tuscan bean & barley soup

For the first recipe of Winter 2024 I wanted to make a soup. Something versatile that most of us could produce with a quick pantry raid. 

And so we give you Tuscan Bean & Barley Soup. It's my spin on a classic White Bean Soup & involves a variety of dried beans and some pearled barley. It's a versatile recipe with wiggle room to incorporate the beans and grains you have on hand in whatever ratio you fancy.

The only caveat would be to stick to beans that hold their shape when cooked and don’t get too mushy. The reason this recipe works is because even though different beans and grains I use need different cooking times, the ones that cook the quickest don’t dissolve into the soup by the time the slower cooking pulses are done.

This is such a gloriously comforting soup. We look forward to you trying it out - let us know how it goes!

Prep Time: Overnight soaking + 20 min; Cook Time: 1hr 40 min
Serves: 4

Ingredients:
2 cups dried beans in total, soaked overnight.
(I used the following combination - ½ cup Cannellini Beans, ½ cup Navy beans, ½ cup Pinto beans, ½ cup Yellow split peas)
½ cup pearled barley
1 bay leaf
1 onion, finely diced
2 sticks celery, finely diced
2 carrots, peeled and finely diced
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1 tsp stock powder (vegetable or chicken is fine) 
Salt and pepper

To serve:
150g bacon or pancetta, diced
1 tbsp olive oil + extra to drizzle
1 cup fresh herbs, chopped (I used parsley, mint and thyme)
½ cup shaved parmesan
Lemon juice 

Method:
Drain soaked beans then add to the soup pot with 12 cups (3L) water,  pearled barley and the bay leaf. Bring to boil then turn heat down to gently simmer the beans for about 50 mins or until almost tender. Reserve 5 cups of the cooking water when done before draining the beans. Set beans and reserved cooking water aside.

Using the same soup pot, heat the olive oil over a medium-high heat, then add the bacon or pancetta. Cook until crispy then remove bacon from the pot, leaving as much oil in the pot as you can, and set it aside for garnish.

Turn heat down to medium-low. Add onion, celery and carrots to the pan and stir while cooking for about 5 mins, until the onion is soft and translucent. Add garlic, stir for 1 minute then add the cooked beans, the 5 cups of reserved cooking liquid, stock powder and rosemary. Bring to boil then reduce heat to gently simmer for 25 mins. 

Serve with crusty bread or croutons, reserved pancetta; parmesan, herbs, salt and pepper, a drizzle of olive oil and a squeeze of lemon.

​Tip: if you prefer a thicker soup, remove a cup or two of soup from the pot and blend it until smooth using a stick blender, regular blender, nutribullet or food processor. Then add it back to the soup pot and stir it through.

Pimp My Recipe
Add chilli flakes as a garnish!

For a vegan version, simply omit the pancetta and parmesan and add more seasoning if required. 

Try different beans like lima, borlotti or chickpeas. And instead of barley try freekeh, spelt grain or farro.

Make double and freeze for future winter suppers.