Vegetable Beef And Barley Soup Recipe

This vegetable beef soup includes tomatoes, carrots, and some other vegetables, along with stewing beef and v-8 juice. Barley adds texture to the dish and makes it satisfying enough for lunch or dinner. Use lean stewing beef or round steak in the recipe, and feel free to change the vegetables to suit your family's tastes. Add some shredded cabbage, diced rutabaga, or sliced sauteed fresh mushrooms. Diced potatoes are a good option as well, and can be used to replace the barley. Or omit the pearl barley and add 1/4 cup of long-grain rice about 25 to 30 minutes before the soup is ready. You might even consider a different grain, like farro or sorghum grain. Replace the garlic powder with two cloves of minced garlic if you'd like. Add the fresh garlic to the onions and cook for about 1 minute before adding the carrots and celery. Replace the canned green beans with frozen (thawed) green beans, or replace them with some thawed mixed vegetables. Frozen lima beans are an excellent choice as well, but they take longer to cook; defrost them under cold running water and add them about halfway through the cooking time. The soup is good with ground beef, too. Just brown the ground beef thoroughly with the onions and then drain it well. If you like more liquid in your soup, add a cup or two of water or unsalted beef stock. The soup is easily doubled or tripled if you're serving a crowd or taking it to a potluck dinner. Serve the soup with crusty french bread or bake a homemade no-knead bread or bread machine loaf.