My exposure to mushrooms as a kid was mostly mushrooms on pizza – which I could not stand. After about 15 years of thinking I hated mushrooms I came across this recipe for Mushroom Barley Soup. I decided to give mushrooms another go because I love barley and thyme. I am so glad I did because when served with a delicious chunk of warm crusty bread, this is one of my favorite cold weather dishes!
Ingredients:
- 1 cup barley
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 1 package of white button mushrooms, sliced
- 3 (15 ounce) cans low sodium vegetable broth
- 1 cup water
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 T. fresh thyme, minced
- 1.5 tsp salt, to taste
- 1 tsp pepper, to taste
Directions:
- Bring 4 cups of water and 1 cup of rinsed barley to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 35-40 min until barley is soft. Most of the water will be absorbed by the barley.
- Heat olive oil in large pot over medium heat, add onion and garlic. Cook until soft.
- Add carrots and celery and cook until tender about 5-7 minutes.
- Add sliced mushrooms and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.
- Add veggie broth, water, bay leaves, salt, pepper and fresh thyme. Simmer for approximately 10 minutes. Stir in cooked barley and cook for 15 minutes.
- Remove the bay leaves before serving. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.
Toothsome Bites 