Beef Barley Soup

When the nights turn cold, so do my toes! Which means I need comfort foods to warm my soul.

Beef Barley Soup is one of those dishes that ranked very high on my favorites list. Unfortunately, due to being gluten-free, I must omit the barley now. But that doesn’t seem to affect the flavor, and this soup is delicious either way. Thankfully my husband and my girls love soups and stews as much as I do. My son, on the other hand, is still coming around to the fact that some foods are better mixed together.

I prefer to use fresh produce in my soup but sometimes those items are out of season. I choose to do a lot of canning and freezing as a way of preserving fresh produce. I love growing my own food or purchasing it from a local farmer who I know grows things without the added chemicals and fertilizers that a large corporation would use. Plus, as an added benefit – local, in-season produce has been shown to be more nutrient-dense. So, support your local farmer whenever possible.

Below are my step by step instructions, followed by a recipe card.

I start my meat a little bit different- it takes a little bit longer but it isn’t any more work. In my crockpot (6qt) I place the 3 lbs of Beef Stew Meat – and I dice 2  medium onions to place in there as well.

Sprinkle liberally with salt and lemon pepper (add any other seasonings you would like). Add about 1 1/2 cups of water to crock pot and cook on low for about 4 hours.

Start by dumping the entire contents of the crockpot into your stockpot. You will have a nice beef base. Next, add the rest of the ingredients.

Dice potatoes and slice carrots and throw those in there as well…. feel free to add any other veggies you would like.

It’s basically going to look like brown water with a bunch of veggies swimming around… now simmer for a few hours and it will come to life.

After a few hours, your soup will evolve into this thick deliciousness. The barley becomes plump and all the flavors mix together. Pure heaven for those cold evenings or anytime.

Beef Barley Soup… it’s what’s for dinner 🙂