Beef, Barley, and Vegetable Soup
- Total time to cook soup: 2½ hours
Ingredients
Cooking the Beef:
- 1 tablespoon safflower oil or equivalent vegetable oil
- 1½ pounds boneless beef top sirloin, cut into ¼-inch cubes
Ingredients to Simmer With Beef:
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- ¼ teaspoon dried marjoram leaves
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
Remainder of Ingredients to Add to Dutch Oven:
- 8 cups beef broth
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 4 carrots, sliced
- 4 stalks celery, sliced
- 4 red potatoes, peeled and chopped
- 8- ounces frozen corn (1 cup)
- 8- ounces frozen cut green beans (1 cup)
- One 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
- ½ cup uncooked pearl barley
Instructions
-
Heat oil in a 4 to 5-quart Dutch oven on medium-high heat.
- Add beef and cook until lightly browned.
- Stir in water, Worcestershire sauce, and spices.
- Cover and simmer until beef is tender, 1 to 1½ hours. Check pot occasionally; if there is no liquid left in the bottom of the pot add a little bit more water.
- Add remainder of ingredients.
- Heat to boiling; reduce heat.
- Cover and simmer on low heat until barley is cooked through; about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
- Serve.
Recipe adapted from Betty Crocker's Cookbook. New York: Golden Press (1980).
Comments
Serves 8-10 people.Do Ahead Tip: Place chopped onion, sliced carrots, sliced celery, and chopped potatoes in a large bowl; pour the 8 cups of beef broth over the vegetables and refrigerate until it is time to add to the soup pot.
Serve with Valerie's famous buttermilk biscuits or cornbread.