Hearty Mushroom Barley Soup (Printable)

Hearty deli-style soup with dried shiitake, white mushrooms, pearl barley, and savory vegetables in rich broth.

# What You'll Need:

→ Mushrooms

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

→ Grains

03 - 3/4 cup pearl barley, rinsed

→ Aromatics & 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 & 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 Steps:

01 - Place dried shiitake mushrooms in a heatproof bowl and cover with 2 cups boiling water. Allow to soak for 20 minutes. Drain, reserving the soaking liquid, and slice the mushrooms. Strain the soaking liquid through a fine-mesh sieve to remove sediment.
02 - Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add diced onion, carrots, and celery. Sauté for 5 minutes until vegetables soften.
03 - Stir in minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
04 - Add fresh white mushrooms and rehydrated shiitake mushrooms to the pot. Cook for approximately 5 minutes until mushrooms release their juices.
05 - Stir in pearl barley, reserved mushroom soaking liquid, and vegetable broth. Add bay leaves, thyme, parsley, salt, and black pepper. Stir to combine.
06 - Bring soup 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 soup. Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper as needed.
08 - Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with fresh chopped parsley if desired. Serve hot.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The umami punch from shiitake mushrooms creates a depth that makes people ask what your secret ingredient is.
  • It gets better after sitting overnight, so you can make it ahead and actually enjoy your day instead of cooking when guests arrive.
  • One pot, no fancy technique required, but tastes like you've been simmering this all morning.
02 -
  • Don't skip straining the mushroom soaking liquid through cheesecloth—the grit will settle at the bottom and wreck the texture if you just pour it directly in.
  • The soup thickens as it cools and sits overnight, which is beautiful for leftovers but means you'll need to add water or extra broth when you reheat it.
03 -
  • Save your vegetable scraps (carrot ends, celery tops, onion skins) in the freezer and make your own broth—it costs almost nothing and tastes infinitely better than store-bought.
  • Taste the soup before adding salt because your broth already has some, and you'd rather add too little and adjust than oversalt something you can't fix.
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