Low calorie barley and mushroom soup
I love going out for lunch – especially on a Sunday, when here in the UK anywhere worth its salt will offer a nice big Sunday roast. Heaps of veggies, roast potatoes, gravy, maybe some kind of nut roast… it’s a brilliant way to celebrate the weekend.
But after a big lunch, I’m always unsure what to have for dinner. I never want anything heavy, having already filled up at lunch time – but if I have nothing at all for dinner, I’m usually hungry again before bed time. It’s a conundrum.
Something like this low calorie barley and mushroom soup is the perfect solution. It’s substantial enough that it will make you feel like you’ve had a meal, and will keep you full til the end of the night – but it’s super low calorie, so you don’t need to feel guilty about the dozens of roast potatoes you had earlier on…
And when I say super low calorie, I mean super duper low calorie. It’s only about 50 calories for a small bowlful – and even if you use the biggest bowl you own, it’ll probably still contain less than 100 calories.
The recipe is simple. Cook off some onion and mushrooms, then add some liquid and let it simmer away for a while with the pearl barley. It soaks up all the yummy flavours, and gives a really tasty soup.
The pearl barley and juicy mushrooms bulk out the dish, but most of the flavour comes from the veggie stock – so make sure you use a really tasty, great quality one (the ones that come as a jelly are pretty good). Then just add some thyme and bay, and a generous amount of black pepper.
The result is a tasty, salty, hearty dish – you’d never believe it was so low calorie. Serve it up in a mug for an even more comforting dinner (somehow clasping a hot mug in my hands never fails to satisfy!).
Low calorie barley and mushroom soup
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Print Pin CommentIngredients
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 onion, sliced or diced
- 150 g mushrooms, sliced (~ 2 cups sliced)
- 75 g pearl barley (~ 1/4 cup)
- 1 litre hot water (~ 4 cups)
- 1 litre hot, good quality vegetable stock (~ 4 cups)
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- Black pepper
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large, deep frying pan, and add the onion and mushrooms. Cook for 5 minutes over a medium heat, until soft.
- Add the pearl barley, water and stock, along with the dried thyme, bay leaf, and a generous amount of black pepper. Bring to a simmer, and cook for around 45 minutes, or until the pearl barley is completely cooked.
- Serve warm.
Nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on your exact ingredients. Please calculate your own nutritional values if you require accuracy for health reasons.
Note: Nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on exactly what ingredients you choose.
Hi! Love your recipes! Wast sure if you knew that this is coming up under gluten free and barley is considered gluten (https://www.beyondceliac.org/gluten-free-diet/is-it-gluten-free/barley/ )
Ah good catch, thanks! I’ve removed the GF tag :)
I always find mushrooms to be so slimy! Does this get rid of the slimy-ness of them?!
Haha, to be honest, if you’re not a fan of the sliminess of mushrooms then this probably isn’t the soup for you, sorry!
Ha, always the way! That’s your next dish
This soup is definitely one deliciously comforting! Thanks for sharing this. I’m gonna pin this later absolutely going to make this on Christmas eve.
That soup looks just the ticket. We went out for such a huge Sunday lunch this weekend that we didn’t really need any dinner at all! Crazy!
This sounds like just the sort of thing I SHOULD be eating right now, instead of the carb heavy comfort food I’ve been indulging in! Pinning to try later (when the urge to eat more sensibly hits!)
Haha! Yes it’s hard to eat sensibly when it’s so cold out. Soup is a great option though :)
I adore the texture of barley in soups. It feels so luxurious despite being so cheap. And goodness me this soup would be lovely to warm one’s cockles regardless of dietary status.
This looks perfect Becca, and perfect timing too as soups are making a BIG comeback in my kitchen right now :)
Janie x
I love broth-style soups like this… they feel so restorative when you’re feeling tired or under the weather.
Yumm!! I just happen to have some barley left from making your Tuscan bean and veggie soup last week. Nothing like a warm, fragrant pot of soup during the wettest October on record for us (Pacific NW). Thanks!!!
Ooh hope you enjoyed the Tuscan soup :) Sounds like just what you need!
I love barley soups, something we eat in Slovenia a lot! Barley and mushroom combination is something I haven’t tried before but it sounds delicious. It’s a shame that barley takes a bit of time to cook though.
Yes, it says 75 minutes on the packet!! But I found mine was done in about 45, for some reason. Still a long time, but at least it’s hands-off time.