This sophisticated take on creamy mushroom soup is rich with earthy porcini mushrooms and has the added goodness of whole-grain barley.

Makes 4 servings, about 1 3/4 cups each

ACTIVE TIME: 50 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 1 1/4 hours

EASE OF PREPARATION: Easy

1/2 cup pearl barley
4 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth or mushroom broth (see Shopping Tip), divided
1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
2 cups boiling water
2 teaspoons butter
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup minced shallots (about 4 medium)
8 cups sliced white mushrooms (about 20 ounces)
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
1 tablespoon minced fresh sage or 1 teaspoon dried
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup dry sherry (see Ingredient Note)
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1/4 cup minced fresh chives

1. Bring barley and 1 1/2 cups broth to a boil in a small saucepan over high heat. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer until tender, 30 to 35 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, combine porcinis and boiling water in a medium bowl and soak until softened, about 20 minutes. Line a sieve with paper towels, set it over a bowl and pour in mushrooms and soaking liquid. Reserve the soaking liquid. Transfer the mushrooms to a cutting board and finely chop.
3. Heat butter and oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add shallots and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add white mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until they start to brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the porcinis, celery, sage, salt and pepper and cook, stirring often, until beginning to soften, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle flour over the vegetables and cook, stirring, until the flour is incorporated, about 1 minute. Add sherry and cook, stirring, until most of the sherry has evaporated, about 1 minute.
4. Add the soaking liquid and the remaining 3 cups broth; increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the soup has thickened, 18 to 22 minutes.
5. Add the cooked barley and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until heated through, about 5 minutes more. Stir in sour cream until incorporated. Garnish with chives.

NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per serving: 343 calories; 10 g fat (5 g sat, 4 g mono); 22 mg cholesterol; 38 g carbohydrate; 14 g protein; 7 g fiber; 501 mg sodium; 975 mg potassium.
Nutrition bonus: Potassium (28% daily value), Selenium (20% dv), Iron (19% dv), Vitamin A (18% dv).
2 Carbohydrate Servings
Exchanges: 1 starch, 2 vegetable, 2 fat

TIP: Shopping tip: Look for mushroom broth in aseptic containers in well-stocked supermarkets or natural-foods stores.

Ingredient note: Sherry is a type of fortified wine originally from southern Spain. Don’t use the “cooking sherry” sold in many supermarkets—it can be surprisingly high in sodium. Instead, purchase dry sherry that’s sold with other fortified wines in your wine or liquor store.

MAKE AHEAD TIP: Prepare soup through Step 4. Cover and refrigerate the soup and cooked barley separately for up to 3 days. To serve, combine (Step 5) and reheat.

This soup was fabulous! It tasted like a rich mushroom soup with half the calories.

Anonymous, CA

Loved the soup but too many shallots. Next time I will use 1/4- 1/2 cup.

Anonymous

Made this several times and freeze the left overs in serving size containers for lunch. I have used crimini and any other 'leftover' mushrooms in the fridge. My 13 year old daughter likes it so much she makes it herself!

Sharon, Plymouth, MN

Unbelievably AMAZING. The only thing I did differently was use vegetable broth instead of the chicken. Seriously, I wish I had doubled the recipe so I could have this all week...yum, yum, yum!

Sarah, Lakewood, OH

Who could taste the shallots for all the mushroom flavor - fresh dried and broth?? I used veggie broth (plus the mushroom broth as called for) to make it a veggie soup. I really liked this and you do get a lot of soup to the serving (more I think than the recipe states). A keeper and not particularly difficult - I made the barley the night before as this was my 'take to work' recipe for the week. When done, I just topped the soup (in tupperware) with barley for reheating and put the sour cream and chives in a small container to top the soup with later.

Katherine, Denver, CO

A little on the bland size, despite the fact that I used homemade chicken stock. I enjoyed all the mushrooms, and I substituted quinoa for the barley. I probably won't make this again.

Alexis, Lincoln, NE

This was simply amazing! Our local stores were all out of dried porcini mushrooms, so I substituted a blend of dried chanterelles and oyster mushrooms. I would gladly serve this to company - it was an elegant soup in both taste and appearance.

Michelle, C'ville, VA

WOW! This was absolutely delicious. I was worried about the amount of sherry at first, but it was perfect. Didn't have porcinis but oysters substituted very well. Next time I make it, I'll use fresh morels... just a couple of more months till they show up in the woods!

Anna, Piedmont, SD

This soup is truly exceptional and has a wonderful flavor. I have made it several times and always use mushroom broth and dried porcinis.

Susan, OH

You should add another star for this one - it was over the top delicious!!!!

The cook, Orlando, FL

Excellent soup! Easy to make with an elegant flavor. I will definitely make this again.

Marcia, Sandy Hook, CT

This is a really tasty soup. Flavorful and rich. Gave me a comfort during a cold winter.

YK, NJ

This soup was fantastic! My boyfriend loved it! Its a healthy, hearty, comforting dish that I will definitely make again

Lauren Smith, Fort Lauderdale, FL