Light Coconut Cream Broccoli And Barley Soup

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 3/4 cup barley
• 3 cups water
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, cut into slivers and divided
• 2 tablespoons fresh ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon sea salt
• 2 dashes ground nutmeg
• 7 cups chopped broccoli florets and stalks
• 3 1/4 cups low-sodium vegetable stock
• 1 (14 ounce) can reduced-fat coconut milk
• 1 cup 2% milk
• 1/4 cup grated asiago cheese (optional)
• 1/2 bunch fresh parsley, chopped (optional)

Recipe

Preparation Time: 25 mins Cook Time: 1 hr

Ready Time: 1 hr 25 mins


• bring the barley and water to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until the barley is tender, about 30 minutes. drain and set aside.
• melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. stir the onion and celery into the melted butter, place a cover on the pot, and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. add about half the garlic. season with the black pepper, red pepper flakes, sea salt, and nutmeg. return the cover to the pot and cook another 5 minutes.
• stir the broccoli, vegetable stock, and remaining garlic into the mixture and bring to a boil. return the cover to the pot, reduce heat to medium, and cook another 15 minutes, stirring once. remove the pot from heat.
• pour the soup into a blender, filling the pitcher no more than halfway. hold the blender lid with a folded kitchen towel and carefully start the blender, using a few quick pulses to get the soup moving before leaving it on to puree. puree in batches until smooth and pour into a clean pot. alternately, you can puree the soup with a stick blender directly in the pot.
• return the soup to medium-low heat. stir the coconut milk, 2% milk, and barley into the pureed soup; cover and cook until hot, 5 to 8 minutes. ladle into bowls and top with asiago cheese and parsley to serve.