Zesty and healthy! I made this in slow cooker. I subbed drained canned beans to expedite cooking. Added rotel tomatoes and tripled spices. I subbed some already cooked quinoa for the barley. I also used my immersion blender to liquify about two cups worth. Gave the broth a creamy texture. Still used two cups of broth.Really loved it! Pros: Easy cheap Cons: None
Not Crockpot Friendly This recipe may be okay cooked on the stovetop but doesn't lend itself to crockpot cooking. The barley was mushy and slimy which was a turn off. The seasoning it called for was not enough so it was very bland. I had to add a lot more just to make it edible. Pros: The recipe was undeniably healthy and easy Cons: The meal was dull and blah
This recipe was great for the crock pot. But I can't imagine seven less cups of water! I made it on the stove and then put it in the crock pot. That way I didn't have to stir it. It's still very good. I can see that reducing the liquid would make it thicker. I might try it that way next time.
Not very good My husband put a good tablespoon of hot sauce in his bowl so that he could try to enjoy this soup. I felt like it tasted like cardboard. Just not good at all- no flavor! Pros: Easy Cons: Bland no flavor
I made this recipe as directed (except I substituted barley w/ quinoa) and my choice of broth was vegetable. As a few mentioned in the comments below which I had read before making it indeed tasted a bit too watery for my taste using the original recipe. It was like a bland tasting enchilada broth so I doubled the spices added some cayenne pepper 1 can of fire roasted tomatoes and 1 cup of organic red enchilada sauce I had on hand. It brought the soup to life. Really good recipe once I tweaked it and will def make again.
Great in the slow cooker with a little bit of extra prep... I was worried about the beans being cooked enough so I soaked them overnight first discarded the water in the morning and threw everything in the crock pot and let it go all day. I added more water at lunch as it was looking a little too thick. Pros: all ingredients on hand easy prep Cons: extra prep for dry beans
I read the reviews before I made this soup so I took the advice of the reviewers and doubled the spices and added a can of fire roasted tomatoes. It turned out great!
Hearty Soup Followed the suggestion of others and doubled the spices. Glad I did; I think it would have been very bland if I hadn't. It took a very long time to cook on the stove. At first I couldn't believe the amount of liquid called for: 11 cups in total. But I ended up adding about an additional cup of broth before it was finished. All and all an excellent soup just what we needed for a cold winter day. Pros: Easy Cons: Long time on stove
Blank canvas This is a great winter warmer. My thanks to the previous reviewers who advised increasing the seasoning. I had a bone from a spiral ham and though it's not low sodium it makes an excellent broth. I refrigerated and skimmed the fat from the stock and made the recipe as directed except I ONLY had navy beans and barley in the pantry. I increased the amount of veggies and spices. The end result was outstanding! Pros: Lots of options; easy Cons: Long cooking time; adjust original seasonings
