Mushroom Barley Soup

During my residency years, I was lucky. Lunches were provided at the physician's lounge. They were not that great, especially for vegetarians. But at least I didn't have to pack my own lunches which was a plus! But on certain Thursdays we used to get this vegetarian mushroom barley soup. Since it was one of the only vegetarian soups that we got or I was truly famished that I almost looked forward to it! I know that sounds quite sad. But when you are a resident, you take what you get, and you don't throw a fit (as Om says). Haha!

Since then, I have made my own version of it. Om tends to love it and it is an easy one to make during weeknights. It also serves well to take for lunches.

You will need:

Oil:

1 tbsp olive/ vegetable/ canola

Veggies:

1 shallot chopped

1 carrot diced

2 cups of sliced mushrooms

greens (any)- I used spinach, red/green mustard from my Gardyn!

fresh herbs (optional)- I used fresh oregano from my Gardyn!

Grain:

2/3 cup barley (I used organic Italian barley- it is quick to cook)

if you are using pearled barley- you will need to increase your cook time

Seasonings:

salt

black pepper

garlic powder

onion powder

red chilli flakes

oregano/mixed herbs

1 tbsp of balsamic vinegar (optional)- brings in a tangy twist to this

Soup:

3 cups vegetable broth (or as needed)

or water

Method:

I tend to make this in my Instant Pot (IP). But you could make this on stove top too.

Heat up oil in IP in saute mode. Add in the shallots. Let them get translucent. Add in carrots and mushrooms. Mix in the seasonings and barley. Add vegetable broth/water to this. You could add the fresh herbs at this stage. Close the lid of IP, turn valve to sealed position. Set IP to manual high pressure mode for 3 minutes. Wait for natural pressure release. At the end mix in the greens (cooks in the heat itself).

Note:

If you are using regular pearled barley, you would need to increase the time to 15 minutes on manual high pressure mode with natural pressure release.

I usually serve this soup with a side of avocado toast.

ENJOY!