Slow Cooker Bean and Barley Soup

Submitted by Irmgard

"Thick, hearty, and delicious - perfect for a cold winter day! From "Food Network Kitchens: Making It Easy"."

 

• Ready In: 8hrs 10mins
• Ingredients: 17
• Serves: 4

ingredients

• 236.59 ml dried bean mix, picked over and rinsed
• 1419.54 ml water
• 396.89 g can diced tomatoes
• 3 garlic cloves, smashed
• 2 celery ribs, chopped
• 2 medium carrots, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 118.29 ml pearl barley
• 1 bay leaf
• 7.39 ml kosher salt
• 9.85 ml dried Italian seasoning
• fresh ground black pepper
• 14.17 g dried porcini mushrooms (optional)
• 709.77 ml baby spinach leaves
• 236.59 ml parmesan cheese, freshly grated
• 14.79 ml balsamic vinegar
• extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling

directions

1. Put the beans, water, tomatoes and their juices, garlic, celery, carrots, onion, barley, bay leaf, salt, Italian seasoning, pepper and porcini mushrooms in a slow cooker.
2. Cover and cook on low until the beans are quite tender and the soup is thick, about 8 hours.
3. Stir in the spinach, cheese and vinegar.
4. Cover and let the soup cook until the spinach wilts, about 5 minutes.
5. Taste and adjust seasonings.
6. Ladle the soup into warmed bowls and drizzle each serving with olive oil.

Reviews

[scimietta99]

Prepared this yesterday.. let it cook in the slow cooker overnight. really nice flavor. i wanted to make it as written but, try as i did, i could not add good quality parmesan before cooking... it just didn't seem right. we enjoyed the parmesan grated over the soup with chopped parsley and a drizzle of oil (as reccommended). i did add the porcini but, i think next time (and there will definitely be a next time), i will soak/chop them first and use the liquid to replace one of the cups of water. they did add a lovely taste but, because i hadn't soaked and chopped them were just big pieces and not every one got some. the spinach gives it lvely color too. thank you.