Mushroom Barley Soup with Chicken Meatballs

I love mushroom barley soup. It's cozy, it's hearty and it tastes like winter. This is a great recipe for cold winter days when you're looking for an easy comforting meal. I always have barley and broth in my pantry. As for the other ingredients, there's a pretty good chance that I'll have mushrooms and ground chicken in my refrigerator since they are both foods I include on my weekly shopping list. I like to keep my kitchen well stocked with foods I know I'll use, especially these days when the whole family is at home and I'm preparing three meals a day. I do appreciate having everyone at home and healthy. But I also look forward to the day when we can venture back into the world armed with the protection of the new COVID vaccine. Here's hoping it's someday soon for all of us.

In the meantime, we'll keep streaming movies, playing board games and taking long hikes in the countryside, always grateful to come home to a big bowl of a warm meal like one.

I was lucky to have all the ingredients for this soup on hand.
If you don't have shallots, minced onions are a good a substitute.

Sautéing the mushrooms and shallots adds to the depth of flavor in the soup.

Anyone who knows me knows my passion for any and all vintage PYREX. I love finding these timeless glass measuring cups in local thrift shops and putting them to good use.

"Big blue" an 8c PYREX measuring cup, is a recent find and most likely from the 70's.

It was the perfect vessel for mixing up my mini meatballs.

Once again, my small scooper is the right tool for the job, making quick work of my meatball mixture. If the ground chicken is too sticky, dipping the scooper or your fingers in a small bowl of cold water really helps move things along.

Mushroom Barley Soup with Chicken Meatballs

Makes about 4 servings

Ingredients:

8c beef broth 

1/2c barley

2 tsp dried thyme

salt and pepper, to taste

olive oil

1 lb mushrooms (any variety you like will work)

2 shallots (or 1 small onion) minced

8 ounces ground chicken

1 egg

3 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

1 tbsp dried parsley

1/4c breadcrumbs

sour cream-optional

Directions:

1. In a saute' pan over medium heat, swirl in just enough olive olive to lightly coat the pan. Cook mushrooms and shallots until tender and the mushrooms no longer give off any liquid. 

2. In a stockpot, bring the broth, barley and thyme to a rolling boil. Lower the heat to medium and cook until the barley is tender. About 15 minutes.

3. Make the meatballs: combine ground chicken, egg, cheese, parsley, 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper in a mixing bowl with breadcrumbs.

4. Using a small scoop or a tablespoon, make small meatballs. I usually get about 1 dozen mini meatballs, but amounts will vary based on the size of your meatballs. 

5.When the barley is tender, add the meatballs and mushrooms. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings.

6. Serve with or without or without a dollop of sour cream. Enjoy!