Beef Barley Soup

My boss made this soup last week and I loved it. He got the recipe from Cooks.com and was nice enough to share it with me. I changed it up a little based on what I had in the house and how I wanted to cook it.



Beef Barley Soup

1 lb. stew beef
salt and pepper to taste
1 bay leaf
4 c beef stock
2 c water
1/2 c barley
1 c chopped carrot
1/2 c chopped celery
1 c chopped onion
1 t Italian seasoning
1 15-oz can of crushed tomatoes

1. Brown meat over medium high heat. Add salt and pepper to meat and let cook for about thirty seconds. Add one cup of stock to pan and scrape bottom of pan. Pour this mixture into a preheated crock-pot.

2. Add the rest of the beef stock, water, carrots, celery, onions, Italian seasoning and bay leaf to the crock-pot and let cook for two to three hours on low.

3. After two to three hours, add barley and tomatoes. Check the flavor of the broth to see if you need more salt or pepper. Cook for 5-7 more hours on low.

This was a pretty hearty soup and we really liked it.