Miso-Mushroom Barley Soup

By Yasmin Fahr

Published Feb. 16, 2024

Miso-Mushroom Barley Soup
Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.
Total Time
1 hour
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
45 minutes
Rating
5(1,170)
Comments
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This hearty vegan dish uses miso and soy to add a tremendous amount of depth and flavor to a relatively quick, one-pot mushroom barley soup. Quartering the mushrooms allows them to retain bite, but you can thinly slice them if you’d prefer everything to be soft and tender. Resist the urge to salt heavily during the bulk of the cooking, as the miso and soy — both sodium-heavy ingredients — will be added at the end to bring the soup together. This is a soup that will thicken, so add more water or broth when reheating. It’s as accommodating as it is comforting: You can empty your pantry or fridge by swapping the barley for farro and spinach for chopped bok choy or other greens.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 2tablespoons olive oil
  • 1½ pounds cremini mushrooms, trimmed and quartered
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1bunch scallions, trimmed, light green and white parts thinly sliced
  • ¼ to ½teaspoon crushed red pepper, depending on heat preference
  • 4cups low-sodium vegetable broth
  • 1cup pearl barley
  • 1tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon white miso
  • 1tablespoon soy sauce (or more as needed)
  • 5ounces baby spinach (about 5 packed cups)
  • 1lime (optional), halved
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

297 calories; 9 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 48 grams carbohydrates; 11 grams dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 12 grams protein; 1206 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a large pot, heat the oil over medium-high until shimmering. Add the mushrooms and season lightly with salt and a few grinds of pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms shrink down and release their juices, 6 to 7 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    Stir in the scallions and crushed red pepper and cook until softened, about 2 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    Pour in the vegetable broth, 2 cups of water and the barley. Raise the heat to bring the liquid to a boil, then lower it to maintain a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the barley is tender, about 30 minutes.

  4. Step 4

    During the last 5 minutes of cooking, stir in the miso and soy sauce. (Use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to seek out any miso clumps, flattening them against the side of the pot to help dissolve.)

  5. Step 5

    Add the spinach in batches, adding a handful and stirring in until wilted. Taste and season with more soy sauce or salt as needed. Squeeze in half a lime, if using, and cut the rest into wedges for serving. Finish with some black pepper and serve.

Ratings

5 out of 5
1,170 user ratings
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Comments

BrooklynDF

To avoid the haphazard "seek out any miso clumps" step, put the miso and soy sauce into a soup bowl, add a ladle or so of the hot stock, and mix until it's all dissolved. Then pour it all back into the pot and stir until blended. From my experience, trying to find that tablespoon or so of miso in a pot takes much longer than blending it in a smaller bowl!

Ann O’Neill

There’s a technique I’ve seen in every single cooking video from Japan that involves dissolving miso in a liquid - it easily solves the clump issue. Use a small whisk to grab the miso you need for the recipe then partially immerse a small sieve/strainer into the broth. Whisk the miso INSIDE the sieve. As it dissolves it goes right through into the broth/liquid. No hunting for undissolved pieces that need whisking. Same trick works for Better Than Bullion which has a similar thick texture.

Eugenie

Easy and delicious. Next time I’ll add tofu cubes for protein.

Carolyn

Added a cubed block of firm tofu at the same time as the soy sauce and miso. Agree with other suggestions to add the miso through a strainer, so that it isn't clumpy. Barley took longer than expected to cook. Probably added 2-3 more cups of water than called for throughout the cooking process. Absolutely delicious! Perfect for cool weather.

Steph

I don’t have a source of miso in my small town so had to omit it. I added some garlic, ginger and coconut aminos to “soup” up the broth. (See what I did there? lol) It was fine. Easy to make, filling, healthy and makes a lot so I can eat for a few meals. It was a bit single note, but the lime juice helped. I added chili crisp and that was really tasty. And I only had quick-cook pearled barley so it only took about 12 minutes for them to cook! It’ll be a nice recipe to have in my back pocket for days when I want something hearty, but don’t want to cook for an hour.

annemariew

Added onions and garlic and an ounce of rehydrated dried porcini (just because I had it on hand and wanted to try it out) and chicken broth.

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