Low-Calorie

Active45 min

Total1¾ hrs

Chicken, Barley and Mushroom Soup

This soup is chock-full of sturdy root vegetables and whole-grain barley. You can use any combination of dried and fresh mushrooms here. The soup will thicken as it sits on the stove—thin it as needed with more broth or water.

1. Soak dried shiitakes in boiling water for 20 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve and reserve the liquid. Squeeze the mushrooms to remove excess liquid, then dice.

2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add leeks and garlic; cook, stirring, until very soft, about 4 minutes. Add carrots, fresh shiitakes, white mushrooms, salt and pepper; cook, stirring, until the vegetables start to soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Add chicken and cook, stirring, until it is no longer pink on the outside, about 4 minutes.

3. Add broth, barley, thyme, the reserved soaking liquid and the chopped soaked mushrooms. Increase heat to high and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low, partially cover and simmer until the barley is tender, about 50 minutes. Stir in vinegar.

Serves 8: 1¼ cups each

Calories 241 | Fat 9g (sat 2g) | Cholesterol 38mg | Carbs 24g | Total sugars 4g (added 0g) | Protein 18g | Fiber 4g | Sodium 401mg | Potassium 611mg.

Nutrition bonus: Vitamin A (63% daily value).