This mushroom barley soup is delicious, comforting, and loaded with savory flavor! Super easy to make and hearty enough for a meal, it's guaranteed to warm you up when it's cold out.
- 5 tablespoons olive oil, or as needed, divided
- 1 pound cremini mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 medium carrots, sliced
- 2 medium celery stalks, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon rubbed sage
- 8 cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup pearl barley
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Fresh parsley, optional, for topping
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Generously coat the bottom of a large pot with olive oil and place it over medium heat. Give the oil a minute to heat up, then add the mushrooms in a single layer. (Note 1).
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Cook the mushrooms for about 5 minutes on each side, until browned.
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Remove the mushrooms from the pot and transfer them to a plate.
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Add another tablespoon of oil to the pot and give it a minute to heat up.
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Once the oil is hot, add the onion, carrot and celery. Sweat the vegetables for about 5 minutes, until they start to soften, stirring occasionally.
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Add the garlic to the pot and cook it with the vegetables for about 1 minute, until very fragrant.
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Return the mushrooms to the pot, then stir in the wine, thyme and sage. Bring the wine to a simmer and let it cook until the liquid is reduced by about half, about 4 minutes.
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Stir in the broth and barley. Raise the heat and bring the liquid to a boil.
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Lower the heat and allow the soup to simmer for 40 to 45 minutes (Note 2), stirring occasionally, until the barley is tender. Add water to the pot if the liquid reduces too much.
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Remove the pot from heat and season the soup with salt and pepper to taste.
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Ladle into bowls and optionally top each with a sprinkle of fresh parsley. Serve.
- You may need to cook the mushrooms in batches to avoid crowding the pot. I generally do two batches using my 7 quart Dutch oven. The amount of oil needed can vary a bit, but I generally use about 4 tablespoons to cook all of my mushrooms (2 tablespoons per batch).
- Cook the soup for less time if you prefer firmer barley, more time if you prefer softer barley.