Beef, Barley, and Vegetable Soup
What is my most popular wintertime dish with both friends and family? I’m always surprised it is not something more exotic, but even I love this one. Almost everyone raves about this soup. I have brought this soup as a housewarming gift, and also to people that have new babies in the house. Usually I have stories to tell about the foods I make. Beef, Barley and Vegetable Soup is such a workhorse of my repertoire that I can’t think about one fun story to tell. I just know that it is an easy, delicious and nutritious, cold weather dish.
I have been asked for this recipe countless times. I’m happy to share recipes with people, particularly one that is as easy as this one. Everything in this recipe is either in my pantry or freezer. This recipe makes a lot! However, it is great to be able to freeze a meal or two for those days that I just don’t feel like cooking. Beef, barley, and vegetable soup is good by itself or with bread on the side. Although, since it has both barley and vegetables in it, I feel assured that I am feeding my family grains, proteins, and vegetables and can just leave it at that.
I Can Easily Modify This
The original recipe calls for homemade beef stock prepared from stock bones as part of the recipe. Doing this is well out of my ability right now. I use prepared broth and have streamlined this recipe to simplify it. I thought the original amount of barley was negligible and got lost in the soup so I doubled it. For those who are unsure of okra, it is sold cut and frozen in most supermarket frozen vegetable sections. The okra helps thicken up the broth and give it some body. My family isn’t a big fan of peas so I have turned the peas into green beans over the years. I’ve created a basic recipe for beef, barley, and vegetable soup that is a canvas, and you can splash whatever vegetable paint on it that you like.
***Very Important Extra
My husband grew two okra plants in our northern garden this past summer. Whenever a few were ready, he would bring them in the house. We would cut them up in half inch pieces and put them in the okra bag we keep in the freezer. He wants you all to know that this is a VERY interesting story.
Try some more of my easy soups!
West African Peanut Soup
Taco Soup
Brazilian Black Bean Soup
Beef, Barley, and Vegetable Soup
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons Vegetable or Olive Oil
- 1 large Onion chopped
- 3 stalks Celery chopped
- 1/2 cup Pearled Barley
- 2 qts Beef Broth
- 28 oz canned Diced Tomatoes with juice
- 10 oz frozen Corn Kernels
- 2 cups frozen Cut Okra
- 2 Bay Leaves remove before serving
- 2 teaspoons Garlic Powder
- 1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
- 1 Tablespoon Porcini Powder optional
- 1 1/2 -2 lbs Stew Meat cut into hazelnut sized pieces
- 1 1/2 cups frozen Cut Green Beans
- 1 Garlic Powder Frank's Hot Sauce
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add celery, onion, and barley to pot. Sauté until onion is golden, about 15 minutes.
- Add beef broth, tomatoes with juices, corn, okra, bay leaves, garlic powder, soy sauce and porcini powder. Stir.
- Add beef to pot and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer covered until beef is almost tender, about 1 hour.
- Add green beans and Frank's hot pepper sauce to soup. Cover and simmer until beef is tender, about 30 minutes longer. Season with salt, pepper, and more hot pepper sauce, if desired.
