Vegetable Soup with Barley and Lentils

Key Ingredients

While it might look like there are a few ingredients needed for this soup, they are all simple and easy to find ensuring you soup has maximum flavour.

Note all ingredients and their quantities are laid out in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

• Carrots, onions, celery and garlic – combined, these make the ultimate flavour base get’s our soup off the ground.
• Tomato paste – is cooked down with the vegetables to provide a deep, rich flavour to the soup.
• Dried herbs – I like to use a combination of dried thyme, oregano and basil for that Italian style flavour to this soup, but you can use a mixed herb blend as well.
• Potatoes, parsnip and swede (rutabaga) – I like to use this combination of root vegetables to bulk out the soup and the starch from the potatoes helps with thickening the soup. You can replace the parsnip and swede with an additional potato if you want. Sweet potato would also be a nice substitute.
• Soup mix – Soup mix can be purchased in the supermarket for less than $2 and is a mix of legumes and grains, usually split peas, barley, lentils. If you can’t find it you can use either all barley or half barley, half lentils.
• Vegetable stock – I use a combination of stock and water for the soup but you can use all stock or all water if you like. Make sure to use a good quality brand as this helps ensure a stronger flavour through the soup. I also always like a salt reduced stock so I can control the seasoning myself.
• Salt and pepper – seasoning is so important to the flavour of this soup. Be generous with the salt and this will enhance the flavour (only if you’re using salt reduced stock), and be sure to taste it before serving to make sure the flavour is just right.
• Frozen peas – I like to finish off my soup by stirring through some frozen peas at the end for some extra colour and texture.

💡Most Australian supermarkets sell a vegetable soup pack, which is a pre-packaged combination of potatoes, onion, celery, carrot, parsnip and swede which is what you need for this recipe.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Like all good soups, this one starts with the sauteing of onions, carrots and celery. We are also adding a couple of cloves of garlic for extra flavour. Once the onions are soft, add in the tomato paste and the herbs and continue to sauté until the tomato paste starts to caramelise and everything smells delicious.

This step of letting the herbs and tomato paste cook down a little bit before adding in the stock really helps with developing the complex flavour of this soup.

Add in the rest of the chopped vegetables and the soup mix.

I like using soup mix as it provides a good variation to the soup, with the lentils helping to create a nice thick, hearty texture, and the barley making it full of fibre and ensuring it keeps you feeling satisfied.

Finally, add your stock and water and bring to the boil.

Turn down and simmer for 45 minutes until the vegetables are soft and the barley is tender. Add the frozen peas and stir through the soup to heat them.

Season with salt and pepper to taste. You can serve this soup on its own, topped with some fresh parsley, or with some crusty bread to sop up all the liquid from the bowl leaving nothing behind.

Recipe FAQs

If you do make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below! And tag any of your creations on Instagram with @eightforestlane as I would love to see.

More vegetable soup recipes:

Easy Vegan Tomato Soup
Golden Turmeric Sweet Potato Soup
Dairy Free Potato and Leek Soup
Mum’s Pumpkin Soup

Healthy Vegetable Soup with Lentils and Barley

This vegetable soup with barley and lentils is a delicious and healthy homemade soup that comes together easily. Packed full of hearty vegetables and the plant-based goodness of barley and lentils, this soup will keep you feeling full and satisfied.

3.80 from 5 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Australian

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour

Servings: 6 servings

Author: Sally

Equipment

• cast iron dutch oven

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

• 1 onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 large carrots
• 2 stalks celery
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 small/medium potatoes
• 1 swede
• 1 parsnip
• 1 cup dried soup mix or a combination of lentils and barley
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon dried basil
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 2 cups water
• ½ cup frozen peas
• chopped parsley to serve

Instructions

• Start by prepping all the vegetables. Peel and dice the onion, garlic, carrots, potatoes, swede and parsnip. Chop the celery.
• Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, carrots and celery. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened.
• Stir in the tomato paste, thyme, oregano and basil. Cook for 1–2 minutes until fragrant.
• Add the potatoes, swede, parsnip and dried soup mix. Stir well to combine.
• Pour in the vegetable stock and water. Season with salt and pepper, then mix through. Bring to the boil.
• Once boiling, reduce the heat to a low simmer, cover, and cook for about 45 minutes or until the lentils and barley are tender.
• Add the frozen peas and stir through. Let them heat for a few minutes, then taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
• Serve hot, topped with chopped parsley if desired.

Notes

Soup mix is a mix of legumes and grains, usually split peas, barley, lentils.

Vegetables: I love using parsnip and swede for a little extra veggie variation, but you could substitute them for an extra potato. Most Australian supermarkets sell a vegetable soup pack, which is a pre-packaged combination of potatoes, onion, celery, carrot, parsnip and swede which is what you need for this recipe.

Nutrition

Calories: 236kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 811mg | Potassium: 761mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 4939IU | Vitamin C: 33mg | Calcium: 76mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutritional information is provided as a guide only and is calculated using automated online tools, therefore we cannot guarantee the accuracy. We encourage you to make your own calculations based on the actual ingredients used in your recipe.

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