Sherry Hammond's Beef Barley Soup
A Fall & Winter Crowd Pleaser!
This recipe for Beef Barley Soup is always a crowd-pleaser in the Fall and Winter. This recipe fits nicely in a 6-quart slow cooker. I have included a variation, which is how I fixed it in the pictures.
BEEF BARLEY SOUP
Cook time: slow cooker 8 hours on low temperature
Ingredients:
- 2 lbs. stew meat
- Salt and pepper
- 2 Tbsp oil
- 10 Cups water
- 3 mounded Tbsp Better than Bouillon Beef Base
- 3 stalks celery (about 2 cups), chopped
- 2 onions, chopped
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 large potato, peeled and shredded (about 2 cups)
- 3-4 large carrots, peeled and shredded (about 2 cups)
- 1 Cup pearl barley or quick barley, rinsed
Instructions:
- Place meat and oil in a large pan and season with salt and pepper. Brown the meat for about 1-2 minutes on each side. Place in slow cooker.
- Add 2 Cups of water to the pan and bring to a boil. Stir up all the browned bits and add this and the remaining 8 Cups of water to the slow cooker.
- Add the beef bouillon, celery, onions, and garlic to the slow cooker and stir.
- Cook for 6 hours on low. Then add the shredded potatoes and carrots and cook for another hour.
- Add barley and simmer for another hour or so, until tender. Quick barley may need shorter time.
Variation:
This will give you more of a beef stew-type soup.
Chop or slice potato and carrots and add to slow cooker in step 3. After cooking 6 hours on low or 4 hours on high, add barley and complete step 5.