Recipe from The First Mess
Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen
Servings 6
This was such a tasty, comforting soup for an autumn day. Good enough for company. Serve it with some crusty bread and a colorful salad to complete the meal.
Ingredients
3 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 lb (454 grams) cremini mushrooms, sliced
Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
1 large yellow onion, small dice
2 medium carrots, small dice
2 sticks celery, small dice
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 bay leaves
1 cup pearled barley or wild rice*
½ cup black Beluga lentils*
10 cups vegetable stock
1 tablespoon light miso
1 cup unsweetened non-dairy cream/milk*
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar*
1 tablespoon vegan Worcestershire sauce
¼ cup chopped fresh dill
Instructions
1. Heat a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Pour in 1 Tablespoon of olive oil. Add the sliced mushrooms and sauté until golden brown and tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer the cooked mushrooms to a bowl and set aside.
2. Add the remaining 2 Tablespoons of olive oil to the pot. Add the onion, carrot, and celery and stir. Sauté this mixture, stirring often, until onions are soft and translucent, about 7-8 minutes.
3. To the pot, add the garlic, dried thyme, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, and bay leaves and stir. Season with salt and pepper. Once the garlic is fragrant, after about 1 minute, add the pearled barley (or wild rice) and lentils. Stir.
4. Add the vegetable stock and stir. Cover the pot and bring it up to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat to a simmer and remove the lid. Simmer until barley and lentils are tender, about 30 minutes, popping in to stir here and there. (Wild rice may take a bit longer to cook.) Discard the bay leaves.
5. Place the miso in a small bowl and ladle some of the hot broth from the soup on top. Use a spoon to break up and dissolve the miso. Then, add the mixture back into the pot. Add the mushrooms back into the pot as well. Then, add the non-dairy cream, sherry vinegar, Worcestershire, and dill. Stir to combine and bring up to a boil again. Give the soup a taste and adjust seasoning if necessary (more vinegar, salt, Worcestershire etc).6. Serve the mushroom barley soup hot and enjoy!
Notes
I like the look and firmness of black Beluga lentils in this soup, but green lentils and French lentils will both substitute easily here.
White wine vinegar is a fine substitute for sherry vinegar, if that’s what you use, you may want to start with 2 teaspoons.
Miso and vegan Worcestershire sauce are both quite salty, so just be mindful of how much salt you add.
For non-dairy cream, you could try nut pods brand original unsweetened creamer or Califia’s Better Half non-dairy cream or unsweetened cashew milk or oat milk.
Do not substitute hulled barley as it will take twice as long to cook and hulled barley does not “starch up” the soup as nicely.
