BEAN & BARLEY SOUP

Bean & barley soup image

Low-fat, vegetarian and super-healthy, this filling one-pot lunch or dinner is packed with chickpeas, butter beans and pearl barley

Provided by Chelsie Collins

Time 1h5m

Number Of Ingredients 11

Ingredients

2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large onion , finely chopped
1 fennel bulb , quartered, cored and sliced
5 garlic cloves , crushed
400g can chickpea , drained and rinsed
2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
600ml vegetable stock
250g pearl barley
215g can butter beans , drained and rinsed
100g pack baby spinach leaves
grated parmesan , to serve

Steps:

Heat the oil in a saucepan over a medium heat, add the onion, fennel and garlic, and cook until softened and just beginning to brown, about 10-12 mins.
Mash half the chickpeas and add to the pan with the tomatoes, stock and barley. Top up with a can of water and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 45 mins or until the barley is tender. Add another can of water if the liquid has significantly reduced.
Add the remaining chickpeas and the butter beans to the soup. After a few mins, stir in the spinach and cook until wilted, about 1 min. Season and serve scattered with Parmesan.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 488 calories, Fat 9 grams fat, SaturatedFat 1 grams saturated fat, Carbohydrate 78 grams carbohydrates, Sugar 11 grams sugar, Fiber 12 grams fiber, Protein 16 grams protein, Sodium 1.4 milligram of sodium