Hearty Mushroom Barley Soup

This is a hearty & delicious soup that makes a

perfect lunch or light summer dinner

paired with a sandwich or salad. It's very heart healthy too!

The recipe is from the cookbook

"Quick Fixes from Brand Name Mixes".

Hearty Mushroom Barley Soup - 4 (1 1/2 cup) Servings

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 2 cups chopped onions (I use frozen sometimes if I don't feel like chopping & crying)
• 1 cup thinly sliced carrots
• 2 cans (14.5 oz) reduced sodium chicken broth (I prefer beef stock for this recipe, gives it more depth of flavor. I just combine 4 tsp of Better than Bouillon to 4 cups boiling water).
• 1 can fat-free cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
• 8 to 12 oz sliced mushrooms (give them a rough chop)
• 1/2 cup quick-cooking barley, uncooked*
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
• 1/4 cup finely chopped green onions (optional)
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Heat Dutch oven or large saucepan over medium-high heat until hot. Add oil and tilt pan to coat bottom of pan. Add yellow onions; cook 8 minutes or until just beginning to turn golden. Add carrots and cook 2 minutes. Add chicken broth, cream of mushroom soup, mushrooms, barley, Worcestershire sauce & thyme; bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in green onions, salt and pepper if desired.

*If using regular barley, the soup will need to simmer for 1 hour to completely cook the barley & thicken the soup.

I served this the other night with BLT's. Yum!