Pages

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Beef Barley Soup


Beef Barley Soup is one of our favorites. I like to make a big (Crock-pot) of it on a nice, chilly day. If I serve this with sandwiches, I can get 3 nights' dinners from the one pot. If I skip the sandwiches and serve with biscuits, then we get 2 nights' from the one pot.

This soup freezes nicely, too. One of these days, I'm going to make a double batch of this soup and freeze in 4-6 portions. Combined with other soups I plan to serve this fall/winter, I should only have to make this particular soup once (maybe twice) during this soup season.

Here's the recipe....



Beef Barley Soup

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. London Broil, diced into small pieces
  • splash of Olive Oil (enough to coat bottom of skillet
  • 5 - 6 cans (14 oz each) beef broth
  • 1 1/4 cups chopped onion
  • 3/4 cup chopped celery
  • 1 tsp. dried oregano, crushed
  • 1/4 tsp. black pepper
  • heaping Tbs. minced garlic
  • 1 bay leaf (2 if they are small)
  • 1 1/2 cups mixed frozen veggies(peas, carrots, corn, lima beans, green beans)
  • 14 1/2 oz. can diced or stewed tomatoes, undrained
  • 1 1/2 cups diced potatoes
  • 2/3 cup barley*

Directions

  • In a skillet, brown meat in hot oil. Drain.
  • Add all ingredients to slow cooker.
  • Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.

* Do not use quick-cooking barley, it's not meant for the long hours of cooking in the slow cooker.

I originally found this recipe in an email from Better Homes and Gardens. I adapted it to our tastes (i.e. I use more potatoes and veggies than the original recipe calls for, plus add more broth to accommodate the extra veggies).

For more great soup recipes, be sure to check out Life As Mom's Ultimate Recipe Swap. This week's theme is Soup! MMmmm! MMmmm! Good!
I am also sharing this recipe with the October Fest Carnival of Super Foods hosted by Katie at Kitchen Stewardship. The theme on October 8th will be recipes that call for broth/stock. Be sure to check out her blog for more great recipes!

8 comments:

  1. Sounds yuumy! I like that you can freeze it too, because not everyone in our family will eat soup. Thanks for sharing!
    ~Liz

    ReplyDelete
  2. GREAT!!! soup. Don't have a recipe for barley soup. THANKS!!! Geri

    ReplyDelete
  3. This sounds really good - and comforting, too!!

    I really like your blog and look forward to swapping recipes with you!!

    Many blessings!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hoosier Homemade, I'm loving freezer friendly recipes! Right now, it's just the 2 of us and the freezer allows for us to have a variety of meals without having to eat the same soup or stew (or whatever) 3 or 4 nights in the same week! Thanks for visiting my blog!

    Geri, thanks again for stopping by! Let me know if you try the soup!

    Connie, thanks for dropping in! And for the compliment too! I just checked out your meal plan for next week and it looks wonderful!!! The chicken pot pie soup sounds like something we will LOVE!

    ReplyDelete
  5. delicious - I love barley in soups! what a great soup - especially because it's made in the crockpot.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks for the comment SnoWhite! My favorite part of this recipe is that it's a crock pot recipe!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. London Broil is one of those things I never would know what to do with, therefore wouldn't buy. Very cool that I can just make a soup! And soups do freeze great, don't they? ;)

    Katie

    ReplyDelete
  8. Katie, I used to think that London Broil was only meant to be grilled or put under the broiler. But once I discovered that I could use it in soups or stews, I was hooked! I never buy stew beef or beef cubes anymore!

    Lovin' soup and lovin' my freezer!

    ReplyDelete