Beef and Barley Soup

a savory veggie soup with beef and pearl barley for SIX people - perfect for freezing and pulling out another night - also great for Thursday or Friday's lunchtime leftovers.

Healthy, nutritious, fast soup for people on the go!

Beef and Barley Soup
1 Tbsp olive oil .10
6 portions (1 1/2 pounds) top sirloin beef $4.29
4 cups beef broth(.69)
1 cup water
1 onion, chopped .20
1 rib celery, sliced .10
1 carrot, peeled & sliced .10
1 tsp dried oregano .05
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp jarred) .30
1/2 cup pearl barley .40
1 bay leaf .10
10 oz. frozen green beans $1.09
1 - 14 oz can diced tomatoes .59
10 oz. frozen green peas .99
Total $8.90
1) In a large pot, over med-high heat, warm the olive oil. Add cubed beef and sear for approx. 8 minutes, stirring occasionally to brown all edges.
2) Stir in beef broth, water, onion, celery, carrot, oregano, black pepper, garlic, barley and bay leaf. Bring to boil, then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for at least 45 minutes.
3) 15 minutes prior to serving, REMOVE BAY LEAF, stir in green beans, tomatoes, and peas. Simmer, covered, until meat and veggies are all tender and hot.
4) Ladle approximately 2 cups of soup per person.

Serve with yummy crusty bread if your family dictates, or as is because this is a perfect balance of carbs and protein due to the veggies and barley with all that great steak!

CROCKPOT VERSION... (never done it, but trying it today - and I was right on!!)
Complete step one per above directions.
Put meat into warm crockpot along with all ingredients listed in step 2... cook about 4 hours on high instead of 45 minutes in a pan.
In step 3, REMOVE BAY LEAF, and add tomatoes and frozen veggies but instead of 15 minutes, allow your frozen veggies at least 30 minutes in the slow cooker - you'll know when they're hot, and you probably can't overcook them unless you add them in step 2.
(my frozen veggies were in the slow cooker soup for 1 hour - perfection!)