Tuesday: Beef Barley Vegetable Soup

We have an extremely busy day today, so the idea of throwing everything into a crock pot was very appealing. 
(girls morning dr. appointment, then they both have gymnastics in the morning, lunch, then swim lessons, then nap, then dress rehearsal for dance class...whew!)


Continuing with "Clean Out Freezer Week," I'm using up some beef chuck I have.  And a bonus I still have some barley leftover from another recipe.  Perfect.  
I read through the reviews of this recipe and I will be making a few adjustments to the original recipe.


First, I'm going to cut up the meat into cubes and brown before adding to the crock pot.
Second, I'm using beef broth instead of water and bouillon cubes.
Third, I'm adding all the ingredients EXCEPT the barley and bay leaf.  (that goes in for the last hour)
Adding half a cup of red wine and 2 tsp of Worcestershire sauce.
Cook on low for 10 hours then add the barley and bay leaf.  Can't wait for dinner tonight!

Deep rich flavors...and chock full of veggies.  Delicious!

Beef Barley Vegetable Soup  (recipe adapted from AllRecipes)


makes 10 servings
Ingredients

• 1 (3 pound) beef chuck roast
• 1/2 cup barley
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 3 carrots, chopped
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 (16 ounce) package frozen mixed vegetables
• 4 cups water
• 4 cubes beef bouillon cube
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 (28 ounce) can chopped stewed tomatoes
• salt to taste
• ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1. In a slow cooker, cook chuck roast until very tender (usually 4 to 5 hours on High, but can vary with different slow cookers). Add barley and bay leaf during the last hour of cooking. Remove meat, and chop into bite-size pieces. Discard bay leaf. Set beef, broth, and barley aside.
2. Heat oil in a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Saute carrots, celery, onion, and frozen mixed vegetables until tender. Add water, beef bouillon cubes, sugar, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, chopped stewed tomatoes, and beef/barley mixture. Bring to boil, reduce heat, and simmer 10 to 20 minutes. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.