Vegetable Beef Barley Soup
Soups are one of my favorite foods, they are so flavorful and can be made from things you already have. This soup is no exception. It has a wonderful flavor and I usually have all the ingredients at my house. I love to make a big pot of soup so we can have it for leftovers also. If I make too much, which rarely happens, I freeze the rest for a day when I do not feel like cooking or do not have time.
I got this recipe from my mom, she has been making it for years and I love it! The only problem is, she does not have the recipe written down. So the last time I made it with her, we had to measure everything out and write it down. It is a little bit of a guessing game while trying to figure out the right measurements. But it is well worth it! I have to do the same thing with many of my recipes, I do not follow a written recipe so when I try to write a blog, I have to remake the recipe and measure everything.
This recipe uses ground beef, but I have have substituted ground turkey and it is delicious also. You can also add extra vegetables, sometimes I like to add green beans or mushrooms.
Vegetable beef barley soup goes great with garlic cheesy bread or rolls. You can also serve it with sandwiches or salad for a complete meal.
If you have enough for leftovers, simply store them in your refrigerator and skim the fat off the top before reheating. You can reheat it in the pot or reheat individual bowls in the microwave.
Vegetable Beef Barley Soup
Ingredients
1 lb lean ground hamburger
1/2 onion, chopped
2 TBSP minced garlic
1/4 cup ketchup
1/2 cup barley
5 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 14.5 oz can diced petite tomatoes
1/2 TBSP Italian seasoning
6 cups beef broth
Directions
Cook hamburger in a pan over medium heat, about 10 minutes, drain fat
In pot, add onions, cook for 3 minutes, add garlic, cook for 2 minutes then add hamburger, ketchup, barley, carrots, tomatoes, seasoning and beef broth
Cook over medium low heat for at least 30 minutes, until vegetables are tender and barley is cooked until done
