This slow cooker barley and ham soup with spinach pesto is the perfect vegetable-packed weeknight dinner of your dreams. It also has a make-ahead option that will make those busy mornings just that much easier! Plus, it’s on the list of Best of Healthy Seasonal Recipes so you know it’s good!

slow cooker ham and barley soup served on a platter

I originally shared this recipe on October 28, 2011. I have updated the images and some of the text today.

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Why We Love This Recipe For Slow Cooker Barley and Ham Soup

I love a good slow cooker recipe. What’s better than arriving home to the house filled with the smell of dinner, all ready to go? Sometimes slow cooker recipes fall flat on flavor, which is why I lean towards those recipes that require a stovetop step first to make the flavors burst, but I wanted to develop a recipe that skipped the stovetop and not the flavor!

I had to look elsewhere to bring on the flavor, which is when I thought of Soupe au Pistou. Soupe au Pistou is a traditional summer Provencal soup where a dollop of pesto-like paste is spooned on top. As you take each bite you can gently stir in a bit of the pistou. It is a great way of giving a simple bowl of soup a big burst of flavor.

The pistou in this ham and barley soup is an earthy blend of spinach and pumpkin seeds, with a pungent pop of garlic, lemon zest, and Asiago cheese. I decided to use a little artistic license (or what chefs call fusion) and make the flavors more Spanish-inspired than Provencale, so I added smoky paprika and ham and brightened it up with a splash of sherry vinegar.

I hope you enjoy this soup on the perfect chilly day when you need some warmth and flavor to brighten up your life!

Key Ingredients For This Recipe

Barley

Barley is a slow-cooking whole grain. You can use either pearled barley or hulled for this recipe. Since it cooks for hours, either will become tender. If you are a fan, try also our Barley Salad and Instant Pot Barley.

Ham

I always recommend using a local source to procure your meat if you can. The smoked boneless ham in this recipe adds a smoky flavor and is packed with protein to beef (or ham) up this soup.

Sherry Vinegar

Sherry vinegar is very strong, which is why we use it in this recipe! It has an oaky, caramely, and sort of smoky flavor which pairs so deliciously with the ham. The sherry vinegar brightens the flavors of this soup considerably.

Vegetables

The vegetable line-up in this Slow Cooker Ham Barley Soup with Spinach Pesto is no joke! It’s packed with leeks, carrots, celery, and turnips. New to leeks? See how to clean leeks.

Spinach

For the pesto, I used fresh spinach which is milder than basil. It doesn’t overpower the other ingredients and adds an earthy taste.

Step By Step Instructions to Make Slow Cooker Barley and Ham Soup

Step 1: Make the Ham and Barley Soup

Whisk the broth, tomato paste, paprika, sherry vinegar, salt, pepper, and thyme in the slow cooker insert. Then add barley, bay leaf, and garlic. Top the mixture with ham, turnips, leeks, carrots, and celery. Cover the soup and cook in the slow cooker for 4 hours on high (or 8 hours on low).

Step 2: Make the Pesto

Fit the food processor with the steel blade attachment, and then cover and turn on the motor. Drop garlic through the feed tube and process it until it’s minced.

Remove the lid and add spinach, pepitas, cheese, lemon zest, and salt. Process this until the mixture is ground.

While the motor is running, drizzle olive oil through the feed tube and continue processing until the paste is evenly moist. You’ll probably need to scrape down the sides as necessary to ensure it’s properly mixed.

Step 3: Remove Bay Leaf and Serve

Remove the bay leaves and dish out portions of the soup. Add a dollop of pesto to each serving and enjoy!

overhead shot of two soup bowls full of ham, barley, vegetables, and spinach pesto

FAQs and Expert Tips

Do I need to soak barley before adding it to the soup?

No, you don’t need to soak it beforehand because it will soak and absorb the flavors of the soup during the slow cooker process.

What goes well with ham soup?

I’d recommend something light like a salad or roasted veggie side. Try our Garden Salad or this Roasted Asparagus.

Isn’t a leek just an onion?

It’s not an onion, but it’s in the onion family! They actually look most like a large scallion, and they have a much more mild flavor than their onion cousin.

Tips for Making a Slow Cooker Soup

  • Add longer cooking ingredients like lean cuts of meat, heartier veggies (think potatoes, onions, celery, carrots), and dry spices at the beginning of cooking to allow the flavors to meld.
  • Add ingredients that need less time to cook like peas, greens, corn, seafood, fresh herbs, and cooked grains towards the end of the cooking time, so they retain their fresh flavor and don’t get mushy.
  • Cut all of your ingredients about the same size so that everything cooks at the same rate.
  • If you have time, sautéing the veggies and searing the meat beforehand really does add an amazing depth of flavor.
  • But if you are in a rush, a spoonful of pesto, a dollop of greek yogurt or a sprinkle of grated cheese are a welcome last-minute flavor boost to almost any soup!
ham and barley soup served in bowls with a dollop of spinach pesto while sitting beside the slow cooker

Additional Recipes To Try

At Healthy Seasonal Recipes, we specialize in cooking with fresh veggies and creating weeknight meals. Sign up HERE to get more produce-forward dinner ideas for FREE! If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review. I would love to hear what you thought! Happy Cooking! ~Katie

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This Slow Cooker Ham Barley Soup with Spinach Pesto is the perfect weeknight vegetable packed delicious dinner. |Healthy Seasonal Recipes | Katie Webster #slowcooker #soup #weeknightdinner #pesto

Slow Cooker Ham Barley Soup with Spinach Pesto

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5 from 6 reviews

  • Author: Katie Webster
  • Total Time: 4 hours 45 minutes
  • Yield: 6 servings 1x
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Description

This slow cooker barley and ham soup with spinach pesto is the perfect vegetable-packed weeknight dinner of your dreams. It also has a make-ahead option that will make those busy mornings just that much easier! Plus, it’s on the list of Best of Healthy Seasonal Recipes so you know it’s good!

Ingredients

Units Scale

For the soup

  • 8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
  • 2 teaspoons sherry vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon dry thyme
  • 1/2 cup barley
  • 2 bay leaves, preferably fresh
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 cups diced smoked boneless ham, about 10 ounces
  • 2 cups peeled and diced turnip, about 1 large
  • 2 cups chopped leeks (see how to clean here)
  • 1 1/2 cup diced carrots
  • 1 1/2 cup diced celery

For the Pesto

  • 1 large clove garlic, crushed and peeled
  • 2 cups packed baby spinach
  • 1/4 cup unsalted pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
  • 1/4 cup finely shredded Asiago or Manchego cheese
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup finest quality extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions

Make soup:

  1. Whisk broth, tomato paste, paprika, sherry vinegar, salt, pepper and thyme in slow cooker insert. Add barley, bay leaf and garlic. Top with ham, turnip, leeks, carrots and celery. Cover and cook in the slow-cooker 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low.

Make Pesto:

  1. Fit food processor with the steel blade attachment. Cover and turn on motor. Drop garlic through the feed tube and process until minced. Remove lid and add spinach, pepitas, Asiago or Manchego, lemon zest and salt. Process until ground. While motor is running, drizzle the oil through the feed tube and continue processing until the paste is evenly moist, scraping down sides if necessary.
  2. Remove bay leaves before serving. Serve soup topped with a dollop of pesto.

Notes

25 mg Cholesterol, 0 g Added Sugars

To make ahead, place ingredients in slow-cooker insert and refrigerate overnight. Because the insert will be cold, you’ll need to add 1 hour to the cooking time.

  • Prep Time: 45 minutes
  • Cook Time: 8 hours
  • Category: Soup
  • Method: Slow Cooker
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 2 cups soup and 2 Tablespoons pistou
  • Calories: 305
  • Sugar: 6 g
  • Sodium: 657 mg
  • Fat: 19 g
  • Saturated Fat: 4 g
  • Carbohydrates: 32 g
  • Fiber: 6 g
  • Protein: 20 g

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