Barley, Lentil, Chickpea, and Orzo Soup

2021 November 5

This is a soup I made up that uses up little bits and pieces of pantry items that I like in other dishes. The mix of two legumes and two grains is more filling and balanced than a soup relying on just one. I make this a little differently each time.

I didn't even try to guess the times between steps because "doneness" will depend on personal preference — I hate lentils once they get soggy, for example. Use grains/legumes you're familiar with in other contexts so you can judge timing, or just watch/sample like a hawk. I can usually get this finished in under 40 minutes, working at a leisurely pace (unless I decide to caramelize the onions).

Ingredients:

• olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• garlic, as much as possible, chopped
• ½ cup pearled barley
• spices, to taste (black pepper, smoked paprika, coriander)
• ~6—10 cups water or veggie stock
• salt, to taste
• 4 medium carrots, cut into coins
• ½ cup brown or green lentils
• handful sundried tomatoes
• dried herbs, to taste (marjoram, thyme)
• ½ cup orzo
• 1 can chickpeas, with liquid
• ½ cup roasted red peppers
• something acidic (lemon juice, balsamic vinegar)

Method:

• Heat olive oil in a pot. Add onion and cook for as long as you have patience to; softened is fine, caramelized is great. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Add barley and spices to taste, and sautee briefly just to bring out their flavor a bit, stirring frequently to prevent burning.
• Add water/stock and salt and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer until barley no longer looks or feels totally hard.
• Stir in carrots, lentils, sundried tomatoes, and dried herbs. Bring back up to a simmer and cook until lentils are just cooked through but not yet soft.
• Stir in orzo, chickpeas, and roasted red peppers, cover pot, bring back up to a boil, and turn off heat. Let pasta absorb liquid for a little while. Add more water/stock to adjust the liquid-to-solids ratio to your liking, and adjust seasoning with more salt and something acidic.

Tips:

• Add a little salt and ideally a grind of pepper every time you add something to the pot.
• Adjust liquid ratio as you go, tweaking heat as needed.

To make not-vegan:

• Begin by cooking bacon in the pot and use that grease to start the onions. Leave the bacon in or save it to crumble on top.
• Cook spicy sausage with the onion.
• Top with a dollop of sour cream or plain yogurt, or a cheese such as feta, mizithra, cotija, or parmesan. Or serve slices of cheddar on the side.

To make more veggie-heavy:

• Serve with a green salad.
• Add leeks at the same time as the garlic, or a bitter/pungent green such as arugula, mustard, chicory, or dandelion at the very end with the orzo.
• Eat an apple or pear on the side if you're feeling autumnal.