Buying soup from a work cafeteria is always like playing roulette. Many of the soups are straight out of a can, but there are enough times when they make them in-house, that it is worth a chance. For lunches during the winter months I am very happy with a big bowl of soup, but I am always a bit wary.
French Onion Soup? Love it in many restaurants, but never had a good cup in a cafeteria.
Minestrone? Generally the “broth” is tasteless and the veggies rubbery.
Gazpacho? Hit or miss. I loved it at a former employer’s cafeteria but hate it at the current cafeteria.
Chili? Generally workable.
Chicken Tortilla? If there is enough hot sauce around, it can make any tortilla soup edible.
Beef Barley? Ah….. I love me some Beef Barley.
I cannot say I have had a bad beef barley soup. Some are a little bland, but some black pepper and salt can wake it up. Others are really good. Surprisingly good. It is best when you scoop your own and you are not late to the post, as you can dig deep and fill the bowl with barley! I figured it was finally time to make it at home.
The quantity of barley in this soup seemed almost an afterthought. As I am such a big fan of barley, next time I would double it. I think the amount of fluids already there could handle it, but I might add another cup of water just to be sure.
There are quite a few items in here but it is really straightforward.
Browning up the beef.
In the pot.
Ready to cook.
Beef-Barley Soup
Prep Time: 15 mins | Cook Time: 8 hrs | Makes: 8-10
Ingredients:
- 2 lbs beef chuck, diced
- 2 cups chopped carrots
- 1 stalk celery, diced
- 1/2 green pepper, diced
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 (16 ounce) tomatoes, cut up
- 1/2 cup frozen corn
- 1/2 cup frozen green beans
- 2/3 cup barley
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
- 1 tablespoon beef bouillon cubes
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 3/4 teaspoon dried basil
- 5 cups water
Directions:
1. In skillet brown beef.
2. Place carrot, celery, green pepper, onion, corn and green beans in crock pot.
3. Put meat on top.
4. Combine tomatoes, barley, parsley, bouillon, salt and basil.
5. Pour over meat.
6. Add water.
7. DO NOT STIR.
8. Cover and cook on LOW for 10-12 hours.
Nutritional Info:
Calories 110.7 Calories from Fat 7 Total Fat 0.8 g Saturated Fat 0.1 g Cholesterol 0.0 mg Sodium 746.6 mg Total Carbohydrate 24.0 g Dietary Fiber 5.6 g Sugars 4.4 g Protein 3.9 g
Rantings of an Amateur Chef 
Nothing better than homemade soup on a cold, wintery day!
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I love soup, I’ll give this one a try 😊
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Reblogged this on lamaramal and commented:
If only my son would stop saying “yuck” to the idea of soups. This looks great!
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Soup is one of my favourite things to make! This looks lovely!
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YUM! Nothing like good soup in the cool winter months, thanks for sharing 🙂
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Very clever title for this post. Definitely piqued my curiosity!
Cheers!
Nasyitah
http://www.coloursofthedomesticgoddess.wordpress.com
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I made beef and barley soup for dinner too and now I see this! Great minds! I love soup 🙂
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Enjoyed your post and the recipe. Many years ago I worked in a small pizzeria that allowed me to make my homemade soups every Friday. Have to say I made quite a bit of fans on those days. My soups were very unexpected. 🙂
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so true! i have just started working with Marks & Spencers in London and their cantine soup is SO yummy! i was creative yesterday and added my own barley and chunky courgette and croutons to their chicken and vegetable broth! yummy!
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You had me drooling till you added the corn lol..we are big soup fans in our house mostly due to my allergies and the fact that it is something quick and simple for me to throw together and make that is not only nutritious, inexpensive and I can make a double batch for the “Hubby Making Dinner” nights…he simply goes into the freezer and selects a pre-made meal and defrosts…beats his usual “Hamburger Helper” that I am allergic to… Thanks for the blog.
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“Do not stir”…that is interesting…why is stirring wrong? This is one of our favorite meals but I usually stir to mix ingredients and then every so often stir while it is cooking. But with your suggestion the next time I cook it I won’t stir.
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