Vegetable-Herb Soup With Parsley, Sage, Oregano, & Thyme

Vegetable soup with parsley, sage, oregano, and thyme is a versatile, delicious, simple, and quick. I made it for a bunch of little children and they ate it all gone!:-)  The veggies can be varied according to the season or your needs.  I add a little pasta to round out everything - especially for my pasta loving  little diners :-).  Another great addition is cooked beans - the beans add protein and fiber too as well as color and great taste.

It is wonderful to have the herbs growing in your garden; it does not take much space to grow them - a large pot will work very nicely. Not only is it handy to have your own homegrown herbs to snip as you need, they are economical too and look beautiful on your patio, balcony, etc. Quite often people only use a part of the expensive bundles of herbs for a specific recipe and the rest eventually end up in the waste bin.  

The barley broth is particularly delicious in this soup but if you don't have time for it or the inclination, water or vegetable broth may be substituted; you will have great soup no matter whichever way you make it.  I make soups with water quite often when neither barley nor veggie broth is handy; the soup turns out good always and in this instance it makes a wonderful clear soup.

Vegetable Soup with Herbs

1 Tbsp Oil
1 clove garlic (OR 1 pinch Asafetida)
1 Onion, chopped
1 small sprig Sage (2-4 leaves), optional
4-5 sprigs Thyme, Oregano
1/2 tsp Turmeric
2 ribs Celery, diced
1 Potato, cubed
2 Carrots, diced
1 Sweet Potato, cubed
1 small head Broccoli, separated into florets (include stems)
2 Florets Cauliflower, separated into small bite-sized pieces
1 quart/liter Barley Broth or water
Sea Salt, freshly ground Pepper to taste
5-6 sprigs Parsley, chopped

2 sprigs fresh Basil, finely chopped
2  cups cooked small pasta, (for serving)

Heat the oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven; stir in the onion, garlic, celery, and the herbs - oregano, sage, thyme.

Sprinkle with a couple of generous pinches of salt along with the turmeric and cook covered over moderate heat until onions are soft and translucent - about 4 to 5 minutes.

Pour in the barley broth or water and bring to a boil.

Add the carrots and potatoes gently and simmer for 5 minutes.

Now add the sweet potato, cauliflower, and broccoli; simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.

When the veggies are tender, remove from heat and stir in the parsley and basil.

Let sit covered for about 5 minutes.

Place a spoonful of pasta in each bowl and ladle the soup on top.

Serve hot or warm.  Enjoy!!

Barley Broth

1/2 cup barley

1 Tbsp Oil

a few grinds of Black Pepper

1-2 cloves Garlic, minced

1 Onion, chopped

1 large Carrot, minced

2 ribs Celery, finely chopped

1 tsp Sea Salt

1/4 cup Parsley, finely chopped

Heat the oil in a large soup pot and cook the veggies with the salt and pepper gently for about 10 minutes until soft.

Stir in barley and 6 cups of water and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat and simmer gently for about 45 minutes to an hour or until barley is very soft.

Stir in the parsley.

Serve hot as a simple soup or use as broth to enrich your favorite soup. Enjoy!

P.S. Barley broth may be frozen for later use if not used within a couple of days.