The life of a real foodie, it can be good or really bad -you gain weight, then you lose, but we comfort ourselves with food, at least I am.
I try to skip eating unhealthy snacks and go for the apple, but that’s not always a case… A girl needs her chocolate more than you can imagine!
I go through magazines, blogs, and cookbooks every day to find inspiration, and once you see the picture something magical happens…
The idea for your next meal, something that you haven’t tried before, or perhaps something to comfort you hit your head.
When I saw a similar recipe to this one it did have spinach and chicken, but I wouldn’t be me if I don’t change it, so little by little I started thinking about the combination.
I had leftover grilled chicken breast in my fridge, and a full bag of organic spinach; soup in that old magazine just had a makeover in my head. Popped my headphone on, cranked the music up and just relaxed cooking.
I love barley so I add in lots of my soups, it also gave an amazing taste and texture to this soup. I made it with Kale last weekend too, and it was very good.
A full pot of this soup was gone so fast, and I was surprised that my oldest two kids were asking for one more bowl.
It was really good and hearty, not to mention healthy too. If you don’t know what to cook for perhaps colder nights, this is something that the whole family can enjoy with some crunchy bread on the side or Soda bread.
I love bread in general with any hearty soups. Check out my recipes for the most popular on my blog: Irish Soda Bread, No Knead Bread, Australian Damper Bread, Whole Wheat Irish Soda Bread,
Spinach, Beans and Barley Soup
Ingredients
- 2 Tsp. Olive oil
- 1/2 Onion chopped
- 1/2 cup Carrots chopped/sliced
- 1 about 8 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut in cubes (or use grilled chicken breast)
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth + 1 Cup of Water
- 1/2 Cup Barley
- 6- ounce baby spinach Kale would work too
- 1 can Organic Great Northern beans or cannelloni beans rinsed
- Freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste
- 1 Bouillon Cube
Instructions
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Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.
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Add minced onion, chopped carrots and chicken; two options: cook raw, cut into small bits (cubes) chicken, turning and stirring frequently, until the chicken begins to brown, about 5 minutes / Or use leftover grilled chicken, cut into cubes and just drop in the pot with the minced onion and saute until onion is softer.
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Add garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute more. Stir in broth and water and bring to a boil over high heat, then add Barley.
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Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally. Let It cook for 15 minutes or until the Barley is tender. (Covered with a fitted lid)
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Lastly, add spinach and beans to the pot and bring to a gentle boil. Cook for 5-7 more minutes to blend the flavors. (If you are using Kale let it cook up to 10-12 minutes)
Recipe Notes
This soup could be done with raw Chicken or already precooked one, grilled or roasted. It does take just a bit longer using raw. For I grilled did give nice aromatic flavor, but if you are not a fan of that, you can definitely try your way, and give your special twist. Instead of Spinach, you can use chopped kale Or any other greens, even green beans would work perfectly.