I’m just going to put this out there: this soup is awesome. This is one of those recipes that I’ve been making some variation of forever, tweaking and perfecting, until it finally reached that point where I had to share it. The original recipe came from my mom’s collection. Back when I moved out of the house, I made a point of copying all of my mom’s favorite recipes down on index cards, because that’s how we shared recipes back in the old days. Anyhow, I still have a little box of recipe cards from mom that I dive into from time to time. Mushroom barley soup was one of my favorites from that box. The original recipe was pretty simple, though it wasn’t vegan. I made a few swaps and added in some soymilk to make it creamy. For a long time it was one of my favorite soups. But as my cooking changed, the recipe evolved. Wine and fresh thyme were new additions, different types of mushrooms entered the picture (the recipe works with all kinds!), and soy milk got replaced with super creamy cashews. This last time I made it I decided to blend up some of the soup — mushrooms, veggies, barley and all. That’s what put it over the top. If you’re looking for something super cozy and comforting that nobody would ever guess was vegan, well here you go. Like this recipe? If so, be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, or subscribe to my newsletter. And please stop back and leave me a review and rating below if you make it!
