Recipes and Cooking Barley-Vegetable Soup 4.0 (1) 1 Review By BHG Test Kitchen BHG Test Kitchen The Better Homes & Gardens Test Kitchen has been in continuous operation for nearly 100 years, developing and testing practical, reliable recipes that readers can enjoy at home. The Test Kitchen team includes culinary specialists, food stylists, registered and licensed nutritionists, and other experts with Bachelor of Science degrees in food science, food and nutrition, or culinary arts. Together, the team tests more than 2,500 recipes, produces more than 2,500 food images, and creates more than 1,000 food videos each year in the state-of-the-art test kitchen. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Published on March 8, 2014 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Blaine Moats Prep Time: 20 mins Slow Cook Time: 7 hrs 30 mins Total Time: 7 hrs 50 mins Servings: 8 Jump to Nutrition Facts Ingredients 4 cup low-sodium tomato juice 2 14.5 ounce cans reduced-sodium chicken broth 1 ½ cup coarsely chopped yellow and/or red sweet peppers (2 medium) 1 cup chopped onion (1 large) ½ cup regular barley 3 cloves garlic, minced ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper 2 ½ cup chopped zucchini (2 medium) Directions In a 3 1/2- to 5-quart slow cooker combine tomato juice, broth, sweet peppers, onion, barley, garlic, and black pepper. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 7 1/2 to 8 1/2 hours or on high-heat setting for 3 1/2 to 4 hours. If using low-heat setting, turn to high-heat setting. Stir in zucchini. Cover and cook for 30 minutes more. Tips This is a vegetarian soup but you can add protein if you like. At the end of the cook time, simply stir in shredded purchased roasted chicken, sliced cooked poultry sausage, or cubed firm tofu and heat through for a few minutes. Rate it Print Nutrition Facts (per serving) 95 Calories 19g Carbs 5g Protein Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label Nutrition Facts Servings Per Recipe 8 Calories 95 % Daily Value * Sodium 312mg 14% Total Carbohydrate 19g 7% Total Sugars 7g Protein 5g Calcium 30.3mg 2% Iron 1.1mg 6% Potassium 743mg 16% *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.