Mushroom Barley Vegetarian Stew
What’s more comforting then thick, savory stew. Caramelized onions, thick and chewy mushrooms with little bites of carrots and celery in savory broth. Yum!
Although stews can be time consuming, Mushroom Barley Vegetarian Stew is pretty low-effort. You probably need 10 minutes to prep and chop all your veggies.
I made this stew so many times on the stove, but this time I used Instant Pot. I just love this little appliance, it cuts on time and makes your soups as flavorful if not more .
I will have full recipe on the blog , so if you are looking for a weekday dinner idea go to:
To start, make sure you carve out enough time for the stew to simmer. I recommend at least 1 ½ hours of simmering time, or more. You need this time for flavors to develop and stew to thicken.
Ingredients:
1 large onion
1 tablespoon olive oil
20 ounces mushrooms (I used mini bella mushrooms, but shiitake would be good also)
3 large carrots
bulb of garlic
3 celery stalks
4 cups mushroom broth ( or vegetable broth)
1/2 teaspoon thyme, dried or 3 pieces of fresh
1/2 teaspoon rosemary, dried
Salt and pepper to taste
pinch of red pepper flakes
Directions:
Prepare your vegetables: chop the onion, cut the mushrooms into large chunks, chop the carrots and celery, dice garlic.
In a dutch oven or large soup pot heat olive oil and sauté onion until translucent. Add pinch of salt and pepper to start build a flavor.
Add chopped mushrooms, carrots and celery, and sauté until mushrooms start to release there liquid and are starting to brown. Add garlic and season with additional salt and pepper and pinch of red pepper flakes, thyme and rosemary.
Mix well together.
Pour the mushroom or vegetable broth. Stir to combine.
Bring the stew to a simmer, then pour the barley into the pot. Season with another pinch of salt and pepper. Continue to simmer on medium low until the body is cooked. Simmer for about 1 1/2.
When the stew is ready, add baby spinach cover the pot and simmer for a couple more minutes.
Enjoy!!!
