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–+ servings

Old Fashioned Vegetable Barley Soup

Meghna
Old-fashioned vegetable barley soup contains nutritious frozen and fresh vegetables, herbs, and chewy pearl barley. This instant pot vegetable barley soup is super filling, freezes well, is budget-friendly, and tastes so good.
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Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 25 mins
Total Time 35 mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 6 people
Calories 264 kcal

Equipment

  • 1 6 quart instant pot

Recipe Video

Ingredients
 

  • 1 cup pearl barley
  • 1 cup celery - **roughly chopped.
  • 1 cup onion - **roughly chopped.
  • 1 cup sweet potatoes - **peeled and diced into 1-inch cubes.
  • 1 Bell pepper - **orange bell pepper diced into ½ inch squares. Read NOTES below.
  • 14 ounce Frozen Vegetables - **mix of green beans, carrots, corn. 397 g.
  • 28 ounce Diced Tomatoes - **petite diced tomatoes. You can use any variety. We used diced tomatoes with green chilis.
  • ½ tablespoon balsamic vinegar. - **optional.
  • ½ tablespoon garlic - **minced.
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 tablespoon olive oil - **extra light or light olive oil.
  • salt to taste - **add according to your taste preference.
  • ½ cup parsley - **fresh flat-leaf parsley roughly chopped.

SEASONINGS

  • ½ teaspoon oregano.
  • ½ teaspoon basil.
  • ½ teaspoon paprika - **smoked paprika.
  • ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes - **skip if heat intolerant.

LIQUID

  • 5 cups water. - **warm water.
  • ½ tablespoon better than bouilon - **vegetable base stirred in 5 cups waters to make an instant veggie stock.

Instructions
 

Saute Aromatics & vegetables

  • Set the instant pot on saute mode on high heat. Add oil, when the oil becomes moderately hot gently release the roughly chopped onion and the celery and saute for 30 seconds. Add the minced garlic and saute for another 30 seconds.
  • Add the diced sweet potatoes and the bell pepper and saute for 30 seconds. Add all the seasonings mentioned above in the "SEASONINGS" section of the ingredients list along with the salt (add according to your taste preference). Saute for 30 seconds. CANCEL the saute function.
    adding seasonings to the sauteed veggies

Deglaze pot

  • Add the frozen veggies and pearl barley. Pour the veggie stock and deglaze the pot very well scraping the sides and the bottom of the pot with the help of a spatula to loosen any stuck food particles. This process will prevent the burn error.
    deglazing pot with a spatula
  • Add the petite diced tomatoes from the can along with the juices. Do not stir or mix. Add the balsamic vinegar. Throw in the bay leaf.
    diced tomatoes in instant pot

Pressure cook

  • Secure the lid of the instant pot and seal the valve. PRESSURE COOK on HIGH PRESSURE for 20 minutes. Once the cooking cycle is over the instant pot will begin to beep. Wait for natural pressure release for 10 minutes, then release the rest of the pressure manually by moving the valve from the sealing to the venting position. Open the lid carefully. Discard the bay leaf and give the vegetable barley soup a good stir.
    vegetable barley soup in instant pot

Garnish and serve soup

  • Turn off the instant pot. Add the roughly chopped fresh parsley and mix well. Serve the old-fashioned vegetable barley soup hot for the best flavor and texture. Scroll up for recipe step photos, lots of tips tricks, storage and reheating directions.,
    garnished soup with parsley in instant pot with a ladle

Notes

  1. Pearl Barley: Pearl barley is easy to cook as the outer husk and some of the bran are removed. You can find pearl barley in the rice and beans section of your grocery store. This variety is chewy and gives the soup a fantastic texture. 
  2. Bell Pepper: We used orange bell pepper in the barley vegetable soup recipe. You can substitute it with yellow bell pepper or red bell pepper for a subtle sweet flavor. 
  3. Additional veggie option: You can add more veggies to the soup like diced zucchini, squash, and white mushrooms. You can also add a handful of greens like baby spinach chopped kale or dragon kale. Add them at the end after turning off the instant pot. The residual heat will help wilt the leaves. 
  4. Spicy soup: If you like spicy soup do up the amount of red pepper flakes or add about one de-seeded chopped jalapeno while sauteing the aromatics.
  5. Soup consistency: You can control the consistency of this hearty barley vegetable soup. Add more stock for a thin soup consistency.
 
Calorific details are provided by a third party application & are to be used as indicative figures only. If you are on a special diet please use your own nutritional calculator.
Nutrition Facts
Old Fashioned Vegetable Barley Soup
Amount per Serving
Calories
264
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
6
g
9
%
Saturated Fat
 
1
g
6
%
Polyunsaturated Fat
 
1
g
Monounsaturated Fat
 
4
g
Sodium
 
264
mg
11
%
Potassium
 
692
mg
20
%
Carbohydrates
 
49
g
16
%
Fiber
 
11
g
46
%
Sugar
 
7
g
8
%
Protein
 
8
g
16
%
Vitamin A
 
7429
IU
149
%
Vitamin C
 
48
mg
58
%
Calcium
 
99
mg
10
%
Iron
 
3
mg
17
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutrition

Calories: 264kcalCarbohydrates: 49gProtein: 8gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gSodium: 264mgPotassium: 692mgFiber: 11gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 7429IUVitamin C: 48mgCalcium: 99mgIron: 3mg
Keyword hearty vegetable soup with barley, old fashioned vegetable barley soup, pearl barley soup recipe, vegetable barley soup instant pot
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