Vegetable and white bean soup with barley

Ingredients

0 of 20 out on the counter

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 3 medium carrots, sliced into thin rounds
• 3 medium celery ribs, sliced
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 2 tbsp no-salt-added tomato paste
• ¾ cup hulled barley, rinsed
• 8 cups water
• 1 can (14.5 oz) no-salt-added diced tomatoes, with their juice
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 cups chopped green cabbage
• 1 cup green beans, cut in ½-inch pieces
• 1 can (15 oz) low-sodium great northern beans, drained and rinsed
• 3 cups loosely packed baby spinach
• ¾ tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 2 tbsp cider vinegar
• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

All set! Everything is out. Time to bake.

Method

1. 1Warm the oil in a big pot on medium. Add the onion, carrots and celery and stir them around for 8 minutes, until the onion goes soft and clear.
2. 2Stir in the garlic powder, thyme, oregano and tomato paste. Cook 1 minute, until the paste darkens a shade.
3. 3Add the barley, the water, the tomatoes with their juice and the bay leaves. Bring it to a boil, then lower the heat to a gentle bubble and set the lid on, cracked open.
4. 4At 5,300 ft water boils near 203 °F, so hulled barley takes about 60 to 65 minutes instead of 45 to 50. Stir every 15 minutes. It is ready when a grain is tender with a little chew.
5. 5Stir in the cabbage, green beans and the drained, rinsed beans. Keep it bubbling 10 minutes, until a green bean bites soft.
6. 6Stir in the spinach and let it wilt, about 1 minute. Off the heat, take out the bay leaves and stir in the salt, pepper, vinegar and parsley. Taste: add a little more vinegar before more salt.
7. 7The barley keeps drinking the broth, so thin leftovers with a splash of water when you reheat. Cool in shallow containers within 2 hours, then refrigerate. Reheat to a boil, stirring. Freezes in 2-cup tubs for 3 months; thaw overnight in the fridge.