Recipe: Vegetable Beef Barley Soup

This hearty Vegetable Beef Barley Soup is chock full of vegetables… low fat and delicious…this is a crock pot recipe… everything goes in the crock pot and the crock pot does the work… my favorite kind of meal .. especially when I’m busy doing other things…

TIPS

I used a mix of fresh and frozen vegetables.. you can use all fresh or all frozen vegetables if you prefer.

I sliced fresh baby carrots.. I like the way they look in soup and I had them on hand.. you can use frozen instead.

Adjust the recipe however you like it… don’t like peas.. leave them out…. like lots of barley.. add a bit more than the recipe calls for…. like it more stew-like… don’t add as much beef broth.

When planning your groceries for this meal.. make sure you have extra beef broth on hand… so you can add more if needed…start off with the amount of beef broth listed… and add more to your liking.

If you like peas that are firm.. add them about 30 minutes before the end…

I originally used 1 teaspoon of basil and one teaspoon of oregano (as listed) but after taste testing.. I decided it needed more spice and I added a tablespoon of Italian Seasoning.. it came out perfect for us… so that’s how I listed the ingredients… it’s not an error.

Just as you can vary the amount of spice… you can adjust the garlic and onions… I listed what I used.. we like a flavorful soup.

This reheats wonderfully… I did add more beef broth when I reheated it.

Perfect for a winter’s night…






Recipe: Vegetable Beef Barley Soup

All you need:

1 ½ pounds lean stew meat cut into small pieces
½ medium onion, diced
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 cup fresh baby carrots, sliced
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup frozen whole green beans, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 cup frozen peas
1 can Hunts Petite Diced Tomatoes
2 (32 ounces each) beef broth (see Tips)
2/3 cup pearl barley
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper

All you need to do:

Place all ingredients in a crock pot and cook on low for 9 hours or on high for 5 hours.

Adjust seasoning.