Ingredients

• 2 tbs Olive oil
• 1 medium onion diced
• 2 cloves of garlic minced
• 3 carrots peeled and diced
• 3 stalks of celery diced
• 1 tbs tomato paste
• 1 zucchini diced
• 1.9 litres liquid stock
• 1 can of Cannellini beans- drained
• ¼ cup tomato paste
• 1 cup pearl barley
• 100gm of baby spinach
• 1 can of diced tomatoes
• 1 sprig of thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 handful of parsley

Method

Wash the barley well under cold tap water.
Heat oil in a large pot and fry off your onion, carrot and celery until soft. 5-7 minutes.
Now add the garlic, thyme and bay leaf and stir for a minute until fragrant.
Now add the barley and tomato paste stirring for a minute or 2. Now add the diced tomatoes and liquid stock and bring to a simmer. Allow to cook for 25-30 minutes stirring occasionally and add the zucchini in the last 5 minutes of this cooking time.
Now add the cannellini beans and spinach, then stir to combine. Check the barley is cooked and remove from the heat. Discard the thyme and bay leaf. Ladle into bowls, sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve with crusty bread.

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