Meal In A Jar Italian Barley Soup Recipes

ITALIAN BARLEY SOUP

Steps:

• Bring soup stock and water to a boil in a large stockpot.
• Reduce heat and add barley, celery, carrot, onion, garlic, red wine, lemon, pepper, and salt.
• Cover and simmer for 2 hours, stirring frequently to prevent barley from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
• Add the herbs, tomatoes, and tomato paste and cook for 1 more hour.
• Leave the lid on during cooking and occasionally check to see if you need to add water.
• Ladle into soup bowls and sprinkle with grated cheese before serving.

ITALIAN LENTIL AND BARLEY SOUP

Steps:

• Sort through lentils to remove debris and shriveled beans, then rinse.
• Add lentils to crock pot, along with barley, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, dried herbs and bay leaf.
• Pour in broth, water, and tomatoes.
• Cover and cook on low heat for 12 to 14 hours, or on high heat for 5 to 6 hours.
• Discard bay leaf and just before serving stir in parsley and vinegar. (If you don't use the vinegar, the soup might taste more bland as you're omitting a major contributor of flavor.).
• Lentils aren't like dried beans. They don't require soaking and cook pretty quickly when you do it right.
• When you buy your lentils, go somewhere that has a decent turnover so your lentils haven't been sitting on the shelf for years. Also, don't add any additional salt to the soup while it is cooking, and don't add lentils to already boiling water as either one can make lentils tough.

ITALIAN SOUP MIX IN A JAR

Steps:

• Layer beans in order listed in a 1-quart wide-mouth jar; set aside.
• Place pasta in a plastic zip-lock bag; gently pack on top of beans; secure lid.
• Place the remaining ingredients in a small plastic zip-lock bag or small jar; pack both jars or jar and zip-lock bag together in a basket; include cooking instructions.
• Cooking instructions: set the spice mixture and pasta aside; pour the beans in a mixing bowl; rinse with water and drain.
• Cover the beans with water; let soak overnight; rinse, drain, and pour into a 5-quart Dutch oven; add in 8 cups water, a 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes, seasonings in jar or bag, 1 cup sliced carrots, 1 cup sliced celery, 1 cup chopped onions.
• Bring to a boil; lower heat, and simmer, covered, for 2 hours.
• Uncover and gently boil until thickened (about 35 minutes).
• Stir in pasta; heat about 10 minutes or until pasta is tender.