Creamy Mushroom and Barley Soup

A creamy mushroom soup with lentils, barley and plenty of vegetables!

Mushrooms are one of my favourite foods and they are amazing in a soup! The idea behind this mushroom soup is to take a regular cream of mushroom soup and make it a bit heartier by adding barley, lentil and vegetables: onions, carrots and celery! The recipe is pretty much the same as a cream of mushroom soup other than cooking the onions, carrots and celery along with the mushrooms, adding a bit more broth and simmering long enough to cook the barley and lentils right in the soup! This might just be the perfect soup for a cool fall day!

Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 50 minutes Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes Servings: 6

A creamy mushroom soup with lentils, barley and plenty of vegetables!

ingredients

2 tablespoons butter
1 pound mushrooms, sliced or chopped
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup onion, diced
1 cup carrots, diced
1 cup celery, diced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon thyme, chopped (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
1 teaspoon dried dill (optional)
6 cups chicken broth (link) (or vegetable broth)
1 cup pearled barley
1/2 cup lentils (optional)
1 tablespoon worchestershire sauce (gluten-free for gluten-free) (optional)
1 cup heavy/whipping cream (or milk)
1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano (parmesan), grated
1 tablespoon white miso paste (or soy sauce) (gluten-free for gluten-free) (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

directions

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat, add the mushrooms, and cook until they have released their liquids and it’s cooked off, and the mushrooms are lightly golden brown before setting aside.
Add the onions, carrots, and celery and cook until tender, about 10 minutes.
Add the garlic, thyme and dried dill and cook until fragrant, about a minute.
Add 1/2 cup of the broth, and deglaze the pan by scraping up and brown bits of the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon as the broth sizzles.
Add the remaining broth, barley, lentils, mushrooms, and worcestershire sauce, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the barley and lentils are cooked, about 20-30 minutes.
Turn off the heat, add the cream, cheese, and miso, mix well and let the cheese melt into the broth.
Season with salt and pepper to taste and enjoy!

Note: I like to chop some of the mushrooms and slice some. I Cook the sliced mushrooms first and set aside before cooking the chopped mushrooms with the onions, carrots, and celery.
Option: Add dried mushrooms for a more intense flavour! Reconstitute 1 ounce dried mushrooms by soaking them in 1 cup just boiled water until tender, about 20-30 minutes, before squeezing excess liquid out and chopping them. Cook the chopped dried mushrooms along with the onions, carrots, and celery and add the mushrooms soaking water along with the broth.
Option: Replace the parmesan with pecorino romano or asiago!
Option: Add a parmesan rind to the broth to simmer while the barley and lentils cook, and remove before serving.