Hearty Mushroom Barley Soup (Printable)

Hearty deli-style soup with shiitake mushrooms, pearl barley, and savory vegetables for robust comfort.

# What You Need:

→ Mushrooms

01 - 1 ounce dried shiitake mushrooms
02 - 8 ounces white mushrooms, sliced

→ Grains

03 - 3/4 cup pearl barley, rinsed

→ Aromatics and Vegetables

04 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
05 - 1 medium onion, diced
06 - 2 medium carrots, diced
07 - 2 celery stalks, diced
08 - 3 garlic cloves, minced

→ Broth and Seasonings

09 - 8 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
10 - 2 bay leaves
11 - 1 teaspoon dried thyme
12 - 1 teaspoon dried parsley
13 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

→ Garnish

14 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

# How To Make It:

01 - Place dried shiitake mushrooms in a heatproof bowl and cover with 2 cups boiling water. Let soak for 20 minutes. Drain and reserve the soaking liquid, then slice the mushrooms. Strain the soaking liquid through a fine-mesh sieve to remove grit.
02 - In a large soup pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add diced onion, carrots, and celery. Sauté for 5 minutes until vegetables soften.
03 - Add minced garlic to the vegetables and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
04 - Stir in fresh sliced mushrooms and rehydrated shiitake mushrooms. Cook for approximately 5 minutes until mushrooms release their juices.
05 - Add pearl barley, reserved mushroom soaking liquid, and vegetable broth to the pot. Stir in bay leaves, dried thyme, dried parsley, salt, and black pepper.
06 - Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 50 to 60 minutes, stirring occasionally, until barley becomes tender.
07 - Remove bay leaves from the soup. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as needed.
08 - Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with fresh chopped parsley if desired. Serve hot.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It's the kind of soup that tastes even better the next day, when flavors have had time to know each other.
  • You don't need fancy ingredients or kitchen skills—just patience and a good pot.
  • It fills your home with a smell so good that people will ask what you're making before they even arrive.
02 -
  • Never skip straining the mushroom soaking liquid—grit can hide in there and ruin the eating experience, and nobody wants crunchy soup.
  • This soup thickens as it sits because the barley continues absorbing liquid, so if you're reheating it the next day, add extra broth or water to get it back to the consistency you want.
03 -
  • Always taste the barley from the pot before you think the soup is done—undercooked barley will ruin the whole experience, but overcooked barley is almost impossible to achieve.
  • If you can't find dried shiitake mushrooms, dried porcini work in a pinch, but shiitake specifically carries that earthy, almost smoky flavor that belongs in this particular soup.
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