Vegetable, Barley & Yellow Split Peas Soup

     Soups are such a comforting food to me and one thing I gravitate to when I a need a dose of healthiness. This was a late afternoon decision for me to make this soup for dinner. I love spending 15 minutes preparing ingredients, putting them in a pot and letting them simmer on the stove. That is one easy meal! This soup is a hearty meal for me but I knew my husband would need a little something else to go with it. So I made him a taco salad and the soup was more like a side dish for his meal. Although I was only cooking for two people I went ahead and made this a large pot of soup. We had a bowl for lunch today and the rest I will put in the freezer for another quick meal. Not only is this very economical but I got 3 meals out of it with very little effort.

Simple ingredients transformed into a healthy and hearty soup!

Vegetable, Barley & Yellow Split Peas Soup

Serves 8 (about 1 1/2 cup servings)

printable recipe

Ingredients:

1 T. grapeseed oil

½ - ¾ cup chopped onion

1 clove garlic, chopped

2 stalks celery, sliced

2 carrots, sliced

¼ cup barley

½ cup split yellow peas*

2 bay leaves

1 t. dried thyme

3 cups vegetable broth (no salt added) plus 2-3 cups water (or you can use all water)

1 cup diced Roma tomatoes or half of a 15 oz. can of tomatoes

2 red potatoes, cut bite size pieces

2 cups spinach or other dark leafy grean

Directions:

Heat the oil in a 5 quart soup pot on medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for a few minutes until the onion starts to soften. Add the garlic and cook another minute.

Add the celery, carrots, barley, yellow split peas, bay leaves, thyme and  3 cups of broth or water. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 30 - 45 minutes. Split peas should be tender. Add the potato, greens and additional water as needed. Cook another 10 – 15 minutes or until split peas and potatoes are tender. Season with salt and pepper if needed. Remove the bay leaves before serving.

*Note: In order for the yellow split peas to soften, the cooking liquid (vegetable broth and water) should not have salt in it until they are cooked.