Vegetable Barley Soup is a cozy, hearty, and healthy soup recipe, packed with all kinds of veggies and flavor. This version has carrots, parsnips, potatoes, cabbage, and leeks, with chewy, nutty barley studded throughout. It’s half-puréed for a rustic texture, with soy sauce and lemon juice added at the end for brightness and flavor.
Soup is such a great way to eat tons of vegetables in one sitting, and this soup is no exception! This one is packed with vegetables – carrots, potatoes, leeks, and parsnips. It’s inspired by Irish vegetable barley soup, with some distinctly non-Irish ingredients added at the end for a unique boost of flavor.
Barley is one of my favorite ingredients in the world, and it’s perfect in soup. It’s chewy and nutty and adds hearty nutrition – including protein and fiber – to the soup. But so many other grains would work well here – farro, rice, or even steel cut oats!
But my favorite part about this soup is the surprising amount of flavor from other ingredients. Garlic and thyme added in the beginning, and parsley, soy sauce, and lemon juice added at the end. Plus, I like to stir in a little extra butter at the end, which adds a rich, pure, unadulterated butter flavor to the pot.