Italian bean and barley soup
70 min · 15 g protein · 350 cals / serving
A thick, rustic Northern Italian soup of creamy white and pinto beans, chewy pearl barley and Tuscan kale in a rosemary-and-garlic tomato broth. Finished with lemon, black pepper and a snowfall of parmesan, it is even better the next day.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 2 medium carrots, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary, leaves finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 3/4 cup pearl barley barley, rinsed
- 2 cans (15 oz each) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can (15 oz) pinto beans, borlotti if you can find them, drained and rinsed
- 1 can (14 oz) canned crushed tomatoes
- 6 1/4 cups vegetable broth
- 2 cups water
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 bunch Tuscan kale (cavolo nero) kale, stems removed, leaves shredded
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
To serve
- 1/3 cup grated parmesan, or a vegetarian hard cheese (traditional parmesan uses animal rennet)
- 3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Steps
- Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot and celery with a pinch of the salt and cook, stirring now and then, for 8–10 minutes, until soft and lightly golden.
- Add the garlic, rosemary and pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute, then stir in the tomato paste and cook 1 minute more.
- Add the barley, both beans, the crushed tomatoes, broth, water, bay leaf and the rest of the salt. Bring to a boil, then simmer, partly covered, for 35–40 minutes, stirring now and then, until the barley is tender but still chewy. Mash a ladleful of beans against the side of the pot to thicken the soup.
- Stir in the kale and simmer 5 minutes more, until tender. Take out the bay leaf, add the lemon juice and black pepper and taste for salt. Add a splash of water if you like it looser.
- Ladle into bowls and finish with parmesan and parsley.
Good to know
Does it keep?
For 5 days in the fridge and 3 months in the freezer. The barley keeps drinking the broth, so thin leftovers with a little water or broth when you reheat.
Can I make it vegan?
Yes: skip the parmesan and finish with a drizzle of your best olive oil and extra lemon instead. It scores a little lower: about 77 instead of 80.
Gluten-free?
Barley contains gluten. Use the same weight of brown rice (about the same score) or a small soup pasta made from rice, and start checking it after 25 minutes.
Alternatives
Per
- Calories
- 57
- Protein
- (18%)
- 2 g
- Fat
- (18%)
- 1 g
- Carbohydrates
- (63%)
- 10 g
- of which sugar
- 2 g
- Fiber
- 2 g
- Sodium
- 251 mg
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Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. How
As written, 2099 kcal goes into the pot and 3992 g of ingredients comes out as about 3700 g of food: 57 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.