Vegetable barley soup

This hearty, low-calorie vegetable barley soup is dairy free with a vegan option. It's so easy and quick to make when you are a little tired and just want to curl up with a bowl of something warming.

Serves: 6

Time to make: 45 mins

Ingredients

More weights & measures

1 tablespoon canola oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 large stalk celery, sliced
200g mushrooms, sliced
400g can chickpeagarbanzoXsgarbanzosX, drained and rinsed
2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
1 cup pearl barley
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried oregano
4 cups reduced-salt vegetable stock (plus 2 cups water)
1 cup green beans, roughly chopped
1 cup green peas, defrosted if frozen
1 cup corn sweetcornXkernels, defrosted if frozen
½ cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped, plus extra to serve
ground black pepper to taste

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Instructions

Stay Awake

1 In a large pot, heat oil over medium. Add onion, garlic, carrots, celery and mushrooms and cook until vegetables soften, about 5 minutes.

2 Increase heat, add next 6 ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat again and simmer until the barley is tender, about 30 minutes. If you notice that the soup needs more liquid, add more water, ½ cup at a time.

3 Mix in beans, peas and corn and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

4 Remove bay leaf from the soup, stir in parsley and season.

5 Divide soup among 6 bowls. Scatter over remaining parsley and serve.

Variations

Make it vegan: Check stock is vegan.

Nutrition Info (per serve)

Calories 325 cal

Kilojoules 1360 kJ

Protein 13 g

Total fat 6 g

Saturated fat 1 g

Carbohydrates 50 g

Sugar 17 g

Dietary fibre 17 g

Sodium 740 mg

Calcium 120 mg

Iron 4 mg

Note: This nutrition analysis is a guide only. Nutrition composition will vary depending on the exact ingredients used. See our guides on your optimal daily nutrition intake, and supermarket shopping.