Winter Barley Minestrone
with white beans / carrots / turnips
A bowl of vegetable-packed minestrone is the perfect cozy meal for cold winter months. This one gets a seasonal twist with root vegetables and cooked barley leftover from Tuesday.
Smarts #1: Miso paste gives this soup a rich, savory flavor. This Japanese ingredient doesn't only add flavor to Asian recipes - it's a great "secret" ingredient to stir into soups.
Smarts #2: This recipe could be made in the Instant Pot. For tips, join the Cook Smarts Instant Pot Facebook Group.
Ingredients
- Onions, medium - 1, chopped
- Carrots - 12 oz, chopped
- Turnips - 6 oz, chopped (sub rutabaga or potatoes)
- Garlic - 3 cloves, chopped
- Green onions - 2 stalks, chopped, green and white parts separate
- Beans, cannellini or other white (14 oz / 397 g) - 1 can, drained and rinsed
- Oil, olive - 1 Tbsp
- Miso paste - 1 Tbsp
- Oregano, dried - 1/2 tsp
- Thyme, dried - 1/2 tsp
- Stock, any type - 5 cups
- Tomatoes, petite diced (14 oz / 397 g) - 1 can
- Bay leaves - 1
- Cooked Pearl Barley (leftover from Tuesday) - 1 cup
- Lemon juice - 2 tsp
- Parmesan cheese (opt) - 1 oz, grated
Nutrition Facts
Prep
- Onions / Carrots / Turnips / Garlic - Prep as directed. Combine onions, carrots, and turnips. Store garlic separately. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
- Green onions - Chop green onions, keeping green and white parts separate. (Can be done up to 3 days ahead)
- Beans - Drain and rinse.
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Make
- Heat a Dutch oven with oil over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, and turnips to heated oil with some salt. Saute until onions are starting to soften, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add white parts of green onions, garlic, miso, oregano, and thyme. Saute until spices are fragrant, ~2 minutes.
- Add stock, tomatoes (including liquid), and bay leaves to pan. Bring to a simmer. Cover with a lid and simmer until turnips are tender, 10 to 15 minutes.
- Remove lid and stir in cooked barley and beans. Continue cooking until everything is heated through.
- Stir lemon juice into soup and season with some salt and pepper. Discard bay leaves.
- Ladle soup into bowls. Top with green parts of green onions and some parmesan cheese, if you’d like. Enjoy!
Nutrition Facts
Reviews
Ratings
Most Helpful
The paleo version was SO good! Very flavorful, filling and perfect for a cold winter night.
1 Helpful55 reviews
Made a mix of Paleo/original, including all the veggies from both and Italian sausage. My kiddos said after that they want this on the menu again next week. "It's the best thing you've ever made Mom! Even better than your lasagna..." High praise from my pickiest eater ;-)
0 HelpfulThis was delicious. I combined the gluten-free and vegetarian options. It was hearty and wonderful with beans and brown rice. The whole family enjoyed it, especially with a little parmesan cheese on top.
0 HelpfulVery good! Lots of flavor, I doubled the batch so I would have leftovers and they were eaten up very quickly. I enjoyed incorporating turnips into our meal as well since we don’t often have those.
0 HelpfulMeh! This recipe is just a baseline. I’m not knowledgeable enough to take it to the next level.
0 HelpfulI was going to freeze the leftovers but then ate them all. Found this to be super quick in the instant pot and a good use of turnips.
0 Helpful