Name: Recipe for Vegetable Barley and Brown Rice Soup
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Total time: 45 minutes
Yield: 8 (1 cup) servings
Cuisine: Soups and Stews
Ingredients: 1/3 onion, chopped; 1/2 celery, diced; 1/3 carrots, diced; 2 petite-diced tomatoes in juice; 1/2 tomato puree; 4 low-sodium vegetable broth; 1 kosher salt; 2/3 lima beans, frozen; 1/3 pearl barley; 1 fresh thyme; 1/4 fresh basil, chopped; 1/8 bay leaf, ground; 11/2 fresh sage; 1 frozen green peas

Bowl filled with soup containing barley, rice, potatoes, lima beans and carrots

Soups and Stews Garden of Tastes and Textures

Barley is such a misunderstood grain. Often relegated to stretching tired soups, this powerhouse can do so much more. It grows in more than 50 varieties and plays a role in hearty breads and healthy, cholesterol-free side dishes loaded with fiber and protein. This vegetable soup combines the splendidly chewy, brown rice–like taste of barley with tomatoes, carrots, lima beans (another sadly misjudged food), celery, and peas for a garden of tastes and textures.