This nourishing vegetable barley soup is healthy, hearty, wholesome, satisfying, versatile, meal-prep friendly, and packed with flavor- perfect for chilly fall/winter evenings!
In a large pot, heat oil. Once the oil is heated, add the onions and saute for 1 minute and then add celery and carrots. Saute for 4 minutes, add garlic and saute for 1 more minute.
Add the barley, broccoli, and vegetable broth and boil on medium-high until barley is fully cooked, about 25 to 30 minutes.
Stir in the cilantro and optionally garnish with red chili flakes.
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Notes
To thin the soup: Add extra vegetable broth until the vegan barley soup is your desired soupiness.
For extra flavor depth: Allow the initial veggies to sauté until they begin to brown. Then, when adding the broth, scrape up any bits from the bottom of the pan to get all that flavor in your soup.
Use pearl barley: It takes less time to cook and has a more tender texture. If using hulled barley, you’ll need to increase the cooking time.
When meal prepping: You may prefer to cook the barley separately and add it into the soup when serving, so it doesn’t have time to soak up too much broth in-between servings.