• 1 ¼ cups dried bean soup mix (see Note)

• ½ cup dried shiitake mushrooms

• 3 cups water

• 8 cups vegetable broth

• 1 cup finely chopped yellow onion

• 1 cup finely chopped carrot

• ¾ cup finely chopped scrubbed Yukon Gold potato

• ½ cup pearl barley, rinsed

• ¼ cup white wine

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh garlic

• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano

• 1 teaspoon ground pepper

• ¾ teaspoon crushed red pepper

• ½ teaspoon salt plus ⅛ teaspoon

• 4 cups finely chopped curly kale

• ½ cup chopped fresh herbs, such as flat-leaf parsley or chives, plus whole parsley leaves for garnish

• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

STEP 1

1. If your dried bean soup mix contains any kidney beans, remove them for another use (see Note). 

2. Combine the bean soup mix, mushrooms and water in a large bowl; soak for 4 hours or up to 8 hours. 

3. Pour through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl; reserve 2 cups of the soaking water. Set aside the soaked beans. 

4. Remove and discard the mushroom stems; finely chop the mushrooms and set aside. 

STEP 2

5. Combine broth, onion, carrot, potato, barley, wine, garlic, Italian seasoning, oregano, pepper, crushed red pepper, salt, and the reserved 2 cups soaking water, beans and chopped mushrooms in an 8-quart slow cooker. 

6. Cover and cook until the beans and potatoes are tender, 4 hours on High or 8 hours on Low. 

STEP 3

7. Stir in kale; cover and cook until the kale is tender, 10 to 15 minutes on High or 20 to 30 minutes on Low. 

8. Stir in herbs and lemon juice. 

9. Divide the soup among 6 bowls; garnish with parsley leaves, if desired.

NOTE
Look for packages of dried bean soup mix, a combination of different varieties of dried beans, lentils and peas, with other dried beans at your grocery store. Pick out any kidney beans before starting this recipe. Dried kidney beans contain a toxic level of lectins and need to be boiled for at least 30 minutes to make them safe to consume—most slow cookers don't get that hot.