites, mushrooms.
This recipe was inspired by a beef barley soup my mom would make. My mom has this cookbook of nothing but soup and in the winter we would have a new soup recipe every week. I really enjoyed the beef barley soup in particular because it had mushrooms, and I love mushrooms. Now that I am eating vegan I took it upon myself to make a vegan version of this soup, It was actually really easy, I just eliminated the beef and switched the beef stock for veggie stock. After those few modifications I can present you with my Vegan Portobello Mushroom Barley Soup recipe.
My Portobello Mushroom Barley Soup recipe is whole food, plant based and contains no oil. Or as I would say its a healthy vegan recipe as it is meat free, dairy free and used lots of healthy veggies & grains. If you are avoiding high fat foods this is great recipe as it has less than 1g of fat per serving. And you get 8g of fiber to help keep you full (per 1/4 of total recipe).
Although the total recipe time is above an hour it really only takes 20 or so minutes to get the soup made, after that you just let it cook. To save a little time you can always buy pre sliced mushrooms and have your veggies all prepped before you start the soup. Usually I chop as I go, but whatever works for you! Don’t have portobellos, no worries use whatever mushrooms you have. If you love some other veggie that are not in the soup recipe, add it anyway! Next time i’m adding extra spinach & maybe some lentils.
This portobello mushroom barley soup reheats well and would be perfect to pack for lunch for the week. I store my soup in spaghetti or peanut butter jars I reuse; it’s perfect portion to bring with me to work or throw in the freezer for a meal at another time. The barley in the soup may soak up the broth so when reheating you might want to add an extra splash of vegetable broth.
Because portobello caps are delicious this way, I saved a few slices when cutting and cooked them solo. I took a few portobello cap slices and let them sit in balsamic vinegar while the soup cooked. Right around when the soup was done cooking I put the mushroom slices & balsamic in a skillet and cooked them about 5 minutes on each side. If you have never tried a portobello like this I highly suggest trying. It also just adds a nice touch to the soup presentation and nice juicy bite.
Portobello Mushroom Barley Soup
Ingredients
- 4 cups vegetable broth low sodium
- 1 yellow onion
- 2 clove garlic
- 1 1/4 cups celery about 3 stalks
- 1 1/2 cups carrots about 3-4 carrots
- 8 oz baby bella mushrooms 1 package
- 2 portobello mushroom caps
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley
- 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 3/4 cup pearl barley
- 2 cups spinach
- 2 cups water
Instructions
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In a large soup pot (larger than 2 Qt) saute chopped onion and diced garlic in 1/4 c vegetable broth over medium heat until tender, about 5 minutes.
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add chopped carrots & celery, cook 3-5 minutes.
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Add sliced mushrooms, cook 5 minutes.
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Add seasonings, chopped parsley, balsamic vinegar, remaining vegetable broth and barley.
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Bring to a boil.
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Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 45 minutes or until the barley is tender.
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Add 2 cups of fresh spinach and cook 2 minutes.
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Add 1-2 cups of water to reach desired soup consistency.
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Optional garnish with fresh parsley.
Recipe Notes
I got fancy and kept a few sliced of portobello aside, I cooked them in balsamic vinegar & liquid aminos in a frying pan for a few minutes per side and garnished my soup with the portobello slices.
Makes 4-6 servings depending on how much water is added.
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If you are a big soup fan you have to try my Beanless Chili recipe. Looking for a good healthy vegan cookbook? I strongly recommend the How Not to Die Cookbook. Speaking of books, in 2020 I am committing to reading more, yay books! check out what I have been using to help me reach my goal here.
If you cook up this recipe I would love a comment below of how you liked it.
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Stay Happy & Healthy !
– Emily