Made in the Instant Pot, this Bean and Barley Soup is vibrant, delicious, and so satisfying! It's a vegan meal that is easy to make and perfect for meal prepping lunches for the week!
I LOVE cooking soups in the Instant Pot because they are so flavorful and taste as though they have been simmering on the stove for hours. Today's soup of the day is Bean and Barley! Not only are these foods inexpensive and great pantry staples, but they also happen to be souper healthy!
Health Benefits of Beans
Possibly the world’s healthiest food, beans are packed full of protein, fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals! They may help decrease inflammation and support digestive health, immune health, AND heart health. People who regularly consume beans may be less likely to die of a heart attack or stroke according to a 2017 meta-analysis. This could be secondary to their high soluble fiber content which helps to bind cholesterol from our bodies. It could also be because beans are replacing meats that are high in fat. Beans may also help lower your risk of developing cancer and stabilizing blood sugars.
Other Ingredients that make this soup Healthy
Barley is a great source of vitamins, minerals, and fiber! It may help reduce hunger, support digestive health, lower cholesterol, and decrease the risk of certain cancers, especially those of the colon.
Carrots are low in calories and high in fiber. They are also packed full of vitamin A. Just one serving of this soup will provide you with over 200% of the RDI for vitamin A!
Celery is also low in calories and high in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber.
Spinach is packed full of numerous vitamins, minerals, and an antioxidant, lutein, which may decrease the risk of developing macular degeneration.
Tomato Paste is rich lycopene, a powerful antioxidant that supports heart health and may reduce the risk of certain cancers, especially that of the prostate. It may even protect against sunburn!
Onion contains an antioxidant, quercetin, which may decrease inflammation, support heart health, and decrease the risk of certain cancers, especially those of the stomach and colon.
Garlic contains an organic sulfur compound, allicin, which may decrease inflammation and support immune health.
How to make Instant Pot Bean and Barley Soup
This recipe requires only 10 minutes of prepping the vegetables. The Instant Pot takes care of the rest!
First, chop the carrots and celery and set aside.
Set your Instant Pot to saute. While it is heating up, slice the onion and mince the garlic. Add the olive oil and onion to the Instant Pot and saute for 4 minutes. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant.
Next, you will add the carrot, celery, tomato paste, barley, vegetable broth, and spices. Give it a stir. Don't worry too much if the tomato paste is in clumps. It will break up during the cooking process.
Lock the lid into place, seal the vent, and set to pressure cook on high for 25 minutes. Once completed, quick release the pressure. Once the float valve drops, carefully remove the lid. Remove the bay leaf, and stir in the beans and spinach. It may seem like a lot of spinach, but the volume reduces quite a bit once it wilts. Ladle the soup into bowls, and serve!
Notes
I used navy beans, but you could use any other type of bean you have on hand.
Make sure that you are using pearled barley, not quick barley or hulled barley.
Feel free to substitute your favorite vegetables!
Other Hoorah to Health recipes you may enjoy:
- Chickpea Salad
- Fiesta Corn and Avocado Salad
- Healthy Coleslaw
- Instant Pot Vegetable Soup
- Mujadara
- Superfood Salad with Kale and Blueberries
- Vegan Buddha Bowl
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Instant Pot Bean and Barley Soup
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 1 Onion chopped
- 3 Carrots sliced
- 3 Celery Stalks sliced
- 4 cloves Garlic minced
- 5 ounces Fresh Baby Spinach
- 8 cups Vegetable Broth
- 1 cup Pearled Barley rinsed
- 15 ounce can Navy Beans drained and rinsed
- 6 ounce can Tomato Paste
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 teaspoon Dried Thyme
- ½ teaspoon Cumin
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
- 1 Bay Leaf
Instructions
- Chop the carrots and celery, and set aside.
- Set your Instant Pot to saute. While it is heating up, slice the onion and mince the garlic. Add the olive oil and onion to the Instant Pot and saute for 4 minutes. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant.
- Add the carrot, celery, tomato paste, barley, vegetable broth, and spices. Give it a stir.
- Lock the lid into place, seal the vent, and set to pressure cook on high for 25 minutes.
- Once completed, quick release the pressure. Once the float valve drops, carefully remove the lid.
- Remove the bay leaf.
- Stir in the beans and spinach.
- Once the spinach has wilted, ladle into bowls and serve.
Notes
- I used navy beans, but you could use any other type of bean you have on hand.
- Make sure that you are using pearled barley, not quick barley or hulled barley.
- Feel free to substitute your favorite vegetables!
- Don't worry too much if the tomato paste is in clumps. It will break up during the cooking process.
- It may seem like a lot of spinach, but the volume reduces quite a bit once it wilts.
I made this soup for dinner last night. I added 3/4 cup of dry lentils along with the barley and eliminated the navy beans. I also added 1/4 tsp of red pepper flakes. This has to be one of the best soups I have made. Such an amazing tasty soup!!!
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing!! 😊
The recipe specifies pearled barley. I prefer hulled barley for its fiber. What if any adjustments would you suggest?
Great question! I used pearled barley because that’s all I could find at the market. After doing a little research, I’ve learned that the cooking time for pearled and hulled barley are the same in the Instant Pot. No adjustment needed!