Vegetable Beef & Barley Soup

Originally posted 4-6-11

It's cold and wet outside.  That means...it's time for soup!

Last night I made a beef roast in my crock pot.  Love it...easy.  Because I end up with a lot of great beef broth and normally lots of great roast left over, it makes a wonderful, hearty soup that my whole family loves.

Vegetable Beef & Barley Soup

• 1/2 C chopped carrot
• 1/2 C chopped celery
• 1/2 C chopped onion
• 1 T butter
• 4 C beef broth
• 4 C water
• 2 C chopped cooked roast beef
• approx. 3 C shredded zucchini (frozen)
• 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 C barley
• 1-1/2 t salt
• 1/2 t pepper
• 1/2 t dried basil
• 1/2 t dried oregano
• 1 t Worcestershire sauce

1. Saute carrots, celery and onion in butter until tender, about 5 minutes.
2. Add remaining ingredients and simmer at least 2 hours. Note: I prefer to deglaze the pan I sauteed the vegetables in with some of the water and then add that with the remaining ingredients into my crock pot and cook on LOW for 8 hours.  This time I also added a few leftover mashed potatoes and corn I had from dinner the night before. I also was out of barley so used uncooked brown rice as well as some tomatoes I had that were on their last leg.  That's the joy of making soup...add what you have or like and don't stress about what you don't!
3. To serve: Top with grated Parmesan. Serve with crusty bread and salad.

What is your favorite soup to make? Do you make it only on special occassions or is it something you serve regularly? How often do you make soup for your family?

Photo