Name: Hungarian Mushroom and Barley Soup
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 70 min
Ingredients: 1 cup dry barley; 2 1/2 cups water; pinch of salt; 2 TBSP butter; 1 large onion (chopped); 1 pound mushrooms (I used foraged chanterelles I found at Costco but use what mushrooms you have or like the flavor of); pinch paprika (I would say use Hungarian if you have it but I used to smoked and it worked too); 3 tsp dill weed (I would say use Hungarian if you have it but I used to smoked and it worked too); 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar; 4 1/2 TBSP flour; 3 cups water; 1 1/2 cups milk (let the milk set out while you work work to warm a little); 3/4 cup sour cream

It's soup weather! Thick, rich and creamy Hungarian Mushroom Soup is the perfect addition to your menu plan this week, you won't regret it!

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Oh, yes, please! It’s soup weather out there folks, and this Hungarian Mushroom Soup will be a welcome addition to your meal plan. Even our non-mushroom lover ate it with only minimal complaints, which is saying something.

It’s thick, full of mushrooms and barley, and has just a touch of tang from sour cream. It would be perfectly served in my One Hour Bread Bowls and now that I’ve written that I’m wondering WHY I didn’t think of that yesterday. But ANY crusty bread will work perfectly with this soup!

Moosewood Hungarian Mushroom Soup Recipe

This recipe is my version of Molly Katzen’s Hungarian Mushroom Soup from the Moosewood Cookbook. I added barley to bulk it up a bit because barley is just so fantastic in soup and I knew it would work really well in mushroom soup.

And having TWO teen boys means we need to bulk up all kinds of recipes with grains or vegetables.

Our non-lover of mushrooms appreciated the fact that I reduced the mushrooms by about 1/2 the amount originally called for in the recipe and replaced them with cooked barley. He doesn’t like the texture of cooked mushrooms. I can understand that as a kid in Alaska we never had mushrooms until the mid-80s or so. I had to learn to like them.

Fresh Chanterelles for Hungarian Mushroom Soup

What Kind of Mushrooms do you use in Hungarian Mushroom Soup?

Just about ANY mushrooms can work in Hungarian Mushroom Soup! This soup will work with wild foraged mushrooms, safely hunted mind you. Or store-bought mushrooms, wild OR tame. Or tried dried mushrooms, soak them first!

In my soup, I used a pound of Chanterelles I picked up at Costco. They were so beautiful I couldn’t resist buying them for mushroom soup, it wasn’t a bad decision!

What you need to make this recipe for hungarian mushroom soup

Good Mushrooms-fresh or dried if using dried be sure to add time for soaking
Barley
Sour Cream
Broth
Dill
Butter
Onions
Milk
Paprika

Hungarian Mushroom and Barley Soup

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It’s soup weather! Thick, rich and creamy Hungarian Mushroom Soup is the perfect addition to your menu plan this week, you won’t regret it!

Course: Lunch Recipes

Cuisine: Vegetarian

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 1

Total Time: 1 10

Servings: generous

Calories: 281kcal

Author: Laura

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Ingredients

1 cup dry barley
2 1/2 cups water
pinch of salt
2 TBSP butter
1 large onion chopped
1 pound mushrooms I used foraged chanterelles I found at Costco but use what mushrooms you have or like the flavor of
pinch paprika I would say use Hungarian if you have it but I used to smoked and it worked too
3 tsp dill weed I would say use Hungarian if you have it but I used to smoked and it worked too
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
4 1/2 TBSP flour
3 cups water
1 1/2 cups milk let the milk set out while you work work to warm a little
3/4 cup sour cream

Instructions

bring the 2 1/2 cups of water to a boil in a small saucepan
add barley, return to boil, reduce heat, cover and cook for 40 minutes, do not let it boil dry or boil over
heat the butter in a dutch oven over medium heat, add onions, cook five minutes
meanwhile clean the mushrooms and slice
after five minutes add the sliced mushrooms to the onions, add the paprika and dill weed
cover and cook 15 minutes stirring occasionally then stir in the vinegar
slowly sprinkle the flour in and stir to combine, cook and stir for five minutes
add the 3 cups water, cover and simmer 10 more minutes, stir often
reduce the heat to medium low and whisk in the milk, drain the barley and it add to the soup, stir to combine
measure out the sour cream to a small bowl, add a scoop of soup and stir to combine and then pour the whole thing back in the pot of soup, heat slowly over medium low heat, do not let it boil or it may curdle
taste and add salt and pepper as needed
serve warm