Slow-Cooker Bean and Barley Soup
Level: Easy
Yield: Serves 8 to 10
Nutritional Information Per Serving: 463 calories, 16 grams total fat, 5 grams saturated fat, 4 milligrams cholesterol, 2693 milligrams sodium, 23 grams protein, 11 grams sugar
Total Time: 8 hr 15 min (Preparation: 15 min; Cooking: 8 hr)
Ingredients:
- 1 cup dried multi-bean mix or Great Northern beans, sorted and rinsed
- 1/2 cup pearl barley
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 medium carrots, coarsely chopped
- 2 celery ribs, roughly chopped
- 1/2 medium onion, roughly chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- Kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons Italian dried herb blend
- Freshly cracked black pepper
- 1/2 ounce dried porcini mushrooms, crumbled if large (optional)
- One 14-ounce can whole tomatoes with juice
- 3 cups cleaned baby spinach leaves (about 3 ounces)
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- Balsamic vinegar, for drizzling
- Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Special equipment needed: slow cooker
Instructions:
- Combine 6 cups of water with the beans, barley, garlic, carrots, celery, onion, bay leaf, 1 1/2 tablespoons salt, Italian herb blend, a few grinds of black pepper, and the porcini mushrooms (if using) in the slow cooker. Break the tomatoes up by hand and add them with their juices. Cover and cook on high for about 8 hours, or until the beans are tender and the soup has thickened.
- Stir in the spinach and Parmesan cheese; cook until the spinach wilts, about 5 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as needed.
- Ladle into warmed bowls and finish each serving with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and extra-virgin olive oil.
This recipe has been updated and may vary slightly from the original version.
Adapted from Recipe Iseasy Kitchens Making it Easy, Meredith, 2004
