Slow-Cooker Bean and Barley Soup

From Food Network Kitchens Making it Easy, Meredith, 2004

Rated: 4 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (24)

RECIPE
COMMENTS & REVIEWS(24)

Cook Time:
8 hr 0 min
Level:
Easy
Yield:
4 to 6 servings

Times:

Prep: 10 min
Inactive Prep: --
Cook: 8 hr 0 min
Total:: 8 hr 10 min

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Ingredients

1 cup dried multibean mix or Great Northern beans, picked over and rinsed
6 cups water
1 (14-ounce) can whole tomatoes, with juice
3 cloves garlic, smashed
2 ribs celery, chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup pearl barley
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt, plus additional for seasoning
2 teaspoons dried Italian herb blend
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 ounce dried porcini mushrooms, optional
3 cups cleaned baby spinach leaves (about 3 ounces)
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

Put beans, water, tomatoes and their juices, garlic, celery, carrots, onion, barley, bay leaf, 1 1/2 tablespoons salt, herb blend, pepper, and porcini mushrooms (if using) in a slow cooker; cover and cook on LOW until the beans are quite tender and the soup is thick, about 8 hours.

Stir in the spinach, cheese, and vinegar, cover, and let the soup cook until the spinach wilts, about 5 minutes. Taste and season with salt and black pepper, to taste.

Ladle the soup into warmed bowls and drizzle each serving with olive oil.

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Comments & Reviews

recipe Slow-Cooker Bean and Barley Soup
kimberly Algonquin, IL 01-06-2009
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A hearty meal!
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

Good quality cheese will make a big difference! I added some extra balsamic for my own taste preference and made fresh dinner... rolls. Filling and easy to make! You can do all your prep the day before, dump it all in the pot and get on with your day! Enjoy! Read more
recipe Slow-Cooker Bean and Barley Soup
Anonymous 09-14-2008
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A bit bland
Rated: 3 stars out of 5

It was easy to make and the texture was nice but it was a bit bland. I added additional seasonings and it ended up okay.
recipe Slow-Cooker Bean and Barley Soup
Jennifer Hedgesville, WV 03-25-2008
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tasty easy dinner
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

I thought the bean and barley soup was a great dinner! I waited to add the salt until the end and my beans were the perfect... texture. I also added kale instead of spinach and found that it was very tasty. I thought that it was imperative to add the balsmaic vinegar for taste. The second time we made it we added turkey kielbasa and that was a good variation.Read more
recipe Slow-Cooker Bean and Barley Soup
Anonymous 02-06-2008
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Thick and rich!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

Fantastic recipe! I brought the dried beans to a boil while I added the remaining ingredients to slow cooker. This is a... good recipe to use the parmesan cheese rind in. The rind flavors the soup and you won't need as much grated cheese (saving fat calories).Read more
recipe Slow-Cooker Bean and Barley Soup
Monica Anywhere, NY 01-19-2008
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Hearty and Flavorful
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

Great tasting and very satisfying. It couldn't be any easier to make.
recipe Slow-Cooker Bean and Barley Soup
Anonymous 01-14-2008
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Should have read the reviews first!
Rated: 3 stars out of 5

I'm on the 9th hour and my beans are still hard too! Guess I should have read the reviews and advice before I started. The... liquid taste pretty good so far but I haven't tasted the rest of it. It's always a learning experience, even if it's the hard way 9, 10, 11 hours later.Read more