Homemade Beef Barley Soup
Homemade Beef Barley Soup
I was in Tesco in the town near us, and I seen barley stocked, that was a first! So of course I bought a 500 gram (1 lb) bag for 30 Baht (just a bit less than $1). This recipe comes from a good friend, and it is delicious! Very well liked by the family. Link to the Shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 500 grams beef, see Step 1
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 carrots, sliced or Rangiri (see Recipe Notes)
- 1 stalk celery, chopped
- 6 cups beef broth, fresh or from powder
- 1 can diced tomatoes, with juice
- 1/2 green bell pepper, diced
- 2/3 cup dry barley
- 1 tablespoon Worcerstershire sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 packet beef gravy, (Shortcut)
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley
- salt and pepper, as desired
- 1 clove garlic, smashed and minced
Instructions
- For the beef, you have several options. 1. Use ground beef (my preference). 2. Use leftover roast beef or steak that is diced. 3. Use raw beef that is diced.
Using Ground Beef or Raw Beef
- Heat the oil in a large non stick pan on medium heat, when hot, add the onion, garlic, and either ground beef or raw diced beef. Cook until browned. Drain, and add to a large pot. Now continue with Continuing On... below.
Using Cooked Beef
- In large pot, heat the oil on medium heat, when hot, add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion is tender and soft, then stir in the cooked diced beef. Now continue with Continuing On... below.
Continuing On...
- Now that we have the beef sorted out, and in the pot, let's continue, and this is easy, add all the remaining ingredients to the pot.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer, and cover. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 40 minutes or until the barley is plumped and tender.
- Here it is fully cooked. If you would like a thinner soup, add some beef broth or water to thin it out, and if you would like a thicker soup, more like a stew, just simmer for a few more minutes with the cover removed to reduce the liquid.
- When the consistency of the soup is right for you, ladle into bowls and serve.
Notes
I bought the beef from a local vendor and ground myself, 500 grams (1 lb) was about $1.95. The barley was $1. For 8 servings (easy), this is about 37 cents per serving.
For the carrots: I used a Japanese style of chopping carrots, called Rangiri, which is basically, cut a piece of the carrot off at an angle, then rotate the carrot 1/4 turn, cut another piece off at an angle, repeat the turning and cutting. This makes for bite size pieces, and a larger surface area giving two uses, first, it absorbs more of the stock flavor, and second, it cooks faster with a larger surface area.
Shortcut: Beef Gravy.
Variants: 1. Use vegetables you have on hand, like green beans, corn, different color bell peppers. 2. In place of the canned tomatoes, use a pint of fresh cherry tomatoes quartered. 3. No celery? Not a problem, add a pinch of celery seed if you have on hand, or just omit.
Inspired by Spend With Pennies and the link to this recipe is here.
United States.
United States.
The Real Person!
The Real Person!
If you like barley soup, I have three words for this soup: Oh. My. Goodness. I have not had a barley soup in probably 15 years, this satisfied that, and now I am buying more barley. This is an excellent soup, easy to make. I used ground beef, pressure cooked long beans, and a pint of fresh tomatoes, hands down, a perfect soup. Highly recommended.