Inspired by Joy of Cooking, this Creamy Mushroom Vegetable Soup is the ultimate cold weather dinner. The barley makes it filling enough that it becomes a one-dish meal. Make sure to freeze the leftovers for busy nights.
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How about warming yourself up on this cold winter day with some hearty, rich mushroom vegetable soup? There are three reasons I love this recipe. (1) If you buy fresh mushrooms already sliced, it's as "easy as pie" to make. (2) The barley that's added turns this soup into a filling, one dish meal that you can eat for dinner without having to make anything else. (3) It's just plain delicious!
Creamy Mushroom Vegetable Soup (with barley)
Inspired by Joy of Cooking, this Creamy Mushroom Vegetable Soup is the ultimate cold weather dinner. The barley makes it filling enough that it becomes a one-dish meal. Make sure to freeze the leftovers for busy nights.
Print Recipe
Servings: 6 people
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 4 shallots (minced)
- 2 carrots (peeled and diced)
- 1 stalk celery (diced)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 ½ pounds mushrooms (fresh, sliced)
- ½ cup whole grain barley
- 4 cups chicken broth (or vegetable)
- ½ teaspoon salt (+ pepper, to taste) ((if using homemade broth add more. If using store bought broth add less))
- ¼ cup heavy cream
Instructions
- In a large soup pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the shallots, carrots, and celery and cook until softened but not brown, about 5 to 6 minutes.
- Add the garlic and mushrooms to the pot and cook while stirring for 5 minutes more.
- Add the barley, broth, salt, and pepper to the pot and bring to a boil. Turn down to a simmer and cook until the barley is tender, about 30 to 40 minutes.
- Stir in heavy cream and serve warm.
- Store the leftovers in the fridge or freezer.
Notes
We recommend organic ingredients when feasible.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition Facts
Creamy Mushroom Vegetable Soup (with barley)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 158
Calories from Fat 108
% Daily Value*
Fat 12g18%
Saturated Fat 7g44%
Cholesterol 34mg11%
Sodium 865mg38%
Potassium 637mg18%
Carbohydrates 10g3%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 5g6%
Protein 5g10%
Vitamin A 3805IU76%
Vitamin C 16.6mg20%
Calcium 40mg4%
Iron 1.1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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Leslie says
Wonderful! Wonderful! After following the sautéing directions of the recipe, I dumped everything into a crockpot and left it for a couple of hours. It smelled divine for that time, everyone was asking, "Wow, Mom What smells so good?" When my non-mushroom eaters found out it had mushrooms, they were a bit skeptical, but everyone tried it and loved it; yes, even my non-mushroom fans. I even forgot the cream, and it was still very good. I did add another 1/2 cup of barley to it, to fill it out a bit for my hungry boys. Excellent recipe!
Kelly Brown says
I was just about to comment about if you can put this is the crockpot...perfect! I will be giving this a try :) Thanks for commenting!
Geneva says
Can you cook this without the barley?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi. Sure, you could replace it with another grain. ~Amy
Cathleen says
Wow, this was a huge hit in our house tonight. The only thing I did differently was adding about 1 tsp of fresh thyme. Thank you so much!
Yovanna says
Hi,
can I use quinoa instead of barley?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi. Other readers have and it worked well. ~Amy
Jessica says
So delicious! I wish I had doubled it. We almost ate it all and I want leftovers!! Will definitely be doubling it next time!
Kira - The Healthable Old Soul says
It is great to have a cozy warm weeknight meal that everyone enjoys!
Rachel says
Made this last night and it was yummy! Very easy to make and inexpensive as well, especially if you make your own chicken stock.
Mary Moreno says
I made this soup for my family the other night....not only was it AMAZINGLY YUMMY but everyone loved it! My girls (5,7, and 9) all had 2nds and even asked for it in their lunches the next day....WIN!
So nice to have one pot meal options!
Mary
Rachel says
Is "quick pearled barley" the same as regular pearled barley? It's all I could find at the grocery store.
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Rachel. Quick might get a little softer but I think it will work. ~Amy
Jennifer says
This soup was extremely easy to make and I followed the recipe exactly. I served it alongside a salad with grilled chicken and all four of my daughters liked it - including my teenagers! They've asked me to make it again so they can take it for lunch. I'm definitely going to be making this again soon!
Michelle says
I just made this soup for dinner tonight and it was excellent. I pretty much made it as is and I loved it. Thanks for sharing the recipe, it is a keeper :)
Erica says
Made this for dinner tonight and ended up eating two bowls for lunch!! SO GOOD!!!!
Karen says
Loved it! I had some cooked farro on hand so I used that instead of the barley. I added it near the end to warm it before adding the cream. Delicious! Will definitely make this again - was terrific for a winter meal.
Anvita Mishra says
Did anyone try this in a slow cooker/ Would love to know!!
Leslie says
Yes, Anvita. I followed the recipe through the sautéing part, then dumped everything into the crock pot for a couple of hours. Delicious!
Pia says
When you put it in the crockpot did you do it on low or hi for 2-3 hours? thank you
Leslie says
I had it on high most of the time. Hope that helps.
Jennifer says
Great recipe! We had it last night and LOVED it! Thank you!
Jeanette says
Turned out great! I followed the recipe, except I used quinoa in place of pearled barley. Loved it! I will add it to the menu next month(I menu plan monthly).
Christina says
Made this last night as is with the exception of adding quinoa. I loved it; my husband loved it; my boys...not so much! I'm keeping the recipe for future meals!!
LuAnn says
is there nutritional information available for this recipe?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi LuAnn. We do not provide nutrition information on our recipes. Our focus is on helping people cut out processed food while replacing them with real/whole foods. These posts help explain our philosophy: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2013/01/04/healthy-eating-defined/, https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2013/01/23/portion-size-matters/, and https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/10-reasons-to-cut-out-processed-food/. ~Amy
Erica says
I will definitely be adding this to my mealplan for next week! I don't usually cook with heavy cream, so will probably try substituting with greek yogurt to add some creaminess.
Sapna says
You may know this if you've subbed with yogurt before, but it helps to thin out greek yogurt with a little water and then stir the soup as you add it in. I've used yogurt instead of cream in curries and thinning it out keeps the yogurt from breaking up and gives your dish a smooth finish.
Tiffany says
I was just wondering if you have a recipe for homemade vegetable broth, and maybe even beef broth?
Rachel says
I make venison broth with the same recipe as her chicken broth recipe in a big stock pot and let it simmer for about 24 hours. It's awesome. I'm sure beef would work just as well.
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Tiffany. Sorry, at this time we do not. ~Amy
Melanie @ Carmel Moments says
Mmmm. Hubby would love this. He loves my beef barley soup that I make but really enjoys mushroom. This would be tops on his list! Thanks for sharing!
Kelley Foley says
I just made this and it is amazing! I don't even like mushrooms very much and I can't stop eating it! The only change I made was that I added leeks because I was low on shallots. I think it could use maybe a bit more broth, as the barley tended to soak up a lot of the broth. I will definitely make this recipe again.
Nakai says
I just finished eating a bowl of this and it was AMAZING!! I love mushrooms, so I figured I'd love this soup. I was right!! My hubby loved it too!! It is so flavorful even without a ton of different spices. We will definitely make it again and share the recipe! :D
laramealor.com says
This looks so good. I am interested in knowing the people who made it with out the Heavy cream how was it?
http://www.laramealor.com/new-paths-to-the-fountain-of-youth-2/
Meryl says
I made this yesterday exactly as printed but left out the cream. I also substituted sweet onion for the shallots. Delicious!
Ros says
i made this today and added to left over quinoa, yummy!!
Angela Bougher says
Just made this recipe. I used brown rice. Delicious.
Nicole says
This is too funny - I just came to this site because I wanted to make vegetable soup! Cant wait to try it!
Kim says
Thanks Kelli! I'll give it a try.
Heidi says
Yum.... just made this and it is wonderful. I added a few handfuls of fresh spinach at the end to up the vegetable content.
Nathalie says
This looks very good. I'm a big fan of wild rice, so maybe I'll try it with that. The brown rice, quinoa or barley are all great ideas too. Keeping this recipe for sure, but just for me when I'm home alone for lunch, as I'm the only one in my house who eats mushrooms.
Critical Reader says
The recipe sound pretty good, I might try it. But I am just wondering, is pearl barley in compliance with your rules? It has the bran removed and would be the equivalent of white rice. For the mushrooms, have you ever tried mushroom hunting?
Kristina says
Agree!!! Why use pearl barely?? Shouldn't it be in it's most natural state!
theo says
I'm wondering the same thing.
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi there. You can certainly replace the pearled barley with another form or another grain. One of my favorite memories from childhood was hunting for morels in damp forests with my dad. There is nothing like a fresh morel but it takes much patience and time. :) ~Amy
Lisa says
By golly you are right - I am new to barley and that was my mistake. I am updating the recipe now.
Kathy says
Did your girls eat this soup?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Kathy. I made this last night (replaced barley with quinoa for a gluten free version) and my boys sure did. :) ~Amy
Melanie says
I just so happened to have mushrooms on hand and no idea what to do with them..making this now! I'm using quinoa..I didn't have barley.
Christa says
Perhaps you can use coconut milk in place of cream?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi. Or omit it, as Lisa suggests. ~Amy
Tammy says
Oops ... Do
Tammy says
Hi! Any substitutes for the cream? My body doe
Lisa says
You could just omit the cream and have more of a broth based soup.
Melanie says
Delicious! This is warming on our stove right now. Thanks for the recipe!
Marian says
Would love to make this tonight but I don't have barley on hand, how about white beans or quinoa? Thanks!
Lisa says
Another reader said she was going to try brown rice, which I thought was a great suggestion!
Kim says
Hi Lisa! We are dairy free...any suggestions for the heavy cream? I am dying to make this!
Lisa says
You could just omit it all together!
Kelli says
Kim, use cashew cream to replace the heavy cream. Blend 1/4 cup raw cashews with slightly more than that of water - enough to blend it into a thick cream. It is the perfect non-dairy base for soups and sauces!
Sarah says
Hi Kim, We are also dairy-free and have been using coconut milk to replace milk in some recipes. It has that "creaminess" of heavy cream but does alter the taste in some recipes; you may have to experiment. :)
Jenn says
We've had great success with cooked, blended potatoes to add a thick, creamy-like consistency.