This soup was an experiment to replicate one of my childhood favorites. You know the one in the can with that famous red label? In fact, if I were to describe the taste of this particular soup to you, it would be alphabet soup crossed with vegetables, beef and barley. Obviously, this version is vegan.

I think the biggest thing I miss about vegan soups is that they tend to lack any real flavor. So I set out to find a way to bring it back with this Vegetable Barley Soup. I’m really pleased with how it turned out.

I utilized all of the usual ingredients in this soup but for depth of flavor, I cubed two portobellos, generously sprinkled them with a grill seasoning and sauteed in a small amount of oil until they were tender.

I substituted vegetable broth with this Imagine brand Organic Mushroom Broth (my new favorite) and Better Than Bouillon Vegetable Base. They do offer a “No Beef” Base, but I wasn’t able to readily find it in my store. The vegetable base is nice and dark and worked just fine.

Lastly, I added a vegan worcestershire. Yes, it DOES exist!

I used a mixture of vegetables. Fresh onions, celery and par-cooked potatoes, frozen mixed vegetables that included green beans, carrots, sweet corn and peas, as well as canned diced tomatoes. I also added tomato paste and one small bay leaf. Just don’t forget to remove that before serving 🙂

Last but not least, I cooked up some barley and added about 1/3 of a cup. You could add more if you’d like.

I add the sauteed mushrooms back in at the very end just until heated through. If the soup seems too thick, you could always add a bit more mushroom (or vegetable) broth.

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