Soup Sunday: Vegetable Barley Soup

I had a real craving for a good, hearty vegetable soup last weekend...something that was easy, but would be filling and last all week for lunches. The last time I made vegetable soup I didn't add any barley or juices from the tomatoes. I played around with these things this time around and the result was incredible. For such a simple soup without any added salt, I couldn't believe how much flavor I got out of it.

I used Swanson's Natural Goodness Low Sodium Chicken Broth because it is what I had in, but vegetable broth would work as well. This recipe is my own.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 baking potato, diced
• 1 28 oz can whole tomatoes, roughly chopped; I used Muir Glen Organic and really noticed a difference - I'm so glad my supermarket finally carries them! And I prefer buying whole tomatoes and chopping them myself - you are more likely to get higher quality tomatoes in a can when you buy whole vs chopped.
• 64 oz broth - I used low sodium chicken broth
• Juice from can of tomatoes
• 1 c frozen mixed veggies - lima beans, corn, peas, green beans
• 3/4 c pearl barley
• Pinch thyme
• Pinch black pepper

Ingredients

• Heat olive oil in a large soup pot
• Add onions, carrots, and celery; saute 5-7 minutes.
• Add tomatoes; saute 2 minutes.
• Add potatoes, thyme, pepper, then add the broth and juices from the tomatoes. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer, slightly uncovered.
• Add frozen veggies and barley. Let simmer 45 minutes or until the barley is tender.

I usually say that soups are good at first, but always better the next day. But with this one, I was impressed immediately. This recipe served 8.