newtritionsavvysarah

This was my first time cooking with barley and needless to say it was delicious! I found this recipe and I altered it a little- the recipe called for a crock pot and simply put, I am impatient.

Lentil Vegetable and Barley Soup

• 1/2 large onion or one small onion, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 2 medium summer squash (or zucchini), halved lengthwise and sliced thinly
• 1 C carrots, thinly sliced
• 1/2 C red lentils
• 1/2 C yellow split peas
• 1/2 C barley
• celaery (diced)
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 3 C vegetable broth (or chicken or beef), plus ~2 C extra water
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/2 t sugar
• 1/4 t black pepper
• fresh or dried basil to top (optional)

I opted out for the split peas and instead of vegetable broth I used the water that I used to boil the lentil beans in. Start by dicing up your carrots, onion and celery. Meanwhile, in a pot boil 1/2 cup of lentil beans. In a separate pot, boil 1/2 cup barley. Even though it seems like it’s not a lot- the both expand and should be enough for about 4 people. When the veggies are done cooking on med-high heat add can of diced tomato. When the beans are done cooking (they will split if overcooked) drain water. I added the bean water as a veggie broth instead of store bought. I added salt, pepper, dried oregano, 2 bay leaves and let simmer. The barley took over an hour to cook so be patient. When the barley is done cooking- add to soup. Let the soup simmer and allow all the flavors to combine. After the soup is done I added some lemon for extra flavor. This recipe is fairly easy but if cooking raw beans it might take a while so allow time for those to cook! Hope you enjoy!

You can find the original recipe here.