This stew is made simply with fresh vegetables, convenient canned chickpeas and diced tomatoes, vegetable broth, fresh thyme, and pearled barley. Pearled (also called pearl) barley cooks more quickly than whole grain barley, and most of the barley found in supermarkets is, in fact, the pearled variety. Pearled barley is polished to remove some or all of the outer bran layer and the hull. While technically it’s a refined grain, some of the bran still may be intact. To turn this from a stew to a soup, add 2 more cups of broth.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, roughly chopped
8 ounces button mushrooms, cleaned and roughly chopped
3 carrots, peeled and cut into ½-inch dice (about 2 cups)
3 celery stalks, trimmed and cut into ½-inch dice (1 generous cup)
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups vegetable broth
One 14.5-ounce can petite diced tomatoes
One 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
½ cup pearled barley
6 fresh thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
Grated Parmesan cheese, optional
Instructions
Heat oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add onion and mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add carrots, celery, and garlic and cook, stirring often, until garlic is fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.
Add vegetable broth, tomatoes, chickpeas, barley, thyme, and bay leaf. Stir until well combined. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until vegetables and barley are tender, about 35 minutes. Stir every 10 minutes. (Cooking times may vary depending on type of barley used.)
Remove thyme stems and bay leaf, serve in individual bowls, and top with Parmesan cheese as desired.