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overhead view of mushroom barley soup with grated cheese in while bowl with spoon
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5 from 1 vote

Easy Delicious Mushroom Barley Soup

This super flavorful Instant Pot Mushroom Barley Soup is packed with veggies and extremely filling — perfect for any night of the week!
Prep Time12 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Course: Soup
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8
Calories: 127kcal
Author: Marie

Ingredients

  • 1.5 cups celery diced
  • 1.5 cups carrots diced
  • 1.5 cups onions diced (I like to use yellow or sweet onions)
  • 1.5 pounds mushrooms chopped (I used baby bellas; use what you enjoy)
  • 2.5 quarts water
  • 6 ounces tomato paste (small can) (see notes for substitutions)
  • 3/4 cup pearled barley uncooked
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • grated cheese (parmesan) optional, for serving

Instructions

For the Instant Pot:

  • Chop up vegetables (onion, carrots, celery, and mushrooms.)
  • Add 2.5 quarts of water to your Instant Pot along with the tomato paste, the chopped veggies (ie, onion, celery, carrots, and mushrooms), the barley, and the seasonings (ie, salt, pepper, thyme, bay leaf).
  • Give it a quick stir with a large spoon, and then seal the Instant Pot and set for manual pressure, 20 minutes. No need to distribute the tomato paste, it'll dissolve/distribute during cooking.
  • Use the quick release feature, when the soup in finished cooking to release the steam from the Instant Pot.
  • Remove bay leaf and top with grated cheese if desired.

For Stovetop:

  • Chop up vegetables (onion, carrots, celery, and mushrooms.)
  • Add 2.5 quarts of water to the pot along with the tomato paste, the chopped veggies (ie, onion, celery, carrots, and mushrooms), the barley, and the seasonings (ie, salt, pepper, thyme, bay leaf).
  • Stir everything together, cover the pot, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and continue to cook for 45 minutes. Stir occasionally throughout cooking.
  • Remove bay leaf and serve with grated cheese if desired.

For Slow Cooker:

  • Chop up vegetables (onion, carrots, celery, and mushrooms.)
  • Add 2.5 quarts of water to the slow cooker, along with the tomato paste, the chopped veggies (ie, onion, celery, carrots, and mushrooms), the barley, and the seasonings (ie, salt, pepper, thyme, bay leaf).
  • Stir everything together, cover the slow cooker, and cook on high for 3 to 4 hours or on low for about 8 hours.
  • Remove bay leaf and serve with grated cheese if desired.

Notes

This recipe calls for pearled barley (also called hulled or pearl barley); if you are using pot barley, which is the whole grain form, add 5 to 10 minutes of cooking time in the Instant Pot or on the stove top. 
May replace tomato paste with soy sauce (or tamari) (3 tablespoons) and dry sherry (4 tablespoons), which is what the famous Moosehead mushroom barley soup includes. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 127kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 800mg | Potassium: 710mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 4429IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 48mg | Iron: 2mg