Quickest Mushroom-Barley Soup

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Prep Time:
20 mins
Total Time:
30 mins
Servings:
4

Have a pot of soup ready in just a half hour with quick-cooking barley. Lemon juice, parsley, and Parmesan wake up the mushrooms.

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

  • 1 ¼ pounds white mushrooms, trimmed and sliced

  • 1 medium red onion, chopped

  • 2 garlic cloves, minced

  • ½ teaspoon dried thyme

  • Coarse salt and ground pepper

  • 4 ½ cups canned reduced-sodium chicken or vegetable broth

  • 1 cup quick-cooking barley

  • ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped

  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

  • 1 chunk (1 ounce) Parmesan, shaved with a vegetable peeler

Directions

  1. In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium-high. Add mushrooms, onion, garlic, and thyme; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables have softened, 6 to 8 minutes.

  2. Add broth and 2 cups water to pan; bring to a boil over high. Reduce heat to a simmer; add barley, and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Remove soup from heat; stir in parsley and lemon juice. Serve garnished with Parmesan.

Cook's Notes

Quick-cooking barley is pre-steamed and takes only 10 minutes to cook (regular pearl barley takes more than twice the amount of time and requires a lot more liquid).

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