Grisons Pearl Barley Soup - A Heart-Warming Vegetarian Soup from Eastern Switzerland
Traditional Swiss barley soup with vegetables - hearty, warming, and naturally climate-friendly. Ready in 40 minutes with simple ingredients.
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This pearl barley soup from the Grisons region captures the essence of Swiss mountain cooking: simple ingredients transformed into something deeply satisfying. Many Swiss associate this hearty soup with après-ski meals and cozy winter evenings, when its warming vegetables and chewy barley grains provide exactly the comfort needed after a day in the cold.
The beauty of barley soup lies in its adaptability. Traditional variations might include cabbage instead of beans, diced potatoes for extra heartiness, or small pieces of bacon or air-dried Bündnerfleisch for those wanting meat. I particularly enjoy adding finely diced smoked tofu, pan-fried until golden, as a protein-rich garnish that complements the earthy barley beautifully.
Pearl barley has a wonderful ability to absorb flavours while maintaining its distinctive chewy texture, but it also absorbs considerable liquid as it cooks. Don’t worry if your soup thickens more than expected—simply stir in additional water or vegetable stock until you reach your preferred consistency. The soup should be substantial but still easily spooned.
This recipe draws inspiration from Tibits, Switzerland’s beloved vegetarian restaurant chain. For a completely plant-based version, substitute the cream with oat cream—this simple swap dramatically reduces the dish’s carbon footprint while maintaining its creamy richness.
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Recipe
Grisons barley soup with vegetables
Ingredients
Preparation Time: 5 min
Total Time: 40 min
Servings: 2
- • 50g leek
- • 2 medium carrots (about 160g)
- • 50g celeriac
- • 2 tablespoons oil
- • 80g pearl barley
- • 300ml vegetable stock
- • 50g cooked beans
- • 100ml double cream
- • Pinch of black pepper
Ingredients
Servings: 2
Preparation Time: 5 min
Total Time: 40 min
- • 50g leek
- • 2 medium carrots (about 160g)
- • 50g celeriac
- • 2 tablespoons oil
- • 80g pearl barley
- • 300ml vegetable stock
- • 50g cooked beans
- • 100ml double cream
- • Pinch of black pepper
Instructions
- 1 Peel the carrots and celeriac. Finely dice the carrots, celeriac, and leek into roughly 5mm pieces.
- 2 Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the diced vegetables and sauté for 3-5 minutes until softened and lightly golden.
- 3 Add the pearl barley and sauté for another minute, stirring to coat the grains with oil.
- 4 Pour in the vegetable stock and 300ml water. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes until the barley is tender but still has some bite.
- 5 Stir in the beans and cream, season with pepper, and simmer uncovered for 5-10 minutes more. If the soup becomes too thick, add additional water or stock as needed. Taste and adjust seasoning before serving.
Carbon Footprint
Carbon Footprint: 1118 g CO₂e
This ranks it number 13 out of 57 recipes published on the blog so far in terms of estimated carbon footprint.
This means that it belongs to the quarter of recipes that have the lowest climate impact (i.e. top 25%). 🥰
When it comes to ingredients, cream stands out: although it makes up only about 10% of the soup, it accounts for almost 40% of the recipe's greenhouse gas emissions. This is, of course, due to the very CO2-intensive dairy industry and the methane emissions from the cows during their lifetime. If you replaced the dairy cream in the recipe with oat cream, you could reduce the carbon footprint by an estimated 360 g. The recipe already has a pretty good carbon footprint compared to other recipes published here on the blog, but this change would put it in the top group for good. As for the other ingredients, it is interesting to note that although carrots, leeks, celery, and pearl barley are the main ingredients of the soup, together they account for less than a tenth of the estimated carbon footprint of the Grisons barley soup.
Comparison of Ingredients
| Ingredients | Carbon footprint per kg | Carbon footprint for recipe | % of ingredients | % of CO₂ emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| leek | 0.2 | 10 | 6% | 1% |
| carrots | 0.1 | 16 | 20% | 1% |
| celeriac | 0.2 | 10 | 6% | 1% |
| oil | 3.2 | 32 | 1% | 3% |
| pearl barley | 0.6 | 48 | 10% | 4% |
| vegetable broth | 1.4 | 408 | 37% | 37% |
| beans | 1.3 | 65 | 6% | 6% |
| cream | 4.2 | 420 | 12% | 38% |
| pepper | 1.1 | 2 | 0% | 0% |
| Cook | 107 | 10% |
Instructions
- 1 Peel the carrots and celeriac. Finely dice the carrots, celeriac, and leek into roughly 5mm pieces.
- 2 Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the diced vegetables and sauté for 3-5 minutes until softened and lightly golden.
- 3 Add the pearl barley and sauté for another minute, stirring to coat the grains with oil.
- 4 Pour in the vegetable stock and 300ml water. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes until the barley is tender but still has some bite.
- 5 Stir in the beans and cream, season with pepper, and simmer uncovered for 5-10 minutes more. If the soup becomes too thick, add additional water or stock as needed. Taste and adjust seasoning before serving.
Carbon Footprint
Carbon Footprint (2 portions): 1118 g CO₂e
This ranks it number 13 out of 57 recipes published on the blog so far in terms of estimated carbon footprint.
This means that it belongs to the quarter of recipes that have the lowest climate impact (i.e. top 25%). 🥰
When it comes to ingredients, cream stands out: although it makes up only about 10% of the soup, it accounts for almost 40% of the recipe's greenhouse gas emissions. This is, of course, due to the very CO2-intensive dairy industry and the methane emissions from the cows during their lifetime. If you replaced the dairy cream in the recipe with oat cream, you could reduce the carbon footprint by an estimated 360 g. The recipe already has a pretty good carbon footprint compared to other recipes published here on the blog, but this change would put it in the top group for good. As for the other ingredients, it is interesting to note that although carrots, leeks, celery, and pearl barley are the main ingredients of the soup, together they account for less than a tenth of the estimated carbon footprint of the Grisons barley soup.
Comparison of Ingredients
| Ingredients | Carbon footprint per kg | Carbon footprint for recipe | % of ingredients | % of CO₂ emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| leek | 0.2 | 10 | 6% | 1% |
| carrots | 0.1 | 16 | 20% | 1% |
| celeriac | 0.2 | 10 | 6% | 1% |
| oil | 3.2 | 32 | 1% | 3% |
| pearl barley | 0.6 | 48 | 10% | 4% |
| vegetable broth | 1.4 | 408 | 37% | 37% |
| beans | 1.3 | 65 | 6% | 6% |
| cream | 4.2 | 420 | 12% | 38% |
| pepper | 1.1 | 2 | 0% | 0% |
| Cook | 107 | 10% |