This butter white bean and pearl barley soup is made with creamy butter beans, chewy pearl barley, carrots, onion, celery, garlic, and spinach simmered in a tomato and vegetable broth with smoked paprika.

It’s thick, filling, and cooks in one pot in under an hour.

Make it for cold weeknights, meal prep lunches, or Meatless Monday dinners. It’s cheap to make and freezes well, and I serve it with crusty bread or pick a pairing from these soup and sandwich pairings.

If you’re into budget-friendly bean soups and one-pot dinners, these are worth bookmarking too:

Ingredients You’ll Need

Canned butter beans (also sold as large lima beans) keep this quick, and they turn extra creamy as the soup simmers.

Pearl barley cooks much faster than hulled barley, so check the label.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 medium carrots, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
3/4 cup pearl barley, rinsed
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
6 cups vegetable or chicken broth
2 cans (15 oz each) butter beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed (optional)
1 bay leaf
3 cups fresh baby spinach
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Grated parmesan and fresh parsley, for serving

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat.
Add the onion, carrots, celery, and bell pepper with a pinch of salt and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until soft and the onion is translucent.
Don’t rush this part, because these softened vegetables are the flavor base for the whole pot.
Stir in the garlic, smoked paprika, thyme, oregano, and red pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
Add the tomato paste and cook it for 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until it darkens slightly.
Cooking the tomato paste takes away its raw, tinny taste and adds depth.
Rinse the pearl barley in a strainer until the water runs mostly clear.
Add it to the pot along with the diced tomatoes, broth, and bay leaf.
Bring everything to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer.
Cover with the lid slightly ajar and simmer for 30 to 35 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes so the barley doesn’t stick to the bottom.
The barley is done when it’s tender with a slight chew in the center.
It takes a bit longer than rice, so be patient here.
Add the drained butter beans and chickpeas and simmer for another 10 minutes.
Mash a few beans against the side of the pot with your spoon to thicken the broth naturally.
If the soup looks too thick, add another cup of broth or water.
Turn off the heat and remove the bay leaf.
Stir in the spinach and let it wilt for 1 to 2 minutes.
Add the lemon juice, then season with salt and pepper (beans and barley soak up a lot of salt, so taste carefully).
Let the soup rest for 5 minutes before serving.
It thickens as it sits, so add a splash of hot broth if you want it looser.
Ladle into bowls, top with parmesan and parsley, and enjoy!

Important Recipe Notes

Use pearl barley, not hulled. Pearl barley cooks in about 30 minutes. Hulled barley can take over an hour and needs extra liquid.
Stir the pot. Barley releases starch and can stick to the bottom. A quick stir every 10 minutes prevents scorching.
Add the beans later. Canned butter beans are already cooked and break down if simmered too long. Adding them in the last 10 minutes keeps some whole and creamy.
Expect it to thicken. Barley keeps absorbing liquid, even in the fridge. Leftovers will be more like stew, so add broth when you reheat.
Finish with acid. The lemon juice brightens all the earthy flavors. A splash of red wine vinegar works too.
Dried beans option. Use 1 cup dried butter beans, soaked overnight and cooked until tender, in place of the two cans.
Slow cooker version. Saute the vegetables and tomato paste first, then add everything except the beans, spinach, and lemon to the slow cooker. Cook on low for 6 hours, stir in the beans for the last 30 minutes, and add the spinach at the end.
Brown the vegetables well. A little color on the onions and carrots adds a sweet, savory depth that broth alone can’t give. If they’re sticking, add a splash of broth and scrape up the browned bits.
Storage. Keep the soup in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Freezing. Freeze for up to 3 months, leaving room at the top of the container. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat on the stove with extra broth.

How to Serve, Store & Customize This Recipe

Serving:

Serve the butter bean and barley soup hot with a drizzle of good olive oil, grated parmesan, and fresh parsley.

Crusty bread, garlic toast, or a grilled cheese sandwich are great on the side. A dollop of pesto stirred in at the table is also really good.

Storage:

Cool the soup completely, then store in airtight containers for up to 5 days in the fridge. The barley will soak up most of the broth overnight, so reheat it on the stove with 1/2 to 1 cup of extra broth. Glass containers are best, since tomato stains plastic.

Customization:

Add browned Italian sausage or shredded chicken for a meat version. Swap the spinach for chopped kale, adding it 5 minutes earlier since it’s tougher.

For a gluten-free soup, swap the barley for brown rice or quinoa and adjust the simmer time to match (quinoa needs only about 15 minutes).