Hello, We Ate Well family!
I’m coming to you from Italy, where I’m currently having my fill of the views, pasta, olive oil, tomatoes, and wine. We’re spending a few days in Lake Como before heading down to Puglia. If you have any favorite restaurants, hidden gems, or shopping recommendations, I’d love to hear them!
One quick thing before we get to this month’s free recipe.
Many of you have asked me how to build vegetarian salads that actually keep you full, so I wanted to remind you about my High Protein Summer Salads Workshop. It’s one of my most-loved classes because it focuses less on individual recipes and more on the simple formulas that help you build satisfying, protein-packed salads all summer long.
If you’re a Weeknight Simple subscriber, the workshop is now included as a perk of your membership - just another small thank you for supporting my work. If you’re reading on the free plan, you can still purchase it separately, and it’s 30% off through the end of this week, so there are just a few more days to grab it before the summer sale ends.
And now, onto the menu...
Thank you for filling out my Weeknight Simple poll for the recipe you wanted from my July batch. The Herby Moong & Barley Soup won, proving that I’m not the only one that craves soup all year round!
Barley is one of Ayurveda’s most celebrated cooling grains, and when paired with yellow moong dal, the result is a soup that’s surprisingly light yet deeply satisfying. Together they provide plenty of fiber, a pleasantly chewy texture, and excellent staying power. Ayurveda also describes barley as having a lekhana, or “scraping,” quality, making it a traditional choice for supporting healthy cholesterol levels and weight management.
Finished with handfuls of fresh herbs and a squeeze of lemon, this one-pot soup feels like a nourishing summer khichdi.
Herby Moong & Barley Soup
Serves: 2-3 (as a main)
Ingredients
2 Tbsp. olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 bay leaf[ves]
½ medium onion(s)[100] , diced
1 Tbsp. grated or finely chopped ginger
1 Tbsp. grated or finely chopped garlic
2 large carrot(s), peeled and diced
1 medium zucchini (courgette), diced
¼ cup pearl barley or farro or white quinoa
¾ cup yellow moong dal or split red lentils
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
6 cups low sodium vegetable broth or Better than Bouillon concentrate
1 tsp fine sea salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 cup finely chopped herbs (parsley, cilantro, dill)
2 Tbsp. lime or lemon juice
Directions
Step 1. Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the olive oil and bay leaf and cook for about 30 seconds. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4–5 minutes until softened. Stir in the ginger and garlic and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant.
Step 2. Add the tomato paste, cumin, and coriander and cook, stirring, for 1 minute to toast the spices. Add the carrots and zucchini and stir to coat in the spices.
Step 3. Add the barley (or farro or quinoa), moong dal, vegetable broth, salt, and a few grinds of black pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer for 50-60 minutes, or until the barley and moong are tender. (quinoa has a shorter cooking time).
Step 4. Stir in the chopped herbs and lemon or lime juice. Taste and adjust the seasoning with additional salt, pepper, or lemon juice as needed. Ladle into bowls and drizzle with more olive oil.
Cooking note
This soup will continue to thicken as it sits because both barley and moong absorb liquid. When reheating, simply stir in a splash of water or broth.
Soak the barley for 30 minutes to reduce cooking time.
Nutrition per serving(see disclaimer) assuming 2 servings
I’ll be back in August with a protein-packed edition of Weeknight Simple from a superstar guest chef! xoxo