Constadina Zarokostas-Vasiliades
This Hearty Vegetable Beef Barley Soup Recipe is a great fall-winter comfort soup that warms up your tummy and gets the cold out of your bones, but it’s also great for maintaining your iron levels, and keeping you strong if you are suffering from a cold or flu or recovering from giving birth. Here is my recipe for this very yummy soup.
Ingredients:
- ½ lb. to 1 lb. Chopped Shoulder Pot Roast into bite-sized chunks – (OR Lean ground beef)
- ½ cup Chopped onion (medium onion)
- 1 or 2 cloves Garlic, minced
- ½ cup Sliced celery (Usually one rib – keep any leaves that are in good condition)
- ½ cup Sliced carrots (Usually one carrot)
- 1 or 2 cups Sliced Mushrooms (depending on your preference)
- 1 (14 ½ oz.) can Fire-Roasted tomatoes, diced and with juice
- 32 oz./4cups Beef broth (or Vegetable Broth) – preferably low sodium
- 3 cups Water (Best to use boiled water. Can add two cubes low sodium beef bouillon cubes)
- ½ cup Medium Barley, uncooked
- ¼ Cup Chopped parsley
- ½ tsp Dried basil, crushed
- 2 Pinches Dried oregano, crushed
- 1 Bay leaf
- 1 tsp. Smoked Paprika
- ¼ tsp. Chipotle chili powder
- Black Pepper to taste
- ¼ tsp. Sea Salt
- 1 (9 oz.) pkg. Frozen mixed vegetables
Instructions:
- In a big pot or Dutch oven sauté onion and garlic until soft, add meat and brown with a little black pepper and smoked paprika.
- Add mushrooms, carrot and celery.
- Add fire roasted tomatoes.
- Stir in remaining ingredients except frozen vegetables.
- Cover; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 50-60 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add frozen vegetables; cook about 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
- Additional water may be added if soup becomes too thick upon standing.
Makes at least 12 (1 cup) servings depending on how much mushroom you add.
Photo by Constadina Zarokostas-Vasiliades at healthybalancedworld.com