Vegetable Barley Soup
 
Cook time
Total time
 
A vegetarian take on vegetable beef barley soup! Hearty, filling, and comforting.
Author:
Recipe type: Soup, Main Dish
Cuisine: Vegetarian
Serves: 608
Ingredients
  • 1 cup pearl barley
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 bag meatless sausage crumbles (In the frozen section by the veggie burgers. Be not afraid.)
  • ¼ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO), divided
  • 3 cloves minced garlic
  • 1 onion, chopped (white, red, yellow, whatevs)
  • 1 yellow squash, chopped
  • 1 zucchini, chopped
  • 3 stalks celery, chopped
  • 1 carrot, chopped
  • One head's worth of broccoli florets (around 2 cups)
  • 1 cup frozen peas (cause I had 'em)
  • Dash(es) of cumin to taste
  • Dash(es) of crushed red pepper to taste
  • 4 cups vegetable broth
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 28oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes
  • Sea salt to taste
  • Ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Boil the two cups of water, add the barley, make sure it starts to boil again, put a lid on it and turn the burner down so it just simmers. Let it sit for 35-45 minutes.
  2. The veggie sausage crumbles are easy to make. Just cover a pan with nonstick cooking spray, pour the bag in, and use a spatula to get them cooked all over. Set aside.
  3. Pour about 1 tbsp of the EVOO in the pan over medium heat with the garlic, and cook until fragrant (easy now, don't burn it). Add the onion, along with enough olive oil that the onion glistens with EVOO beauty. Once the onion is translucent, add the other chopped veggies, along with the rest of the EVOO. Depending on how big your vegetables are, you may need more EVOO. Pour happy, it's good fat. Add cumin and some black pepper. Let the veggies mingle until they're comfortable (soft), which will probably take about 10 minutes.
  4. Pour in the broth, water, and tomatoes.
  5. Bring the whole thing to a boil, and let it roll for a couple minutes, stirring occasionally. After those two minutes are up, add the sausage crumbles, add the cooked barley, turn the burner down to a simmer, and let the flavors merge together in perfect harmony until you're ready to eat!
  6. Serve about 2 cups to each person, and grate some cheese on top quickly so it melts into gooey goodness. I've served it with parmesan and white cheddar, and recommend both.
Recipe by Veggie and the Beast at https://veggieandthebeastfeast.com/2011/11/08/hello-world-2/