Beef Barley Soup

Don't you feel cozier just looking at that bowl? :-)

Beef Barley Soup

2 pounds beef cubes (from a roast; chuck roast requires trimming but is flavorful)
onion, chopped, to taste (about 2 large)
5-8 cups broth or water (I use the Swanson boxes of reduced sodium beef broth)

extra broth may be needed
2/3 cup barley (it really expands!)
fresh mushrooms, sliced, optional
sliced or baby carrots

I made this recipe up, and there are several ways to cook it. You can just throw everything but the carrots in a crockpot, then steam the carrots and add at serving time.

The flavor is better if the meat and onion are browned first. Saute the beef in oil, in small batches so it can stick a bit and brown instead of steaming in its juices. Next cook the onions, scraping up the meaty bits in the pan (add a bit of broth if needed). Then put everything but the carrots in the crockpot, or simmer on top of the stove. If you have a Dutch oven, you can even simmer in the oven (about 300 degrees).

In any case, simmer somehow until the barley is cooked and the beef is tender, at least an hour and a half. If you use a crockpot, steam the carrots and add at serving time. If you're simmering on the stove, add the carrots after the beef and barley are done, and cook just until the carrots are ready.

This recipe is easy to double or triple (but that's A LOT of soup), and it freezes well without the carrots. I sometimes make a big batch with the smallest amount of broth, and freeze it in a smaller portion than we will eat. Later I thaw it and add the carrots and more broth. The long cooking is done, and it takes up less space.