Red Bean And Barley Soup

Total Time: 1 hr 30 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 1/2 cup pearl barley
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 4 cups cooked red beans (can use canned that are drained and rinsed)
• 4 cups low-fat chicken broth (low-fat chicken stock) or 4 cups vegetable broth, preferably homemade (low-fat chicken stock)
• salt
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

Recipe

• 1 in a small saucepan, combine the barley with water to cover; place over med-high heat.
• 2 when the water boils, decrease heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes.
• 3 drain barley, rinse, and drain again; set aside.
• 4 heat the oil in a 4-quart saucepan over med-high heat.
• 5 add in onion; cook/stir until begins to soften, 2-3 minutes.
• 6 stir in the beans and broth; bring to a boil.
• 7 decrease heat to med-low, cover the saucepan, and cook 15 minutes.
• 8 use a slotted spoon to transfer the beans and onion to a food processor and pulse 4-5 times to finely chop the beans but not puree them.
• 9 scrape the sides of the work bowl down and pulse the machine 1-2 more times.
• 10 return the beans to the saucepan with the liquid and stir well to blend.
• 11 add in the barley and place over med-high heat.
• 12 when the soup comes to a boil, decrease heat to low and simmer, stirring often to prevent the barley from sticking, until the barley is tender, about 30 minutes.
• 13 stir in the parsley; season with salt to taste, and serve.
• 14 *you may drizzle a teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil over each serving, if you wish.