Spicy Barley and Vegetable Soup
In my family there is nothing better than a steaming hot bowl of homemade spicy barley and vegetable soup on a blustery and cold winter day. This soup is often requested by my family and despite being vegetarian and I guess vegan even, it is filling and hearty thanks to the pearl barley and all the veggies. The secret to this soup is the combination of the slight spicy heat from the Scotch Bonnet Pepper and the acidic hit from the lime. Don’t worry though, the spice level is low as long as you throw the scotch bonnet in whole and don’t try to cut it up like you are making Jerk Chicken. Still don’t believe me? My two year old, Keira, loves this soup, and practically demands to drink the broth! If she can handle it, so can you!
Trust me when I say this is not your everyday boring vegetable soup, it will have everyone asking for more!
Spicy Barley and Vegetable Soup Recipe
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
2-3 Cloves Garlic, Minced
1 Large Onion, Chopped
2 Medium Carrots, Chopped
2 Celery Stalks, Chopped
3 Leeks, Chopped
8 Cups (2 L) Vegetable Broth
8oz Cremini Mushrooms, Sliced
1 Can Diced Plum Tomatoes
1 Cup Pearl Barley
1 Scotch Bonnet Pepper, Whole
2 tsp Dried Thyme
2 Tbsp Lime Juice
Sea Salt
Pepper
Directions:
Heat olive oil over medium-high heat then add the garlic and onion and saute until the onion is soft, about 4-5 minutes.
Add the Carrots, Celery and Leeks and saute for another 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Stir in the vegetable broth, mushrooms, tomatoes, barley and scotch bonnet pepper.
Bring to a boil then reduce heat and allow to simmer for 30 minutes, stirring the soup occasionally.
Remove the Scotch Bonnet Pepper. Add lime juice and salt and pepper to taste.
Serve immediately.

Spicy Barley and Vegetable Soup
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 2-3 Cloves Garlic, Minced
- 1 Large Onion, Chopped
- 2 Medium Carrots, Chopped
- 2 Celery Stalks, Chopped
- 3 Leeks, Chopped
- 8 Cups Vegetable Broth, 2 L
- 8 oz Cremini Mushrooms, Sliced
- 1 Can Diced Plum Tomatoes
- 1 Cup Pearl Barley
- 1 Scotch Bonnet Pepper, Whole
- 2 tsp Dried Thyme
- 2 Tbsp Lime Juice
- Salt
- Pepper
Instructions
- Heat olive oil over medium-high heat then add garlic and onion and saute until onion is soft, about 4-5 minutes.
- Add Carrots, Celery and Leeks and saute for another 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in the vegetable broth, mushrooms, tomatoes, barley and scotch bonnet pepper.
- Bring to a boil then reduce heat and allow to simmer for 30 minutes.
- Remove the Scotch Bonnet Pepper. Add lime juice and salt and pepper to taste.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1 gramsAmount Per Serving: Unsaturated Fat: 0g
Enjoy!
Craving Veggies? Check out these Herb Roasted Potatoes, Crispy Bok Choy Slaw, Spiced Cauliflower Potato Gobi and Quinoa Salad with Chili Lime Dressing!
What is your family favourite when it comes to soup?
G’day and warm and welcoming soup! GREAT photo!
I bet it would taste great with a mini roasted potato too!
Thanks for sharing!
Cheers! Joanne
Viewed as part of the Foodie Friends Friday Potato Party!
This sounds delicious but I could not handle a scotch bonnet pepper!
This is probably one of my favourite soups of all time. I’ve been battling one lung infection after the other this past month. I’ve also been getting bone cold, at 88 lbs it’s not surprising! But, nothing warms a girl like a hot bowl of homemade soup.
Thanks for the recipe, I think i’m going to add it to the menu list for the deep arctic freeze we are going to experience AGAIN, NEXT WEEK, IN MARCH………….ugh
Yum! Nothing better than a bowl of homemade soup! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
mmmmm sounds delish!!! nothing better than homemade soup
This sounds so good. I love barely. And, your photos are great! Thanks for sharing on Foodie Friends Friday!
This sounds so good! I love spicy soup on a cold day – can’t wait to try it:)
Oh I love a spicy vegetable soup! It’s still very cold here, and this tasty soup would make a wonderful meal! I can’t wait to try it 🙂 Pinned!
I love spicy foods and so does my better half.I think to be on the cautious side I will try only a half of the Scotch Bonnet pepper.I t does sound really delicious though.Thanks.
Don’t cut the pepper, you will only make the soup HOT… if you throw in the whole pepper as is it just lends a little flavour and the slightest amount of heat to the soup. If you are still wary try a Habanero or another pepper with less heat, but put it in whole.
This really looks good! I love a good hot stew on these cold days and nights
My kids love to eat soup and i love to incorporate a lot of veggies to it too like this one! love the spices you added and that it has mushrooms!
So gonna have to try this one! I love soup any time of year but especially on those cold rainy Canadian nights – nothing warms and comforts like a big bowl of soup full of warm goodness
Oh my goodness, this looks sooooo good!
This sounds delicious! Barley is so healthy.
That looks delicious!! I have a vegetable soup recipe that is similar, but with cayenne pepper, and no lime juice. I can’t wait to try yours! We love hearty soups in our home.
this sounds and looks delicious! Too bad Im the only one who likes spicy food though.
you always amaze me this looks fabulous
gonna try this but not spicy
You’ve inspired me to make this today. It’s cold out today, perfect recipe!
My family’s favorite Soup is Beef Barley and Vegetable. I think I will try this Vegetarian one and see how my family likes it. Thank you for this recipe . Hugs.
This recipe will come in handy in a couple of months. Thank you for sharing!
with fall here now a nice bowl of soup goes down well
The days are much cooler,its time for soup,thanks for this one
My favorite soup is a well -made Clam Chowder. My husband likes Chicken Noodle. We both like a flavorable vegetable soup like the one above.
|Time to get the slow cooker out,going to try this
What ‘s better than a fantastic bowl of homemade soup like this one.I love these kind of hearty soups in the winter especially and know I will be enjoying this one.Thank you for posting it.
This looks so good — I’ve never had Scotch Bonnet peppers before. Adding one to a soup … what an idea! I love anything spicy. I can’t wait to try this hearty meal!
This looks delicious,and a keeper for my cookbook.Thanks
This looks very comforting. Chicken would taste great in this as well.
YUM, this soup looks soooooooo good, I can’t wait to try it!
This has a few ingredients which are unusual for me, like leeks and barley, I’m going to give it a try!
Sounds wonderful. I will have to search out Scotch Bonnet Pepper, i actually have never heard of it before. Thanks, I love soups and can’t wait to try this recipe. I pinned it.
Will be trying this one later the week,sounds delicous
I love this soup because I love spicy food. But especially because it’s got really good ingredients making it really healthy.