Beef and Barley Soup

A bowl of soup served with some great homemade bread is one of my favorite meals. They are so warm and comforting; especially in the middle of an ice storm! Soup also makes for great leftovers, and can be frozen for later use. I have really begun to embrace freezing meals and I'm loving it!

This soup is hearty and reminiscent of eating a great Italian meal. The tomatoes and basil blend beautifully with the beef to form a delicious medley of flavors for you to enjoy. It's healthy too, which is always an added bonus! Part of the reason I chose this soup is because I had never cooked with barley. For barley and me, it was love at first taste; I think I may even add more barley the next time around for this soup. I halved the recipe, which is what you will see below, but it can be doubled to make 3 quarts and serve 12. Enjoy!

As a side note, my friend will be coming to visit us this weekend (yay I'm so excited!) so I will probably not be posting. She leaves Monday, I work 12-hour shifts on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and then my husband's family will be here Thursday to stay the weekend! Needless to say, I don't think I will have time to do some posting, but I hope you all have a great week!

Beef and Barley Soup (Print)
adapted from Taste of Home
Prep: 30 minutes
Yield: 6 servings

1 pound lean ground beef
1 small white onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
1-1/2 cups water
1 (14-1/2 ounce) can beef broth
1/2 cup quick-cooking barley
1 (14-1/2 ounce) can diced tomatoes with garlic and onion, undrained
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1. In a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot, cook the beef, onions, celery, and garlic over medium heat until the meat is no longer pink; drain off excess grease.

2. Stir in the water and broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and add barley. Cover and simmer for 10-20 minutes or until barley is tender.

3. Stir in the 4 remaining ingredients and heat through. Serve immediately or allow soup to cool and transfer to freezer containers. Cover and freeze for up to 3 months. To use frozen soup, thaw in the refrigerator and reheat in a saucepan.

My Review

•  Preparation: 5
• This meal takes about 30 minutes to prepare. And you can easily double the recipe to have another batch ready in the freezer!
• Taste: 5
• This soup has delicious, strong flavors that reminded me of spaghetti.
• Cost: 5
• This meal uses inexpensive ingredients and makes a large batch. My husband and I had it for dinner, then leftovers for lunch. I froze the remaining soup for us to enjoy at a later date.
• Clean-up: 5
• One pan and some cutting utensils, I like that!
• Changes
• You could experiment with the tomateos in this soup. The canned tomateos come in many varieties of sizes and spices.
• I would also add a little more barley next time around. I considered it when I prepared the soup, but because I had never used barley, I was unsure of how much liquid it would absorb. Maybe 3/4 cup would be good.
• Summary
• This soup is simple to make, easy on the budget, and delicious!