I don’t know about you, but fall makes me crave comfort foods. Not so much meat and potato type dishes, more like soups and chili. I usually cook on Sunday afternoons so that my meals are ready for the week. Meal planning is crucial if you have a hectic schedule and still want to eat healthy foods.
This week I made a delicious tomato and barley soup that I’d like to share with you. It may sound like a lot of ingredients but trust me when I say this is super easy to throw together. It’s low in sodium and calories and with the mushrooms, kale and tomatoes it’s pact with nutrition. What I like most about this recipe are the spices; cayenne pepper, cinnamon, cumin and corriander. The combination warms you right up. I like to have this soup with a side of cottage cheese for some added protein. But if cottage cheese isn’t your thing you could easily make this a side dish with one of your meals.
The next time you have a craving for comfort food, give this tomato and barley soup a try. The ingredients are simple and it is very easy to make.
Inspired by Whole Food’s Tomato Bulgar Soup with Warm Spices
Tomato Barley Soup; The Perfect Comfort Food
Print recipe| Serves | 4-5 |
Ingredients
- 4 cups Low sodium vegetable or chicken broth
- 1 Onion (chopped)
- 2 cloves Garlic (minced)
- 1 cup Mushrooms (diced)
- 1 teaspoon Ground corriander
- 1 teaspoon Ground cumin
- 1 dash Cayenne pepper (or more if you like it hot)
- Ground black pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon Cinnamon (I recommend starting with 1/2 tbsp and adding more as needed)
- 1 cup Uncooked pearled barley
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt
- 28oz No salted added diced tomatos
- 1 tablespoon Freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2-3 handfuls Kale
- 1 tablespoon Crumbled feta cheese
Directions
| Pour a 1/4 cup of broth into your pot. Add the onions, mushrooms and garlic and cook until the onions are translucent. This is a good trick I learned from Whole Foods. If you would rather use oil then go with 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil. Once the vegetables are ready add the spices, the remainder of the chicken broth, diced tomatoes and the uncooked barley. Simmer on low for 50 - 60 minutes, stir occasionally. Once the barley is cooked add the kale and simmer for another 5 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice and then sprinkle the feta on top of each serving separately. |
Note
The great thing about this soup is that you can adjust the spices to your taste. I love cinnamon and cayenne pepper so I went heavy on those two spices. If you feel that it is too much, start with 1/2 the amount. You can always add more as you go but it doesn't work quite so well the other way around. :)
I also added a bit more salt at the end. Since I used low sodium broth and tomatoes the soup needed a little something. But I always buy low sodium so that I can control how much is added to my meals.
One last thing, if you have left overs then the barley will most likely soak up the broth. Add a little extra chicken broth before you heat it up to make it a soup again. Or you could leave it as is and eat it as a stew like I do.
Enjoy!
What’s your favorite comfort food? Have a good recipe that you would like to share? Post it in the comments and I might just have to try it.
Personal Trainers, Boston, MA
Love it and you can sub out the chicken stock for veggie stock and it’d be vegetarian too. I love adding kale to soups and tend to forget about barley. YUM
If you try it, let me know how it comes out.
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Sounds good! I might try this with chicken for some added protein.
[...] Tomato Barley Soup; The Perfect Comfort Food (befitwithkristen.com) [...]
[...] for other tomato based recipes to try? Give my Tomato & Barley Soup or my crock-pot chili a try. I also have a great chicken soup also made with [...]