This Slow Cooker Vegetable Barley Soup recipe couldn’t be easier. Just throw everything in the crockpot and walk away! Healthy, delicious and packed with nutrients.
I am a salad lover, through and through. The more “stuff” in the salad the better – veggies, leftover chicken, raw nuts, sautéed mushroom, a little feta cheese. You name it, it’s likely been in my lunchtime salad. As much as I like to dig into my favorite salad recipes, sometimes I need something more comforting (and warm!) on a chilly day.
That’s when I dig into my soup files. Typically I double a recipe so that I can either eat it for several lunches or freeze portions for easy dinners. When that soup can be made in a slow cooker while I’m sleeping (multi-tasking at its finest), I feel like I’ve won the lunch lottery.
{Vegan
The beauty of a soup like this is that you can throw almost any vegetable into the mix, substituting your favorites for any of the ingredients listed. Use what’s already in your fridge or freezer – frozen vegetables are great for slow cooker soup – so that you don’t have to make a separate trip to the store. I used sweet potato, carrots, onion, frozen green beans, celery and canned tomatoes, along with a scoop of pearl barley. If some of those ingredients don’t float your boat, feel free to make substitutions.
If I’m eating this for a light lunch, I’ll typically serve it alongside some whole grain crackers and hummus for an added boost of protein. You could also add beans, shredded rotisserie chicken or sautéed beef to make a more hearty dinnertime meal for your family.
This recipes makes a ton of soup (11 cups), which makes it ideal for eating then freezing. Meals for days!
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see it on Instagram! Just use the hashtag #COOKINCANUCK and I’ll be sure to find it.
Slow Cooker Vegetable Barley Soup Recipe
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Serving Size | 1¾ cups | |
| Amount Per Serving | As Served |
| Calories 82kcal Calories from fat 5 | |
| % Daily Value | |
| Total Fat 1g | 2% |
| Saturated Fat 0g | 0% |
| Sodium 192mg | 8% |
| Carbohydrate 17g | 6% |
| Dietary Fiber 5g | 20% |
| Sugars 3g | |
| Protein 3g | |
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs:
| Calories | 2000 | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Fat | Less than | 65g |
| Sat Fat | Less than | 25g |
| Cholesterol | Less than | 300mg |
| Sodium | Less than | 2,400mg |
| Total Carbohydrate | 300g | |
| Dietary Fiber | 25g | |
This Slow Cooker Vegetable Barley Soup recipe (vegan) couldn’t be easier. Just throw everything in the crockpot and walk away! Healthy, delicious and packed with nutrients. 164 calories and 5 Weight Watcher SmartPoints
Ingredients
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 carrots, cut into 1/2-circles
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch pieces
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 1/2 cups frozen green beans
- 3/4 cup pearl barley
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 3/4 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground pepper
- 1 (14 oz.) can petite diced tomatoes
- 6 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- 2 cups water
- 1/4 cup minced flat-leaf parsley
Instructions
- Combine all of the ingredients, except for the parsley, in a large (6-quart) slow cooker.
- Cook on LOW until the barley is tender, about 8 hours.
- Stir in the parsley. Serve.
Recipe Notes
Other healthy vegetarian recipes:
Cookin’ Canuck’s Whole Wheat Gnocchi with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
Cookin’ Canuck’s Easy Vegetable Soft Tacos
Ambitious Kitchen’s Stuffed Poblano Peppers with Black Bean, Corn & Sweet Potato
Skinny taste’s Hearty Vegetarian Pumpkin Chili
The Clean Dish’s Moroccan Chickpea Stew
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DessertForTwo says
I’m so into your soup recipes these days! I made your Tortellini Italian soup and it was awesome! This one is next because I love barley!
Kacey @ The Cookie Writer says
I love soup and salad, but soup always has a special place in my heart. And this one would not last at all here! I wish I had some right now (though our temperatures are surprisingly better today.) Also, I have come to realize I LOVE barley!
Kim Taylor says
Oh, I am definitely making sometime this week. I’ll be sure to let you know how it goes.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
So healthy and hearty! I love barley, it adds such a wonderful flavor to soups!
Sita says
Wild rice makes an excellent barley substitute for those who are gluten free or just want a variation.
Amanda | The Chunky Chef says
I love barley soup, so I’ll definitely have to give this a try!!
Liz says
Thank you Dara for the nice recipe.
Pamela Whitelaw says
This hearty soup looks oh so perfect for a cold Winter’s day. I love barley.
Becky Hardin | The Cookie Rookie says
BEAUTIFUL! I’m all about the soups right now. Looks delicious.
Erin @ Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts says
What a delicious soup! Packed with so much goodness! I love a bowl of soup with a salad for quick lunches.
Kimberly Ann @ Bake Love Give says
These photos are stunning! I could totally go for a bowl of this on these cold winter nights.
Lauren says
If wanted to add shredded chicken, when should i add it?
Dara says
Hi Lauren, since the chicken will already be cooked and you don’t want it to dry out, I would add it in the last 30-60 minutes so that it heats up to the temperature of the soup. You’ll likely need to add more liquid at the beginning to account for the extra ingredients. I hope you enjoy it!
Rochelle says
I only have quick cook barley. Should I add it with everything else or wait? I was thinking about an hour before , but I wasn’t sure if the barley would get mushy.
Loclann Aiken says
Hi there; firstly I’d like to say that your site is great and I appreciate being able to view it., thankyou. Secondly, I followed the link for ‘Skinnytaste’ Hearty Vegetarian Pumpkin Stew – which brought me to the right site but there was an error that said the page was no longer available; now I’m guessing the problem might not be on your end in fact it might just be my browser so in case it isn’t , I searched their site and have copied the link which I’ve tried out and it works well. Well done for all your efforts.
http://www.skinnytaste.com/hearty-vegetarian-pumpkin-chili_11/
Jeanne says
I can’t have barley because of a glutenallergy. Can I use something else instead?
KB says
Buckwheat groats can be a gluten-free barley substitute. Or you can use rice or wild rice instead as previously suggested.
Inci @ Bella's Apron says
This is a great recipe! I made the same version with butternut squash instead of sweet potato. Thank you!
mom2many says
This recipe gets all the stars from me because it convinced my family that barley is delicious! My 7 and 10 year olds actually went back for second helpings. When it comes to vegetable soups, that’s a family miracle.
Rachel says
All I have is the 10 minute Barley from Trader Joe’s…can I use that? At what point should I add it?
Dara says
Hi Rachel, I love those quick grains from Trader Joe’s! I haven’t cooked them in a slow cooker, so am not sure how long it would take. I’d imagine that a couple of hours before the end of cooking would do the trick. Alternatively, you could just cook the 10-minute barley separately and stir it into the soup at the end.
Anna says
This looks delicious. Unfortunately, my slow cooker only cooks on high. How long would you recommend for this?
Margaret J says
I made this soup today and like it, but my 6-quart slow-cooker heated it much too quickly: at the 5-hour point I checked it, and the soup was simmering, the barley was starting to fall apart, and the vegetables were over-cooked for my taste. Next time I’ll make it in my ancient 4-quart model, which runs at a lower temperature, and either reduce the oregano or use basil instead. Thanks for the recipe!
Jessica Holt says
This is one of my family’s favorite soups. It fills everyone up and gets a good helping of vegetables into my kids. Thank you for another great recipe!