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    Home » Recipes » Lunch » Soup

    Scottish Pearl Barley Vegetable Soup

    Published: Oct 17, 2019 · Updated: Nov 8, 2022 by Neil 16 Comments

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    A bowl of Scottish pearl barley vegetable soup with a chopping board with a knife and chopped leek on in the background. Pin title text overlay at top.
    Two bowls of Scottish pearl barley vegetable soup one in front of the other with a chopping board in the background.

    Scottish pearl barley vegetable soup is delicious and filling. This thick, comforting and easy soup recipe is packed full of flavour and hearty goodness!

    Two bowls of Scottish pearl barley vegetable soup one in front of the other with a chopping board with a knife and chopped leek on in the background.

    Folks today I'm sharing with you another of my favourite, tasty and comforting soup recipes. This Scottish pearl barley vegetable soup.

    This pearl barley soup is suitable for vegans, low in fat and calories and is also cholesterol free.

    What a perfect soup for this time of year too. As we approach the colder months of the year and we all look to more comforting recipes. I think you'll be putting this on your list of favourite winter vegetable soups!

    You know, my Scottish soup recipes like my Easy Scottish Lentil Soup are always my most popular recipes.

    Indeed at one time I thought about just making this blog all about soup.

    Although then I wouldn't have been able to share all my other delicious recipes with you so that wouldn't have worked. Ha ha!

    A closeup view of one bowl of Scottish peark barley vegetable soup with a chopping board and chopped vegetables in the background.

    I often talk about recipes that remind me of my childhood. This pearl barley vegetable soup is another one of those such recipes!

    As a wee boy growing up in Scotland, soups were an absolute staple in our diets.

    In the 1970's and 1980's there was less fresh produce on the supermarket shelves than there is today.

    What produce there was were Scottish staples. Home grown vegetables like onions, leeks, carrots and turnip. All of which this excellent soup contain.

    Meat was also more expensive then too, and used less in the making of soups (except for stock making from the bones) but rather more for main courses.

    Using pearl barley instead of meat, made dishes like this highly nutritious as well as helping to thicken soups and stews. It's also cheap and a health dose of barley is really filling too.

    Plus the chewy, nutty tasting barley is a change from using using just pasta or rice.

    Pearl barley may have lost it's popularity in recent years but it's still readily available in most supermarkets. So why not pick up a packet and make this pearl barley broth a staple in your soup recipe list?

    Birds eye view of a bowl of pearl barley soup with a chopping board and chopped vegetables on.

    The only real difference to the authentic Scottish pearl barley vegetable soup recipe that I remember is it didn't contain a can of chopped tomatoes. It was purely meat or vegetable stock based.

    I've used vegetable stock and I've added a can of chopped tomatoes here.

    My reason for this is the can of tomatoes adds a delicious sweet flavour and using a meat stock instead of vegetable would over power that.

    I'm grateful to my mum for all the amazing soup recipes she made.

    I'm sure she'll forgive me for adding a can of tomatoes here!

    Birds eye view of two bowls of Scottish pearl barley vegetable soup with chopping board, knife and chopped vegetables on.

    For This Pearl Barley Soup You May Need….

    The following links and any links in the recipe card below are affiliate links.

    This means that if you click on it and then buy that product, I’ll get a small commission (at no extra cost to you of course).

    If you do click through, then thanks for being a part of Neil’s Healthy Meals!

    This is the set of pans I recommend for cooking with.

    The set includes 16, 18, 20 cm saucepans, 1 x 14 cm milk pan and 1 x 24 cm fry pan.

    The pans are suitable for all hobs including induction.

    They come with a 1-year guarantee which can be extended to a 10-year warranty when you register the product.

    Questions About This Pearl Barley Vegetable Soup

    • Do you have to cook pearl barley before adding to soup? No. The barley does not need to be cooked before use and will become tender during the soup cooking process.
    • Is this pearl barley vegetable soup gluten free? No, because barley is not gluten-free. You could try substituting the barley here with some brown rice instead.
    • Is pearl barley good for you? Yes, barley is a great source of fibre which has been linked to reducing the risk of heart disease.
    • Is pearl barley healthy? Yes, There are many health benefits liked to eating pearl barley. There are 12g of protein in every 100g of barley. And there are essential vitamins and minerals like B6, which our bodies need to keep our blood healthy.
    • Is this pearl barley soup good for weight loss? It can help towards weight loss because the barley makes you feel fuller for longer. So for instance eating this soup for lunch could help reduce the tempatation of eating unhealthy snacks between meals.
    • Can you freeze pearl barley soup? Yes. I suggest dividing portions into individual containers and labeling them. If you defrost your soup and find it is a lot thicker than you like when re-heating, you can add a little hot water.

    How To Make Barley Soup

    1. Gently heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion and leek and sauté for about 5 minutes until soft.
    2. Add the carrot, swede, tinned tomatoes, tomato paste, stock and herbs. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes.
    3. Add the pearl barley and cook for about 10 minutes or until soft.
    4. Season to taste and serve.

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    Other Popular Scottish Soup Recipes You Might Also Like

    • Scottish leek and potato soup. Still as deliciously creamy and smooth tasting as the original but as it’s not made with butter or cream, it’s so much more healthier!
    • Scottish vegetable soup is packed full of healthy seasonal veggies that combine together to produce a fantastic unique flavour. This delicious bowl of goodness will hug you from your head to your toes!
    • Ham and vegetable soup is packed full of nutrition. It’s an easy to make hearty healthy soup that makes 6 to 8 portions. It freezes well too.
    • Leftover turkey soup is the ultimate recipe to use up that leftover turkey from Thanksgiving or Christmas. This delicious healthy turkey soup recipe is bursting with flavour!
    • This easy slow cooker Scotch broth recipe is a classic hearty vegetable soup that's both delicious and filling!
    • Scottish cock-a-leekie soup is a staple in most Scottish homes. This is an easier quicker version than the traditional recipe taking less than an hour to make!

    Scottish Pearl Barley Vegetable Soup Recipe

    This is a really filling vegetable soup with pearl barley. It's great as a satisfying lunch or weeknight dinner. As well as being particularly welcoming on a cold winters night!

    You couldn't go wrong with pairing this soup with a slice of my Easy Multigrain Bread. Perfect for dunking and wiping up the last few drops!

    Another great thing about this vegetable barley soup is that it is extremely versatile.

    If you follow my instructions below, when you are adding your vegetable you could easily change those to what you want. Or what you have left in the fridge.

    It's easy to make so many different variations of barley soup recipes!

    I’d love to hear what you think of my recipe in the comments below and please do rate my recipe 5* if you like it! 🙂

    Two bowls of Scottish pearl barley vegetable soup one in front of the other with a chopping board with a knife and chopped leek on in the background.
    Print Recipe Save Recipe Saved Recipe!
    5 from 6 votes

    Scottish Pearl Barley Vegetable Soup Recipe

    Scottish pearl barley vegetable soup is delicious and filling. This thick, comforting and easy soup recipe is packed full of flavour and hearty goodness!
    Prep Time25 mins
    Cook Time45 mins
    Total Time1 hr 10 mins
    Course: Appetizer, Lunch
    Cuisine: Scottish
    Servings: 6
    Calories: 193kcal
    Author: Neil

    The following links and any links in the recipe card below are affiliate links.

    This means that if you click on it and then buy that product I’ll get a small commission (at no extra cost to you of course).

    If you do click through then thanks for being a part of Neil’s Healthy Meals!

    Equipment

    • Saucepans
    • Kitchen scale
    • Kitchen knives
    • Measuring jug
    • Chopping board
    • Measuring spoons
    • Wooden spoon
    • Soup ladle

    Ingredients

    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 2 onions diced
    • 1 leek diced
    • 2 carrots peeled and diced
    • 300 g swede turnip, diced
    • 400 g can chopped tomatoes
    • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
    • 1.5 litre vegetable stock
    • 1 teaspoon dried basil
    • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
    • 1 teaspoon paprika
    • 175 g pearl barley
    • Freshly ground salt and pepper
    Metric - US Customary

    Instructions

    • Gently heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion and leek and sauté for about 5 minutes until soft.
    • Add the carrot, swede, tinned tomatoes, tomato paste, stock and herbs. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes.
    • Add the pearl barley and cook for about 10 minutes or until soft.
    • Season to taste before serving.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 193kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 314mg | Potassium: 541mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 3952IU | Vitamin C: 25mg | Calcium: 80mg | Iron: 3mg

    Nutrition Facts
    Scottish Pearl Barley Vegetable Soup
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 193 Calories from Fat 27
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 3g5%
    Saturated Fat 1g6%
    Sodium 314mg14%
    Potassium 541mg15%
    Carbohydrates 38g13%
    Fiber 8g33%
    Sugar 8g9%
    Protein 5g10%
    Vitamin A 3952IU79%
    Vitamin C 25mg30%
    Calcium 80mg8%
    Iron 3mg17%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Katerina

      October 17, 2019 at 10:43 am

      5 stars
      I have grown up on soups too, my mum is a big fan! I love the look of this one, Neil - it looks super warming and filling, I am looking forward to that breakfast bar recipe!

      Reply
      • Neil

        October 17, 2019 at 5:51 pm

        You can't beat a big bowl of healthy tasty soup like this, can you Katerina? I had this for lunch today and I'm glad as it's been pretty chilli outside.

        Reply
    2. David @ Spiced

      October 17, 2019 at 1:10 pm

      5 stars
      I love soup season! Truth be told, we've been known to eat soup in the middle of the summer. However, Fall and Winter are soup season in full force. Barley is one of my favorite soup ingredients, so I know I would really enjoy this soup. Plus, it's super healthy...so that means I can have a slice of cake with it, right? Hah! Thanks for sharing this family recipe, Neil!

      Reply
      • Neil

        October 17, 2019 at 5:53 pm

        David I think you should have this soup and then two slices of cake and that's allowed. All in one day though of course. Ha ha! Glad you like it and isn't Barley such an underrated soup ingredient?

        Reply
    3. Ben|Havocinthekitchen

      October 18, 2019 at 10:35 am

      5 stars
      I do like barley and soup recipes with it (It works splendid in chicken and mushroom versions), and this healthier idea sounds wonderful to me. Also, although it's hard to dedicate your blog to one particular dish / style (some people somehow do that!), you can challenge yourself and have a themed (soup / curry / sweet potato etc) month on your blog - that would be fun!

      Reply
      • Neil

        October 18, 2019 at 12:17 pm

        I do enjoy a barley soup with chicken too Ben. I can't say I've had a barley soup with mushrooms in before but I'm willing to try it!

        Good idea for a month of a themed recipe. I might use that idea some time next year! 🙂

        Reply
    4. Laura

      October 21, 2019 at 8:31 pm

      5 stars
      It’s totally soup season here, Neil! I just love soup recipes and this one sounds great! I don’t cook with barley nearly enough, so I’m pinning this one to make soon! Thanks so much!

      Reply
      • Neil

        October 22, 2019 at 9:25 am

        That's great Laura. Yes I think that barley is a seriously underated ingredient. Great for all sorts of soups and stews. Hope you enjoy this soup! 🙂

        Reply
    5. Matt - Total Feasts

      October 21, 2019 at 10:04 pm

      5 stars
      Years ago I was visiting Edinburgh for the first time, and I found a small pub which served a barley soup. It was just perfect for this time of year, and your recipe reminds me of this!

      Reply
      • Neil

        October 22, 2019 at 9:26 am

        I'm glad that you've had that experience Matt. And what a perfect place to have that barley soup in. In Edinburgh! Brilliant! 😀

        Reply
    6. Mimi

      October 22, 2019 at 1:15 pm

      This looks so appealing! And warming! I love barley, but I purchase hulled barley. Pearl barley is actually processed, like what they do to white rice. You’ll have a significant improvement in nutrition if you use hulled.

      Reply
      • Neil

        October 22, 2019 at 4:15 pm

        Thanks Mimi and that's a good tip on the barley. If people can get that then all the better.

        Reply
    7. Kankana Saxena

      October 23, 2019 at 1:51 am

      I got these pearl couscous which I was wondering to turn into soup or salad. I am now leaning towards soup.

      Reply
      • Neil

        October 23, 2019 at 5:33 am

        Sounds like that would be a good use of them! Thanks for commenting Kankana. 🙂

        Reply
    8. Marissa

      October 25, 2019 at 12:35 am

      5 stars
      I have some barley that I need to use and this is exactly how it's going to happen! Love how simple this is and it sounds delicious!

      Reply
      • Neil

        October 25, 2019 at 5:27 am

        Glad you like this soup Marissa. It's definitely a great way to use up any leftover barley you might have hanging around! 🙂

        Reply

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