Vegan Bean & Barley Soup
High-protein, low-calorie easy Vegan Bean & Barley Soup is the perfect weeknight dinner. It's meal-prep friendly. Use leftovers as lunch.
Servings: 5 servings
Calories: 383kcal
Equipment
- Immersion blender or regular blender
Ingredients
- Drizzle of vegetable broth or olive oil
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups dried white beans or 4 (15-ounce) cans (cannellini, Great Northern, navy, or baby lima)
- 2 medium carrots peeled, end trimmed
- 1 large tomato
- 1 medium onion skin peeled (white or yellow)
- 4 bay leaves
- 1 large red bell pepper cored (seeds removed)
- ½ cup hulled barley or pearled barley (see notes)
- Vegetable broth or water to cover the beans by about one-half inch
- 1 large lemon juice to taste
Optional flavorings:
- 1 tablespoon mellow miso dissolved in 1 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon tahini
- 1 tablespoon sriracha
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- Salt or salt substitute, to taste
Instructions
- For canned beans: Drain and rinse them using a fine mesh strainer. For dried beans: 1. Overnight Soak - Rinse the Beans: Place the dried beans in a large bowl and rinse thoroughly to remove dirt and debris. Add Water: Cover the beans with 3–4 cups of water per cup of beans. The beans will expand as they soak, so use a large enough bowl. Soak: Let the beans soak at room temperature for 8–12 hours. For convenience, do this before going to bed. Drain and Rinse: After soaking, drain the beans and rinse them with fresh water.2. Quick Soak - Rinse the Beans: Place the dried beans in a large pot and rinse them thoroughly to remove any dirt or debris. Add Water: Cover the beans with water, using about 3 cups of water for every cup of beans. Boil: Bring the water to a boil over high heat. Let the beans boil for 2–3 minutes. Soak: Turn off the heat, cover the pot with a lid, and let the beans soak for 1 hour. Drain and Rinse: After an hour, drain the beans and rinse them under cold water.
- Cook the garlic: Heat the broth or oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook the garlic for about 2 minutes, or until golden.
- Add the beans and cook them in the garlic for one minute, stirring continuously.
- Add the veggies: Place the carrots, tomato, onion, bell pepper, and bay leaves over the beans. Add the hulled barley (see note) and pour water or broth to cover the beans by about one-half inch.
- Cook the beans: Bring the liquid to a simmer over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and cover. Cook covered for about 45 minutes or until the beans are softened, adding more liquid as needed to keep the beans covered. (If using canned beans, cook the vegetables and beans for 30 minutes.)
- Blend: Remove the bay leaves. Transfer the carrots, tomato, onion, and bell pepper to a bowl with approximately one-half cup of beans. Blend until smooth. Add more beans for a thicker soup. (If there’s too much liquid in the saucepan, remove some at this point.)
- Cook: Return the blended mixture to the saucepan with the barley and remaining beans. Continue cooking until the barley is softened.
- Season: Add lemon juice to taste, and the miso, tahini, sriracha, and/or nutritional yeast as desired. Season with. Salt or salt substitute.
Notes
Barley Cooking Tips:
- Pearl barley takes 25 to 30 minutes to cook. Hulled barley takes 45 to 55 minutes.
- If using pearl barley and soaked dried beans, add the barley after the beans and veggies have been cooking for 15 minutes, with 30 minutes of cook time remaining.
- If using pearl barley and canned beans, add the barley at the same time as the vegetables, with 30 minutes of cook time remaining.
- For hulled barley, add it at the start with the veggies, with 45 minutes of cook time remaining.
Nutrition
Calories: 383kcal | Carbohydrates: 74g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 37mg | Potassium: 1856mg | Fiber: 18g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 5421IU | Vitamin C: 63mg | Calcium: 234mg | Iron: 10mg
