Ingredients:
½ cup diced onions (2-3 small)
1/2 cup diced carrots (2 carrots)
1/2 cup thinly sliced celery (2 large stalks celery)
or alternatively, get one container of Mirepoix from Trader Joe’s
1 small can organic white beans, rinsed and drained (northern or your favorite)
1-2 cloves garlic (optional)
3 12 oz. packages sliced mushrooms – can mix varieties
Better than Bouillon to taste
1 cup hulled or hull-less barley (this is more nutritious than pearl barley. It’s fine to use pearl barley - it will absorb more water so you will have to add more water.
1 package baby kale, spinach, or any combination of greens. (Red chard will make everything red so I don’t use it here for esthetic reasons.)
- Sauté onions, carrots, celery (mirepoix) and optional garlic on medium heat in a little olive oil until onions are transparent and all are softened and then place in a large pot
- Sauté mushrooms in a little olive oil over medium high heat, until softened . When they start to brown, take them off the heat. It’s good if you stop cooking them before all the mushroom liquid has evaporated. Add to soup pot.
- Put the barley into the soup pot and add 2 quarts of water. Mix in a heaping soup spoon of Better than Bouillon. Mix to dissolve bouillon concentrate. Bring to a boil and then simmer for as long as you need to soften the barley – usually about an hour. Add beans about 15 minutes before done.(Taste.)
- Trim greens to remove stems. Slice into 1” strips if greens are large. Add to cooked soup. As soon as greens have wilted, taste soup and adjust the water / bouillon to taste.
- This will serve about 6 hungry people and you will probably have some left over. It keeps in the fridge for about 3-4 days, or you can freeze in small portions for another meal. Enjoy!