Asian Vegetable Barley Soup

When my husband gets motivated to cook, he does a fantastic job of using up what we happen to have in the refrigerator. This Asian Vegetable Barley Soup was a delicious creation and one I had to share with you.

We always have miso on hand and it lasts a very long time in the fridge but we often forget about it so this was a brilliant choice to use in this tasty soup. Miso does have quite a bit of salt so we try to use it judiciously and you can adjust for your particular needs if you don’t eat much salt, but the sweet, earthy, fruity, and savory flavor it adds is just so comforting.

Using barley for the choice of grain was also an inspired choice. I really love it in this recipe. It’s a great whole intact grain unless you use pearled barley that has the bran removed and is one that we all should have in our diets.

This recipe also includes anti-cancer cruciferous broccoli and cauliflower plus green cabbage, spinach, and zucchini. With all that green you know it’s got to be good for you, but feel free to add what vegetables you happen to have on hand or leave some out if you need to. The addition of carrots would be good or bok choy which is more Asian.

How to Make Asian Vegetable Barley Soup

This soup is easy! After water-sauteing the onion and garlic in a large soup pot over medium-high heat, add the vegetable broth, water, barley, broccoli, and cauliflower to the pot. Heat for 10 minutes before adding the cabbage, spinach, and zucchini.

Stir the miso with a little of the broth in a small bowl and add back to the pot.

And, that’s about it. Lower the heat to medium-low and let cook until the barley is done. It would be a nice addition if topped with a bit of diced cilantro. This makes quite a bit but, believe me, it won’t last long in your fridge.

Whatever you do, make sure you make this recipe.

I’d love to hear your feedback in the comments below for this Asian Vegetable Barley Soup Recipe! If you have a photo, post it on my Instagram page, tag me using the hashtag #plantbasedcooking in your caption, and I won’t miss it!

Print Recipe

3.9 from 10 votes

Asian Vegetable Barley Soup

This Asian flavored soup is so comforting, satisfying, and full of deliciously nutritious vegetables. You can make it your own with the vegetables you have on hand.

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time30 mins

Total Time40 mins

US Customary - Metric

Ingredients

• 1 medium onion chopped
• 5 cloves garlic chopped
• 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth plus 6 cups water
• 3 cups broccoli chopped
• 3 cups cauliflower chopped
• 3 cups green cabbage chopped
• 1 medium zucchini cut in half lengthwise and sliced into half rounds
• 3 cups spinach
• ½ cup barley
• ¼ cup mellow white miso + 2 tablespoons* (see note below)

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Instructions

• Over medium-high heat add ¼ cup water to a large pot and water-saute onions and garlic for a few minutes until the onions become translucent.
• Add vegetable broth, water, barley, broccoli, and cauliflower to the pot. Heat for 10 minutes before adding the cabbage, spinach, and zucchini.
• Using a ladle, remove about 1/2 cup of the broth to a small bowl and add miso. Stir and mix until the miso dissolves. Add to the pot and stir to combine.
• Continue cooking until the barley is done and the vegetables are tender for about 15-20 more minutes.

Notes

*Be careful using miso because it can be very salty. For this recipe, I used Mellow White Miso by Cold Moutain. If you can't find mellow miso, start with half of what is suggested in the recipe and taste for saltiness. Add more by 1 tablespoon at a time to your desired flavor. 

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