I enjoy soup. And one of my favorites is this tomato barley soup. It is flavorful and contains a lot of vegetables. I frequently add some sliced cabbage. Replace the chicken stock in this recipe with veggie broth to make it vegetarian.
| Prep Time: | 20 mins |
| Cook Time: | 40 mins |
| Total Time: | 1 hr |
| Servings: | 6 |
Ingredients
- 1 cup chopped onions
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1 cup chopped carrots
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 ½ cups water
- 2 tomatoes, diced
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can peeled and diced tomatoes with juice
- 1 (10.75-ounce) can chicken broth
- ¼ cup uncooked barley
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine onions, celery, carrots, garlic, and oil and sauté until all vegetables are almost tender, 5 to 10 minutes.
- Add water, fresh tomatoes, canned tomatoes, chicken broth, barley, and black pepper.
- Stir thoroughly and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until barley is tender, 35 to 40 minutes.
Reviews
I love veggies, but I think there are too many in relation to the liquid. At a minimum, I’ll try 3/4 cup of veggies next time. This was VERY thick, and I wanted “soup.” The consistency was more like salsa than soup. I added quite a bit more stock to get the consistency I was looking for. I had open boxes of vegetable and beef broth in the fridge, so I substituted them, no water. I simmered for about 35 minutes, so some of the liquid just cooked down naturally. I did increase the barley to 1/2 cup, so that probably absorbed some of the broth. I agree with others that the flavor is a bit weak, and the first thing this needs is a healthy shot of salt. Also, added a couple bay leaves, some Italian seasonings, and tomato powder which really enhanced the rich tomato flavor. I know I made changes to the recipe, but bottom line, it turned out really well. Like this, will make again with the tweaks mentioned above. Served with a garnish of chopped parsley
Loved this tasty and hearty soup that is easy to make and includes ingredients I usually have on hand. I have replaced the fresh tomatoes with a can of fire roasted tomatoes which is really good. I also replaced the water with chicken stock for more flavor.
Very bland. I make a lot of soup and usually there are herbs and spices in the recipe but this has just a dash of black pepper. We added a bay leaf and a bunch of salt and that helped a little. There also isn’t nearly enough barley. It needs minimum 1/2 cup. It’s not bad, just isn’t great.
My family and I found this to be very tasty. It also freezes well, so it’s great for a quick meal.
One of my new favorites!! I used one can of stewed tomatoes and one can of dice tomatoes instead of the fresh tomatoes. Also, I added red pepper flakes and used vegetable broth. VERY good and very hearty!!
I love the combination of barley and tomato. I used low sodium tomatoes and added in more of the spices, included a bay leaf while cooking. Yummy!
Really enjoyed this soup! I added in 1 chicken breast, diced, as well as a handful of corn, red pepper flakes, and cayenne. Otherwise followed the written recipe. Turned out great! Will definitely make again.
Loved this!!!! Did add small cubed raw chicken when sautéing veggies and in last 10 minutes added shredded zucchini!!! Sooo good!!
Absolutely delicious AS-IS !!!!! Doubled the recipe, hubby loved it !
My husband and I enjoy this soup. I’ve made it pretty much as stated in the recipe, except I use home canned tomatoes from our garden and I use 1/2 cup barley. I made it earlier this week and added fresh corn cut off the cob and that made a nice addition, giving it a little crunch.My husband likes things a bit spicy, so he adds some sriracha sauce to his portion. A satisfying soup.
Every single time it’s so good! I usually make it with about twice as much barley and some extra broth instead of water for more flavor and texture. I pre-cooked the barley by accident one time, but if you do that, just put the cooked barley in when all of the veggies are just about done. There was one time I didn’t have two tomatoes so I added about 2 tablespoons of ketchup… still awesome!
Quick and light. Add salt to taste. Great heart healthy recipe. Loved it!
Absolutely a favourite!
Absolutely a favourite!
EASY FRESH Definitely a tomato soup and very good. Light somehow but had substance with the barley. I liked. Husband not a barley fan but still enjoyed. I used all chicken stock. That was only change.
Was yummy and hearty.
This was great, but again it’s one of those recipes that I’m changing to my taste, which is why I am giving it 4 stars, not 5. It just seemed like it was going to be somewhat bland. So I added an extra garlic clove, and Italian seasonings. I also added way more broth, a couple of glugs of red wine, a can of tomato sauce in addition to the can of diced tomatoes. I also added many more veggies- Zucchini, Yellow Squash, Green Beans, Cabbage. I did as another reviewer and used my immersion blender to puree some of the soup, but left it mostly chunky. I topped it with Pesto from Trader Joe’s and fresh grated Parm Cheese. Everyone liked this one, and seeing my kids happily shovel a variety of different veggies in their mouths makes me happy, so it was a win win for everyone. Making this again for sure.
This is a great soup! I made it just as the recipe stated other than adding a bay leaf and a small grated zucchini ( never knew it was there), but I did have to add more broth because I made it a day ahead and it thickened in the refrigerator. Next time I’ll chop the carrots smaller (or maybe grate them) and I’ll definitely add some cabbage per another cook’s suggestion, and a little more barley (say 1/3 cup). I did use an immersion blender for a few whirls, but left plenty of nice chunks. Surprisingly filling and hearty for a vegetable soup. This will be a regular here, and I’ll feel free to change/add whatever is on hand now that I’ve followed the recipe the first time.
used all chicken broth instead of water
Great base soup to add your own tweaks too. I added 1/2 cup more barley and 3 tablespoons Italian seasoning.
Ours needed a healthy pinch of salt before serving, but other than that, no complaints. We loved the fresh tomato flavor.