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    Home » Soups

    Double lentil mushroom barley soup

    Updated: Apr 12, 2025 · Published: Oct 22, 2020 by Cadry Nelson · This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. · 14 Comments

    Jump to recipe
    Text overlay: Double lentil mushroom barley soup. Close-up soup in bowl.

    Double lentil mushroom barley soup is satiating and warming.

    One bowlful is a complete meal on its own. Or serve it alongside crusty bread, crackers, or a toasted sandwich.

    Lentil mushroom barley soup in bowl on table with bread and oil.

    Double lentil mushroom barley soup is a nourishing and delicious lunch or dinner. It’s packed with lentils for protein, satiating barley, and phytonutrients from mushrooms, collards, onions, and garlic.

    Great for warming you up, and a capable antidote to any sniffles that may come your way.

    I have been making this soup for well over a decade now. I started making it not long after I went vegan in 2007.

    Over the years, I’ve adjusted the ingredients and made many changes along the way. Check out my variation options below, and adjust to your specific needs and preferences.

    In this post:

    Jump to:
    • Why readers love this recipe
    • Two kinds of lentils
    • Barley
    • Get in those greens
    • Step by step instructions
    • Make it your own
    • Serving ideas
    • Storage instructions
    • More soups you’ll love
    • 📖 Recipe

    Why readers love this recipe

    5 stars

    “I found this recipe because I had a surfeit of garlic. It is soo good.” – Ida

    Two kinds of lentils

    This soup features two kinds of lentils, which behave differently in soups.

    Red lentils disintegrate when they cook. (You can see how they look all on their own in my recipe for curry lentil soup.)

    By using red lentils, the soup gets a thicker viscosity than by broth alone. That makes it especially full-bodied and filling.

    Also included in the soup are brown lentils, which keep their shape when cooked. They add toothsome bite to the soup.

    (Feeling like an extra creamy soup instead? Take a peek at this creamy vegan mushroom soup with lentils!)

    Barley

    When I was a kid, I lived on vegetable beef soup. (I wasn’t vegan then, obviously.)

    My favorite part of the soup was the barley with its almost potato-like bite and a divot right up the middle. But outside of that canned soup, barley wasn’t something that I ever ate. (Now I also love it in split pea soup!)

    When buying barley, look for pearl or pearled barley. That’s the most common form.

    It means the hull has been removed. Because of that, pearled barley has a quicker cooking time.

    If you’d prefer to use non-pearled barley, you’ll need to adjust for a longer cooking time (about 30 minutes more or until the barley is tender).

    Barley is not gluten-free. So if you need this soup to be gluten-free, replace it with brown or wild rice instead.

    Get in those greens

    Slow-cooked collard greens have a vaguely tinny taste that pairs so beautifully with earthy lentils.

    Plus, because the collards cook for about 30 minutes, they become very soft in the broth.

    It’s similar to my favorite easy collard greens, but in soup form. They almost fall apart in the mouth.

    If you don’t have access to collards or don’t care for them, replace them with another sturdy green like kale.

    Step by step instructions

    This section shows how to make this recipe at a glance with process photos of the steps. For complete ingredient amounts & instructions, keep scrolling to the recipe card below.

    Bring a soup pot to a medium heat with oil. Sauté onions and garlic until fragrant.

    Then add sliced mushrooms and a pinch of salt. Let them soften and release their liquid.

    Rinsing lentils and barley in sieve.

    Fully rinse the two kinds of lentils and barley in a sieve. Remove any debris.

    Add vegetable broth or water + bouillon, brown and red lentils, barley, herbs de Provence, smoked salt, and pepper.

    Bring to a low boil.

    Collard greens being added to soup pot.

    Then lower heat, add collard greens to the soup pot, and cover with a lid.

    Cook for 25 to 30 minutes, until the brown lentils and barley have softened.

    Soup in pot on stove.

    Make it your own

    This soup can be adjusted in all kinds of ways. And it will still taste great.

    • Use sliced leeks instead of onions
    • Use French lentils du Puy instead of brown lentils
    • Bring out the lower notes of the mushrooms by deglazing the soup pot with two Tablespoons of extra dry vermouth before adding broth
    • Use chopped kale instead of collard greens
    • Replace the barley with farro, wild rice, or brown rice
    • Replace herbs de Provence with an equal amount of Italian seasoning
    • Or replace herbs de Provence with ½ teaspoon dried rosemary + ½ teaspoon dried thyme
    • Replace smoked salt with regular salt

    Serving ideas

    With vegetables, lentils, and a grain stuffed inside, this soup is a full meal on its own. Add crusty bread & olive oil bread dip, and you’re good to go.

    But here are some tasty ways to fill it out.

    • Add a sprinkling of homemade croutons on top of the soup
    • Dunk warm bread into oil and dukkah
    • Serve with crackers and olive tapenade or warmed Castelvetrano olives
    • Have a lunch of soup & salad with a vegetable sandwich, vegan thanksgiving leftovers sandwich, or toasted sandwich with eggy tofu & seitan bacon
    • Finish out the meal with oven baked fries or lemony potatoes

    Storage instructions

    Double lentil mushroom barley soup will keep in the refrigerator in a covered container for about 5 days.

    Reheat in the microwave or on the stove.

    The barley will continue to soak up liquid. So if after reheating it looks too thick, add a splash of water until it reaches your desired consistency.

    This soup can be frozen in a freezer-safe container for 3 to 6 months. I don’t recommend it, however.

    The collard greens get very light in texture in the cooking process. And once they are frozen and thawed again, the texture isn’t as nice.

    More soups you’ll love

    If you crave a hearty and warming soup, you’ll adore these options:

    • Vegan tortilla soup
    • Creamy gnocchi soup
    • Vegan cauliflower cheese soup
    • Vegan chicken noodle soup
    • Sweet potato peanut stew
    • Creamy vegan wild rice soup
    Soup in bowl on table.

    If you try this recipe and love it, let me know! Leave a comment and ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the comment section below. It truly makes my day and is such a help!

    📖 Recipe

    Double lentil mushroom barley soup in bowl garnished with fresh thyme.

    Double lentil and mushroom barley soup

    Author: Cadry Nelson
    5 from 10 votes
    This hearty soup is a full meal with collard greens, mushrooms, lentils, and barley. Serve with crusty bread or crackers for a great cold weather lunch or dinner.
    Serves 4 to 6.
    Print Pin Rate
    Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 35 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 50 minutes minutes
    Servings: 6 people
    Course: Soup
    Cuisine: American, Vegan
    Keyword: cold weather food, winter food idea

    Ingredients

    • 1 teaspoon avocado oil or your preferred cooking oil
    • 1 small onion chopped small
    • 8 cloves garlic minced
    • 14 mushrooms white button or cremini, sliced
    • ¼ teaspoon salt or to taste + a pinch more
    • 6 cups vegetable broth or 6 cups water + 1 vegetable bouillon cube
    • ¾ cup brown lentils rinsed and sorted
    • ½ cup red lentils rinsed and sorted
    • ⅓ cup barley rinsed
    • 1 teaspoon herbs de Provence
    • ¼ teaspoon smoked salt
    • Pinch pepper
    • 2 cups collard greens chopped & with ribs removed

    Instructions

    • Bring a soup pot to a medium heat with oil. Add onions and garlic. Saute until fragrant and the onions are translucent.
    • Add sliced mushrooms to pot along with a pinch of salt. Continue cooking for a few more minutes, stirring occasionally, while the mushrooms release their liquid and soften.
    • Add vegetable broth (or water and bouillon cube, if using), brown and red lentils, barley, herbs de Provence, smoked salt, ¼ teaspoon regular salt, and a pinch of pepper to pot. Bring to a medium high heat, until it has reached a low boil.
    • Turn the heat to low and add chopped collard greens. Stir and cover the pot with a lid. Cook for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the barley is tender.

    Notes

    To really bring out the lower notes of the mushrooms, add two Tablespoons of extra dry vermouth to the soup pot to deglaze the pan after the mushrooms have cooked and just before adding broth.
    Depending on the saltiness of your broth or bouillon, you may not need ¼ teaspoon of salt. Feel free to add to taste after the soup is done, if yours is on the salty side.
    Pearled barley has a quicker cooking time than barley that still includes its hull. If you’re not using pearled barley, you’ll need to cook the soup for about 30 minutes longer, or until the barley is tender.
    This will make a hearty and stew-like soup. If you prefer a thinner soup, add additional water or broth as necessary. 
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    Nutrition

    Calories: 217kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1143mg | Potassium: 626mg | Fiber: 15g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1112IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 66mg | Iron: 4mg

    Content, recipe, and photos updated October 22, 2020. Originally published April 26, 2012.

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    About Cadry Nelson

    Cadry Nelson is the writer, recipe creator, and photographer behind Cadry’s Kitchen, and the author of Living Vegan For Dummies, 2nd Edition. Since launching her blog in 2009, Cadry has been making plant-based cooking approachable, and reimagining classic comfort foods. Her work has been featured in NBC News, Buzzfeed, Yahoo, Parade, VegNews, and more. She regularly appears on local TV shows, demonstrating to a broad audience how easy vegan cooking can be.

    Reader Interactions

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      5 from 10 votes (3 ratings without comment)

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    1. Ida

      February 22, 2022 at 6:40 pm

      5 stars
      I found this recipe because I had a surfeit of garlic. It is soo good. I’m making it a second time tonight and learning to make the recipe mine. Added a sweet potato and lotus root because I had them lying around. Using up the collards and realizing that any dark leafy green will work. So keeping my eye out for the weekly special green. Thanks a lot.

      Reply
      • Cadry Nelson

        February 23, 2022 at 8:26 am

        Thank you for the great feedback, Ida! I’m delighted you’re enjoying the recipe. The fun of cooking is taking a recipe and making it your own. I love this soup with kale too, if you want to give that a go sometime.

        Reply
    2. Bianca Phillips

      October 23, 2020 at 2:39 pm

      5 stars
      WHOA. You just blew my mind with “soup is winter’s salad.” I LOVE THAT. I’m trying to eat more Ayurvedically these days, and since I’m a vata dosha, I’m supposed to avoid raw veggies, especially in the colder months. Supposedly, they’re okay in the summer for vata types because we’re in pitta season at that time. So, I’ve been wondering how I could get that pre-dinner salad nutrition in as we move into fall and winter. And this is answer! Thank you! Of course, I’ll still have salad sometimes in the winter, but I’m trying to follow the Ayurveda rules most of the time.

      Reply
      • Cadry

        October 25, 2020 at 11:19 am

        Yay, that’s great! I’m glad to hear it. Getting in some vegetable-rich soup is an excellent way to sneak in more vitamins & minerals. Plus, more hydration is needed with the drying air in the house. So broth is a good way to achieve that!

        Reply
    3. Ashlae

      May 03, 2012 at 9:07 pm

      5 stars
      My boyfriend makes a mean lentil soup, but he always adds kale as the main green. Next time I’mma make him use some collards. Because I’ve never had them……..

      Reply
      • Cadry

        August 24, 2012 at 1:17 pm

        Yes, try it with collards for sure! I sometimes make this soup with kale, and it’s lovely, but collards have a rich and vaguely metallic quality that balance beautifully with earthy lentils.

        Reply
    4. GiGI

      April 27, 2012 at 12:18 pm

      5 stars
      My crazyman makes a very similar soup and this looks just as delicious.

      Reply
      • Cadry

        April 27, 2012 at 10:34 pm

        Excellent! Lentils and greens have got it going on!

        Reply
    5. Cara

      April 27, 2012 at 9:41 am

      5 stars
      I really like the idea of adding collards to soups! This sounds so good, Cadry. Good thing I like in “foggy county” where soups are always appropriate to eat 🙂 I am Pinning this one, sister.

      Reply
      • Cadry

        April 27, 2012 at 11:25 am

        Yes, collards are great in soup because they break down and soften. For people who find them tough or bitter, the long cooking time obliterates that. Thanks for the pin!

        Reply
    6. Kristy | Keepin' It Kind

      April 26, 2012 at 4:04 pm

      5 stars
      Lentils combined with collards and mushrooms! That sounds so satisfying right now- It’s definitely a day when soup “fits the bill.” Will definitely be giving this one a go soon. Thank you!

      Reply
      • Cadry

        April 26, 2012 at 5:03 pm

        Excellent! I imagine it would go well with your Tofu Chèvre and crostini. I have my tofu pressing right now!

        Reply
    7. Audrey

      April 26, 2012 at 1:25 pm

      5 stars
      Yum! This sounds great. What a hearty combination of flavors.

      Reply
      • Cadry

        April 26, 2012 at 5:04 pm

        Thanks, Audrey! It’s definitely a rainy day (or any day) favorite around here!

        Reply

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