I was on a college road trip when I had my first taste of Mushroom Barley Soup. My friends and I stopped at a roadside deli—I wish I could remember the name of the place. What I do remember is that piping hot bowl of delicious soup. It was love at first bite.
You can find this soup on most Jewish deli menus. The dish has roots in the Ashkenazi Jewish communities of Eastern Europe. Mushrooms were popular in these cold-weather countries because they could be harvested, dried, and stored for later use. In my friend Etti Hadar’s family memoir, her Polish uncle Dov Levin talks about how his mother used to string up rows of mushrooms with a thread and needle in the attic. They would hang the mushrooms near the chimney; the heat of the stove would dry them out faster that way.
Barley was also plentiful and easy to grow in the Eastern European climate, making it a common addition to hearty winter dishes like soup and cholent. Barley’s history goes back even further; in fact, it is arguably the world’s first and most ancient cultivated grain. It is also one of the Seven Species mentioned in the Bible.
Ever since that fateful college road trip, I’ve worked on creating my own soup recipe to achieve what I consider the perfect balance of mushroom barley flavor. I’ve stuck to simple, natural ingredients. Inspired by Uncle Dov’s memoir, I added dried mushrooms with their soaking liquid to the broth, along with fresh mushrooms seared golden brown. The combination adds complex flavor to an otherwise simple soup. A long, slow simmer reduces the broth, making the soup thick and rich.
This robust, filling soup makes a hearty lunch or dinner on a chilly autumn day. Despite being “comfort food,” it is surprisingly healthy. Barley is rich in dietary fiber and selenium. The grain also contains beta glucan, a complex sugar that can help to lower cholesterol. Enjoy!
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Mushroom Barley Soup
Ingredients
- 3 quarts chicken or mushroom stock (low sodium okay)
- 1 1/4 cups pearl barley
- 2 bay leaves
- 6 dried shitake mushrooms
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 cup chopped celery, including leaves
- 1 cup peeled and chopped carrots
- 2 cloves crushed garlic
- 1 pound white mushrooms, scrubbed and sliced
- Salt and pepper
NOTES
Instructions
- Pour chicken or mushroom stock into a large stockpot and bring to a boil. Stir in the barley, add the bay leaves, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered. Set your timer for 2:15 (2 hours 15 minutes) starting now.
- While the soup simmers, place dried mushrooms in a separate small saucepan. Add 3 cups of water to the saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. As soon as the water boils, remove saucepan from heat and let the mushrooms soak for 20 minutes.
- Drain the mushroom water by straining it through a coffee filter (use a mesh strainer or colander to hold the filter). Reserve the mushroom water.
- Chop the soaked, softened mushrooms into small pieces and reserve.
- Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the onion to the skillet and sauté till softened.
- Add the celery and carrots and sauté for 5 more minutes till everything is browning and starting to caramelize.
- Add the soaked chopped dried mushroom pieces and crushed garlic, sauté for 2 more minutes. Your kitchen should smell really good right about now!
- Scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the skillet. Pour the strained mushroom broth into the skillet, bring to a boil, stir. Cook for 2 more minutes till mixture is hot and bubbly. Add the contents of the skillet to the simmering stockpot with the broth and barley.
- Without rinsing the skillet, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil over medium high heat, tilting to coat the bottom of the pan. Spread half of the sliced white mushrooms in a single layer at the bottom of the skillet. Sprinkle them with salt and pepper and turn heat to high. Let the mushrooms sear without stirring.
- After 2 minutes, stir the mushrooms continuously for another 1-2 minutes until they are seared golden brown and shrink to about half their size.
- Pour the seared mushrooms into the soup pot. Heat the last 1 tbsp olive oil in the skillet and repeat the process for the remaining mushrooms. Add the rest of the seared mushrooms to the soup pot, stir to blend all ingredients.
- Reduce heat to a low simmer. Let the soup cook uncovered until your timer goes off (2 hours 15 minutes total cooking time), or until the barley is completely tender and the soup is nicely thickened. Add water during the simmer if the soup becomes overly thick. At the end of cooking, season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.
Nutrition
tried this recipe?
Let us know in the comments!
Other Great Recipe Ideas
In Erika’s Kitchen: Winter Greens Soup with Mushrooms
The Pioneer Woman: French Onion Soup Stuffed Mushrooms
Simply Recipes: Mushroom Risotto
Kalyn’s Kitchen: Chicken Barley Soup
Weelicious: Barley, Chicken and Broccoli Salad
This was the best Mushroom Barley Soup ever! It’s just like the soup my husband’s mom used to make, but the recipe was lost! Husband and entire family loves it!!!
Delicious, I added mini garlic beef meatballs. Thank you so much
Basic recipe is so great. Others use flour but it is not necessary at all. I did, however, add some things to this recipe. I added dill, parsley and also one can of white beans. Also, a tip, that like many things, thus is better after it sits overnight. But the main recipe, both in quantity and procedure, is 100%.
I prepared this soup exactly as directed—it was delicious. I used two quarts of low sodium chicken stock and one quart of regular. I had to add more salt, plus the pepper, at the end because it was bland. Next time, I think I’ll switch out one of the chicken stocks for beef to achieve a heartier flavor. I really like the technique used for sautéing the white mushrooms. Thank you.
It was fun to make. The mushrooms came out great and I’ve never seared mushrooms before. However, the barley cooked all the way through after 1 hour. Cooking more would have made the whole soup mushy. The end result was a little too oily, and I didn’t add enough salt.
Absolutely delicious, tastes just like I had when i was growing up. Since I had homemade turkey stock on hand I used that but that was my only change.
By far, the best soup I have ever made.
The recipe is great I enjoyed making it and it taste marvelous I don’t know if it’s completely the Jewish way because my mother always made it for me and she did a hell of a job I could eat hers seven days a week 365 days a year because I just love the way she made it with this is great thank you
This soup was amazing! Everyone who has tasted it just loved it. I stocked up on dried mushrooms so I can make it again.
This was delicious! It only took about 1.5 hours for me to get the barley to the right consistency. I added about a teaspoon of salt while simmering. I also found that after I drained the dried mushrooms I had to rinse them before chopping to remove the grit. I also added a bit of dried rosemary and thyme to the fried mushrooms. Great recipe, thank you!
By and large I am very fond of your recipes. Your chopped chicken liver comes as close to my grandmother’s delicious spread as anything I’ve had. But I have a few quibbles with this recipe. The mushrooms aren’t right. Pennsylvania mushrooms are distant cousins of the boletus mushrooms that grow in Poland and Ukraine. My older generation were all expert mushroom pickers — and the pickings were wonderful. Sadly I never learned the skill. But you can still buy the right mushrooms. Porcini is a boletus. You can find them in gourmet shops, and Amazon has a package of dried porcini for about $15. Makes all the difference in the world. I also recommend trying the recipe with a good beef bone stock instead of the chicken. Beef and barley are a classic combo. If you do use chicken soup, add a little schmaltz for an umami kick. But whatever you do, keep sharing your wonderful recipes.
This is my 2nd time making it. I loved it and think it’s a recipe for my collection
Glad you’re enjoying it!
What a hearty and filling soup. I wouldn’t change a thing, my family enjoyed it as is.
I didn’t have dried mushrooms and it was still so good. My roommates always ask me to make it for them now 🙂
I came for the blintzes and stayed for the mushroom barley soup recipe. I learned something! It’s August during the pandemic. I can’t wait to make the soup your way. Thank you.
Delicious! Has become a regular recipe in our rotation. Thank you!! Made a few tweaks that worked really well — used dried porcini (other reviewer suggested) along with fresh shiitake and white bottom mushrooms; did a mix of unsalted chicken bone broth and mushroom stock; added dried thyme.
Made this last night and it was a HUGE hit! I used beef broth, but otherwise followed the recipe. It has the deepest flavor of any barley mushroom soup I’ve had, so hearty and earthy! My husband called me the queen of soups after I made this haha!
On a side note, dried shiitake mushrooms are something that are always in my pantry because this is an Asian household. And yet the whole boil the mushrooms then soak for 20 minutes is world changing to me. Like, my parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, in-laws, cousins, we have all just been pre-soaking these babies a solid 3 hours before we can even use them. Thank you for the tip!!! It made everything go so much quicker and they were perfectly soft to chop up!
I prepared the Mushroom Barley Soup and followed the recipe As written. After it cooled I asked my hubby to taste test a small bowl. After one spoonful he remarked, ‘’Wow! This absolutely delicious.’” A winner and it’s vegan when prepared with mushroom broth or vegetable broth. I used mushroom. I appreciate the history provided, too. THANK YOU TORI!
I make my own soup a little differently after being determined to vegetarianize my mom’s version with meat and bones. I’ll be making it on Thursday after I get some exotic mushrooms for a change.
Absolutely fantastic! I made this to try and emulate the mushroom barley soup at Nate ‘n Al’s deli in Beverly Hills, which is a life changing dish. This is 95% there, and I think it will be 100% tomorrow after it’s had a chance to sit overnight in the fridge. I used all chicken stock, but might mix in beef next time to see if it make it a little richer. Thank you for helping my family create this dish at home!