Barley Minestrone Recipes

Steps:

• Heat 5 to 6 quart Dutch oven over medium high heat until hot. Add barley and cook 3-4 minutes until toasted and fragrant, stirring constantly. Transfer to bowl and set aside.
• In same Dutch oven heat oil over med-high heat until hot. Add cabbage, carrots, celery and onion and cook 8-10 minutes until veggies are tender and lightly browned. Stir occasionally.
• Add garlic and cook 30 seconds. Stir in barley water, broth tomatoes, and 1/4 tsp salt. Cover and heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, 25 minutes.
• Stir zucchini and beans into mixture. Increase heat to medium and cook covered 10-15 minutes longer or until all veggies are tender.
• Top with pesto, cheese, or sour cream.

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven, such as Le Creuset. Add the oxtails, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes until browned all over. Remove the oxtails with a slotted spoon and reserve.
• Add the leeks, carrots, onion, celery, and garlic to the fat in the pot and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, until the vegetables start to brown. Tie the thyme sprigs together with kitchen string and add to the pot along with the bay leaves. Return the oxtails to the pot and add the broth, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Raise the heat and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover, and simmer for 1 hour. Discard the thyme bundle and the bay leaves, and skim off the fat.
• Meanwhile, bring 4 cups of water to a boil and add the barley. Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, drain, and set aside.
• When the soup is ready, add the barley and cook the soup for another 15 or 20 minutes, until the barley is tender. Depending on the saltiness of the stock, the soup might need another teaspoon of salt and some pepper. Serve hot, with or without the oxtails.

Steps:

• Pour the vegetable broth into a large pot. Add the barley, carrots, celery, tomatoes, zucchini, garbanzo beans, onion, and bay leaves. Season with garlic powder, sugar, salt, pepper, parsley, curry powder, paprika, and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 90 minutes. The soup will be very thick. You may adjust by adding more broth or less barley if desired. Remove bay leaves before serving.

Steps:

• In a 5-qt. slow cooker, combine the first eight ingredients. Stir in the water, broth, barley, bay leaf and seasonings. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or until barley and vegetables are tender. , Stir in tomatoes; cover and cook on high for 10-20 minutes or until heated through. Discard bay leaf.