Mediterranean Bean and Barley Stew! Step into a world where beans and barley mingle like old friends in a Mediterranean stew that’s so good, it’ll have your taste buds dancing.

Each spoonful of this Mediterranean Bean and Barley Stew, enriched with wholesome barley and protein-packed beans, promises a truly satisfying and fulfilling dining experience. Perfect for a cozy family dinner or a gathering with friends, this dish is not only a treat for your taste buds but also a nutritious addition to your stew repertoire.

Whole Food Plant Based, Vegan, plant based, oil free, refined sugar free, no highly processed ingredients.

Hi there, Ameera here!

We are all about comfort food, especially during this time when Ohio weather can’t decide if it will be warm like spring or blustery like winter. This warming stew packed with feel-good ingredients is the perfect dish on those cooler spring days.

We loved every spoonful of this wholesome dish. From the first bite to the last, we couldn’t help but fall in love with the rich flavors and satisfying textures that this stew has to offer.

You gotta give this one a try!

Tips for Success:

• Flavor Profile: This tasty, low-fat stew is full of delicious tomato and Mediterranean flavors. Barley and beans give the dish a hearty satisfying feel.
• Flavors to Marry: Make sure you allow at least 5 minutes for the flavors to marry.  The flavors continue to develop once the stew slightly cools.
• Great Northern Bean Substitutions: You can pretty much use just about any bean you enjoy in this recipe.
• Barley: There are several types of barley available.  Hulled barley has been minimally processed to remove only the tough outer hull. Hulless Barley has the outer hull removed and retains all the bran and germ.  Pearl barley is not a whole grain and is more refined through processing.  Pearl barley is typically what you find in most grocery stores.  Although it is not technically a whole grain, it is does contain fiber and some redeemable nutrients.  We used pearl barley simply because we could not locate hulled barley. Feel free to use your favorite barley in this recipe.  Adjust cooking times and potentially liquids accordingly.
• Low-Fat Dish Expectations: This stew was designed to be low in fat. Because it is low in fat, you are not going to experience that endorphin rush associated with eating high-fat foods when eating this stew. It is very tasty for what it is, and that is a low-fat stew. We just want to make sure that our Readers recognize this when contemplating making this recipe. If you wish to make it more indulgent, feel free to generously sprinkle with Vegan Parmesan Cheese to individual servings.
• Spices/Herbs: Feel free to ramp up or reduce the spices/herbs based upon your favorites and level of herbs desired. The recipe is easily customizable to suit your personal preferences.
• Long List of Ingredients: Don’t let a long list of ingredients stand between you and great flavor. Living on steamed vegetables is great for some, but we found that steamed veggies get old after a while and we started craving soups, stews, casseroles, pasta dishes, etc. Because we do not use oil, we use a lot of spices, herbs, and ingredients to get maximum flavor. Oil coats the palate making the spices, herbs, and other ingredients taste smooth and more pleasing. It takes quite a bit of finessing to get amazing flavor in comparison to non-WFPB foods (SAD food) where restaurants and the food product industry rely on tons of butter, palm oils, preservatives, and chemicals specifically designed to be addictive. If you are looking for great flavor using healthy, wholesome, unprocessed to minimally processed ingredients, sometimes (not always) it takes a bunch of healthy ingredients to arrive at that delicious homecooked flavor!
• Stew versus Soup: This recipe was designed to be a stew; however, if you wish to make it a soup, you can easily do so. Just add equal parts of vegetable broth to water (1:1 ratio) to the pot with the understanding that you may need to increase other ingredients accordingly.
• Red Wine Vinegar and Lemon Juice: The red wine vinegar gives the dish the hit of balanced acid needed, and the lemon juice gives a little pop of freshness.
• Baking Soda: Baking soda is often used as a neutralizer for dishes that contain a lot of acidity, typically from tomatoes.  We use it in this dish to remove some of the tomato acidity (from the tomato paste and tomato paste) without losing the tomatoey flavor. When you add it, the mixture may bubble up, then settle down as it neutralizes the acidity. However, if you prefer that ‘tinny’ flavor that comes from canned tomatoes, then leave out the baking soda or perhaps use a tiny pinch.

Leftovers and Freezing:

Leftovers will generally keep 5 days in the refrigerator.  Store in a covered container.

This stew can be frozen.

Pantry Products:

• Vegetable Stock: We use Pacific Organic Low Sodium Vegetable Stock. We love this brand because it is Whole Food Plant Based compliant, as it does not contain MSG, has no oil, and does not contain any highly-processed ingredients.  Feel free to use your favorite vegetable broth.
• Dried Crushed Thyme Leaves: If you can’t find dried crushed thyme leaves, you can use ground thyme, but use half the amount.
• Sea Salt: Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.

Kitchen Products:

• Large stock pot

If you try this flavorful stew, we would love to know if you enjoy it as much as we do! Please leave us a review! Post a picture on Facebook or Instagram and tag us! We would love to hear from you.

Mediterranean Bean and Barley Stew

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• Author: Monkey and Me Kitchen Adventures
• Prep Time: 15 Minutes
• Cook Time: 55 Minutes
• Total Time: 70 Minutes
• Yield: 8 Cups 1x
• Category: Stew
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: Mediterranean Inspired
• Diet: Vegan

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Description

Each spoonful of this Mediterranean Bean and Barley Stew, enriched with wholesome barley and protein-packed beans, promises a truly satisfying and fulfilling dining experience.

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Ingredients

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Base Ingredients:

• 1 medium yellow onion, fine dice
• 3 celery ribs, small dice
• 3 carrots, sliced into penny rounds
• 2 Tablespoons minced garlic
• ¼ cup tomato paste
• 3 cups water
• 3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth *
• ¾ cup barley, rinsed *
• 2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda * 

Other Ingredients:

• 1 to 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 2 – [ 15.5 oz. cans ] great northern beans *
• 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup (+/-) (optional)

Spice/Herb Ingredients:

• 2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 2 Tablespoons dried minced onions
• ½ teaspoon sweet paprika (+/-)
• 1 ½ teaspoons dried basil (+/-)
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano (+/-)
• ½ teaspoon dried crushed thyme (+/-) *
• ¼ teaspoon Italian Seasoning (+/-)
• 1 Tablespoon dried parsley (+/-)
• ½ to 1 ¾ teaspoons sea salt (+/-) *
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper (+/-) *
• 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper (+/-)
• 1 bay leaf

Optional Toppings:

• Vegan Parmesan Cheese
• Chopped fresh parsley

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Instructions

1. Place the Spice/Herb Ingredients (except the bay leaf and crushed red pepper) in a small bowl, mix well, set aside.
2. In a large stock pot, add the diced onions, celery, and carrots; sauté over medium heat until they begin to soften, approximately 7 to 9 minutes.  Add a couple of tablespoons or so of water if they start to stick and/or to prevent burning.
3. Move the sauteed onions, carrots, and celery to the sides of the pot, add the minced garlic and tomato paste to the center, sauté, stirring constantly for one minute.
4. Add all remaining Base Ingredients (except the baking soda), Spice/Herb mix, stir well to combine. Bring to a boil, tuck in the bay leaf, then immediately lower to a simmer.  Stir in the baking soda, then simmer for 30 minutes.
5. After 30 minutes, add all the Other Ingredients and crushed red pepper, stir well. Simmer for another 10 minutes (or until the barley is perfectly tender), then remove from the stove.
6. Allow to sit for 5 minutes undisturbed to allow the flavors to marry. Remove the bay leaf and discard. Serve with crusty bread or flatbread, chopped fresh parsley, and/or Vegan Parmesan Cheese.

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Notes

*Please reference the blog post for Tips for Success, Pantry Items Used, Storage and Freezing, and Kitchen Products Used. 

*Sea Salt:  Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.   

*Servings:  4 to 6 (makes 7 ½ to 8 cups)

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