Warm Winter-to-Spring Vegetable Soup (Printable)

A comforting blend of winter and spring vegetables cooked with barley and fragrant herbs for a nutritious meal.

# What You Need:

→ Vegetables

01 - 1 medium leek, white and light green parts only, sliced
02 - 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
03 - 2 medium parsnips, peeled and diced
04 - 1 small rutabaga, peeled and diced
05 - 1 cup green cabbage, shredded
06 - 1 cup baby spinach, roughly chopped
07 - 2 celery stalks, diced
08 - 2 garlic cloves, minced

→ Grains

09 - 3/4 cup pearl barley, rinsed

→ Liquids

10 - 8 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
11 - 1 tablespoon olive oil

→ Herbs & Seasonings

12 - 1 bay leaf
13 - 1 teaspoon dried thyme
14 - 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
15 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
16 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped for garnish

# Directions:

01 - Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add leek, carrots, parsnips, rutabaga, and celery. Sauté for 5 to 7 minutes until vegetables begin to soften.
02 - Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly, until fragrant.
03 - Stir in the pearl barley, then pour in the vegetable broth. Add bay leaf, thyme, and marjoram. Bring to a boil.
04 - Reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for 35 minutes, stirring occasionally, until barley and root vegetables are tender.
05 - Add cabbage and spinach. Simmer uncovered for another 5 to 7 minutes, until greens are wilted but still vibrant.
06 - Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove bay leaf. Ladle into bowls and garnish with fresh parsley. Serve hot.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It's the kind of soup where you taste every vegetable clearly, no flavors fighting for attention, just a quiet chorus of earth and herbs.
  • Barley gives it body without heaviness, and honestly, it makes leftovers taste even better the next day.
  • You can make it on a random weeknight and feel like you've done something genuinely nourishing for yourself.
02 -
  • Don't skip rinsing the barley, because the starch it releases will turn your clear broth murky and change the whole texture in a way that's hard to fix.
  • Add the spinach and cabbage at the very end, not earlier, or they'll lose all their color and personality and just become part of the background.
03 -
  • Make a double batch because it freezes beautifully for weeks, and having it on hand means comfort is always a quick reheat away.
  • The soup tastes even better the next day when all the flavors have had time to settle and become friends with each other.
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