Warming golden lentil barley soup, gently spiced and easy to make!
Recipe by Yup, it's Vegan on December 27, 2016
Prep time: PT10M
Cook time: PT30M
Total time: PT40M
Rating
5 stars (21 reviews)
Keywords
lentil barley soup
Ingredients
1/2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil or refined coconut oil
1 medium yellow or white onion (finely chopped)
4 cloves garlic (minced)
1 inch ginger root (minced or grated)
1 inch fresh turmeric root (minced or grated (or use 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric))
2 carrots (peeled and diced or thinly sliced)
1/4 tsp ground cumin (heaping)
1/4 tsp ground coriander (heaping)
4 and 1/2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
3/4 cups dry red lentils (rinsed)
1/2 cup dry pearl barley (rinsed several times in hot water)
2 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 tsp salt (scant (plus more to taste))
ground black pepper (to taste (I used just a pinch))
3 cups loosely-packed fresh baby spinach leaves ((or more, if you like - up to 6 ounces))
(optional) fresh lemon juice, for serving
Categories
Soup
Cuisine
nut-free
soy-free
sugar-free
vegan
vegetarian
Steps
Warm the oil in a large pot. Add the onion and a pinch of salt, and saute until translucent, stirring occasionally; 3-5 minutes.
Add the garlic, ginger, and fresh turmeric (if using), stir, and cook for another about 60 seconds or until softened and fragrant.
Stir in the carrot, ground turmeric (if using), ground cumin, and ground coriander. Cook for 2-3 minutes more, stirring occasionally, until the spices are fragrant and the carrot softened slightly.
Add the vegetable broth, red lentils, and pearl barley to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook uncovered for about 20 minutes, or until the lentils and barley are both cooked through.
Stir in the tomato paste, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Stir in the spinach, turn off the heat and cover the pot with a lid. Remove after 2-3 minutes, or when the spinach is wilted to your preference.
Serve hot, with a light squeeze of fresh lemon juice if desired.
Nutitrion
Serving Size: 1 fourth recipe
Calories: 315 kcal
Carbohydrates: 59 g
Protein: 16 g
Fat: 2 g
Sodium: 232 mg
Sugar: 5 g
Unsaturated Fat: 1 g
Reviews
Reanna Bowman on 2022-01-09 (5 stars): This is the second time I’ve made this soup, and I think this is the very first time I’ve commented on a recipe, ever. I have to say how amazing it is. Do not skimp on the ginger, that really makes it. I’m sad that I don’t have fresh lemon to add, according to the other comments that would have made it better.
Definitely add more broth if you want it soupy, otherwise it is more like a stew.
I also added celery and mushrooms for extra veggies, such a great choice!
Thank you for the recipe!
Birdy on 2021-12-17 (5 stars): A new favourite, a bowl of comfort I'll make again and again.
Thank you for the instant pot time, Anna, 22 minutes was perfect.
Sky on 2021-02-23 (5 stars): This is soup is one of my favourites, thank you for the recipe. It’s delicious, warming but also feels so good for you. The lentils, barley, turmeric, spinach and lemon are all full of nutrients and vitamins. And the tomato purée gives it a delicious umami flavour, what a good idea to add it to the soup. The lemon at the end is also very important! Completely transforms the soup. I add celery to hide another veggie in the meal, it works well with kale instead of spinach and I would suggest using 1 extra cup of stock as my soup gets so thick.
Shirley boock on 2021-01-31 (5 stars): This is amazing. I doubled the recipe added more water because it absorbed so much! I also added both kale and spinach because I don’t have enough spinach. Adding lemon is the absolute key to this soup. Fresh lemon makes this from okay to amazing!
Ryan on 2020-05-24 (5 stars): Not a vegan but used this as a non vegan base. Quite tasty!
yasi on 2020-03-13 (5 stars): This was the bomb diggity!
Oh my gosh, thanks for that great flavour combo!
I added sweet potato and celery to the mix.
Only suggestion I have is that there is NO WAY that will feed 4 people. haha its too good.
Erika on 2019-11-27 (5 stars): I loved this soup! “Souper” delicious!! I rarely rate or comment on recipes, but this was too outstanding not to. Thank you so much for sharing!
Annie on 2019-11-18 (5 stars): The lazy vegan's DREAM! Calling all college vegans, this is cheap, easy and can be made again and again and again with pantry staples!
Rachel on 2019-11-16 (5 stars): Hi Shannon! I’ve made this a bunch of times - one of our favorites... planning to have postpartum. Is it possible to freeze? Thanks so much!!!
Becca on 2019-02-10 (5 stars): Love the flavor of the fresh turmeric and the hearty chewy barley! I added arugula and that wasn't such a good choice but that was my fault! Spinach would be better! Word to the wise!
Ari on 2019-02-10 (5 stars): So warming, yummy and easy! A favorite in our house!
Larry Harmon on 2019-02-06 (5 stars): Wonderful! We added an extra carrot, but so good! My wife liked it, as you said, it was gently spiced.
thanks