Description
This vegetable soup, filled with produce staples, lentils, barley, and herbs, is inspired by the classic Stone Soup recipe which is all about making something of nothing.
Ingredients
- 6 cups water
- 1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, with liquid, reduced sodium
- 2 cubes vegetable bullion, reduced sodium
- ½ cup green lentils, uncooked
- ½ cup barley, uncooked
- 1 medium onion (red, yellow, or white)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 2 medium carrots, sliced (purple, yellow, or orange)
- 2 small summer squash (i.e., zucchini, scalloped, yellow crookneck), sliced
- 4 small, thin-skinned potatoes, diced (i.e., Yukon gold or red potatoes)
- 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried mustard
- 6 slices whole grain bread
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ cup chopped fresh herbs (i.e., sage, parsley, basil, oregano, chives, marjoram)
- Sea salt (optional)
Instructions
- In a large pot, add water, tomatoes, and vegetable bouillon and stir together.
- Add lentils, barley, onion, garlic, celery, carrots, squash, potatoes, mushrooms, black pepper, paprika, thyme, oregano, and mustard. Stir well and cover with a tight fitting lid. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium and cook for about 1 hour, until barley and lentils are tender, stirring occasionally. Replace any water lost to evaporation (should make a thick, hearty texture).
- Toast whole grain bread in the oven or toaster until brown and very crisp. Slice into small cubes.
- Add lemon juice and fresh herbs to the soup, and season with a small amount of salt (if desired).
- Ladle hot soup into soup bowls and garnish with whole grain croutons (1/2 slice of toast per serving). Refrigerate leftover soup and reheat as desired (add croutons just before serving to maintain crisp texture).
Notes
To make this recipe in a slow cooker, add all ingredients in steps 1-2 to the slow cooker, stir well, cover, and set to high for 4 hours. When done, follow step 3 as directed, add ingredients in step 4 to slow cooker, and serve soup as directed in step 5.
Instant Pot Directions: Steps 1-2 should be done in the Instant Pot by adding all of these ingredients and pressing the “Chili/Bean” setting. Follow steps 3-5 above.
To make this recipe gluten-free, substitute a gluten-free grain for barley (i.e., quinoa, brown rice, or sorghum), and use gluten-free bread.
- Category: Soup
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 1/4 cup
- Calories: 155
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 197 mg
- Fat: 1 g
- Saturated Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 33 g
- Fiber: 6 g
- Protein: 6 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Keywords: vegetable soup, stone soup, vegan soup