Chickpea Barley Soup

Chickpea Barley Soup combines two hearty flavors and textures – chickpeas and barley. You probably guessed that. This is a slow cooker recipe that starts with dried chickpeas. We’ve said it before and we’re saying it again, you can’t beat the flavor of dried beans cooked for hours and hours in a slow cooker. The flavor is rich and the broth is simply elegant. If you haven’t done so already, buy or borrow a slow cooker so you can make this soup. They’re inexpensive appliances that do an amazing job bringing out the flavors of grains and beans. We’ve used various brands over the years, and any of these slow cookers should work well for you.

By Caroline Graettinger January 25, 2014

Yield : about 14 cups

Ingredients

2 cups - chickpeas (garbanzo beans), uncooked
1 cup - whole, hull-less barley, uncooked
1 large - leek (bulb and lower leaf portion), chopped
4 medium - carrots, chopped
2 medium - celery stalks, finely chopped
1 medium - zucchini, chopped
10 cups - water

Instructions

Combine all the ingredients in a slow cooker and cook on Low for 8-10 hours or on High for 4-5 hours. Salt and pepper to taste.

Tips

If you find it difficult to get whole, hull-less barley in your local shops, you can order it online. We recommend Bob's Red Mill Barley. It has provided us with consistent success. Whole, hull-less barley provides extra health benefits over pearled barley, which is more commonly found, but where the bran and germ have been removed. We believe it is worth seeking out the whole, hull-less variety.

Nutrition Information

Nutrition (per serving): 464 calories, 71% calories from carbohydrates, 18% calories from protein, 11% calories from fat, 23.1g fiber.