Mushroom Barley Soup with Ten Minutes Work – Instant Pot!

This is a great soup, my comfort food — a meal in itself for a wintry evening. It took me ten minutes of prep time to load it into my Instant Pot, was cooked under pressure for 20 minutes while I put my feet up — and soup.

Ingredients

• 2 TB extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 Spanish onion, petite diced
• 2 large carrots, sliced on the bias
• 2 stalks celery, sliced
• 4 medium to large plum tomatoes, petite diced (or a 19 oz. can)
• 1/2 lb. pearl barley
• 1 lb. baby belle mushrooms, quartered (this time I used one very large Portobello mushroom
• 2 cups chopped greens (kale/spinach/chard, any or all)
• 6 cups water
• 1 TB salt
• 1/4 tsp. hot paprika to start

Instructions

1. Add the extra virgin olive oil to the Instant Pot.
2. Petite dice or chop the onion and add to the Instant Pot. Turn on IP to Saute for 5-10 minutes while you prep the remaining veggies.
3. Slice the carrots on the bias and add to the onions in the IP while continuing the Saute.
4. Slice the celery and add to the IP while continuing the Saute.
5. If the veggies are soft or you’ve completed 10 minutes of Saute time, Cancel.
6. Add all remaining ingredients: the petite diced tomatoes (I usually use fresh but was lazy this time), the 6 cups of water, the cut-up mushrooms, chopped greens, barley, water and seasonings. Stir.
7. NOTE: If you like your greens greener and a little crunchier, just add the chopped stems to the mix in #6 and hold the greens.
8. Close the lid on the IP and close the vent. Set to Pressure for 20 minutes.
9. When the 20 minutes is complete, open the steam release until you can open the lid, about 10 minutes, then remove the lid. If you held the greens, add them now to the hot soup to soften for a few moments before serving. You can also “Sauté” in the soup until they are the way you like them.
10. Check seasonings and serve. Mmmm…mmm…good.