Quick & Easy Beef & Barley Soup

Here's a simple and scrumptuous beef & barley soup recipe I made for Michael's family last weekend.  I like this recipe because the veggies can be chopped ahead and the soup comes together very quickly, say, after work when you have a houseful of hungry people waiting on dinner.  It goes well with crusty bread and a glass of red wine.

Quick & Easy Beef & Barley Soup

(this is a double version of the original recipe I found from www.eatingwell.com)

Ingredients:

- 16 oz. sirloin steak, trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces

- 1 t. ground black pepper

- 3 T. olive oil, divided

- 1 T. minced garlic

- 1 large onion, chopped

- 2 large celery stalks, sliced

- 2 large carrots, sliced (I used some leftover carrot chips from a previous recipe)

- 1 c. tomato sauce

- 1 T. dried thyme

- 1 1/2 c. cooked barley

- 2 cartons (8 c.) beef stock

- 1/2 t. salt

- 1/4 c. red wine vinegar





Directions:

1.  Cut steak into bite-size pieces.  Sprinkle with 1/2 t. black pepper.  Heat 1 T. olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Add the steak and cook until browned on all sides, about 3-4 minutes.  Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

2.  Add the remaining oil, onion, garlic and celery to the pot.  Cook until slightly softened, about 2 minutes.  Add the carrot and cook 2 minutes more.  

3.  Stir tomato sauce and thyme into the veggies, cook 1-2 minutes.

4.  Add barley, broth, salt and remaining pepper; bring to simmer.  Reduce heat and simmer 10-15 minutes.  Return beef to the pot and heat through, about 1-2 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in vinegar.  Serve warm with a good crusty bread.

soup is 6 pts per 1.5 c. serving (does not include bread)

printable recipe