Sausage and Barley Soup in a Jar

Why You’ll Love It

Really easy to prepare: To make the soup mix you put the dried ingredients in a jar and then, when you’re ready to cook, add more ingredients. It’s such a simple dish.
Oh-so-convenient: For a tasty meal in a hurry, just empty the jar contents into a pot, add the remaining ingredients and your meal will be ready in minutes!
It tastes great: Full of vibrant Italian flavors, this gorgeous sausage and barley soup is sure to tantalize everyone’s taste buds.
Customizable: You can put your own stamp on this soup by adding anything else you want to it.

Sausage and Barley Soup in a Jar Ingredients

A complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.

Pearl barley: A tasty grain that’s filling and delicious. It goes beautifully with the other ingredients in this soup.
Dried garlic: Add extra if you love it.
Dried tomatoes: Don’t use sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil or water. Those have moisture and they’ll spoil after a few days in the jar. Use completely dried tomato pieces (I used these!)
Chicken sausages: Use cooked sausage, cut into slices or chunks.
Tomato paste: For a rich, sweet flavor.
Frozen mixed vegetables: Use any kind you prefer.
Chicken broth: The basis of your soup.
Dried thyme: So good with the other flavors.

How to Make Barley and Sausage Soup

For more detailed instructions with weights and measurements, jump to the printable recipe card.

Prepare the barley and chicken soup in a jar mix: Add the ingredients for the jar to a pint jar, put on the lid and seal it tightly.
Cook the soup: Pour the contents of the jar into a pot and add the tomato paste, broth and water. Simmer until the barley is tender, add the sausage and veggies and cook a little more, and then serve hot.

Substitutions and Variations

Gluten-free version: Swap the barley for rice or pasta, adjusting the cooking time if necessary. Also, check your sausages are gluten-free and the chicken broth also.
Other vegetables: You can use any kind of frozen vegetables you want, or use fresh veggies instead.
Spice it up: Add a kick with some red pepper flakes or a splash of your favorite hot sauce.
Another grain: Rice, pasta, quinoa, or even couscous can be used instead of the barley.
Make it vegetarian: Use vegetable sausages instead of chicken ones and use vegetable broth in place of the chicken broth.

Serving Suggestions

As an appetizer: A small portion of this soup makes a great appetizer, perhaps paired with farinata (a chickpea pancake).
As a snack: How about pairing it with cheese-stuffed pumpkin bites as a snack?
As a main meal: Enjoy this sausage and barley soup in a jar with Italian tuna potato salad or an antipasto salad.
Drink pairing: Anything goes, so how about some pineapple peach smoothies or state fair lemonade?

How to Store Soup Mix in a Jar

Store: Your soup mix will keep for a very long time if you keep the jar sealed and keep it in the pantry or somewhere dark and dry. Over time, some of the flavors mute a little but it’ll stay usable for a year – or maybe more!