{ Comforting Beef Barley Soup }

A fantastic way to use up those leftover CSA veggies is in soups!
I have one member who finishes off whatever’s left in her box at the end of the week this way. “At the end of every week is a different kind of soup,” she says, “depending on what I’ve got left. One week was a delicious Pho with those fresh snap peas, another was a curry soup— it was sooo incredible.”
This past week I pulled out a package of Herbert Farm stew beef, a bunch of garden carrots, and one of our giant heads of cabbage to make this hearty comfort soup. We ended up eating it during a storm with the power out, and between the seven of us we polished off the entire pot in one sitting! Sooo good and comforting.

Print Recipe

Beef Barley Soup

Delicious comfort soup, great use for those leftover veggies too!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 6 people

Ingredients

  • 1 lb beef stew meat, cut in 1" cubes
  • 1 lg onion, chopped
  • 2 lg carrots (or 5 small), peeled and chopped
  • 1-2 tsp. salt
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp fresh oregano, chopped (or 1 tsp. dried)
  • 5 cups chopped cabbage
  • 4 cups broth (beef, chicken, or veggie)
  • 1 (28oz) can crushed tomatoes
  • 4 cups water
  • 3/4 cup barley

Instructions

  • Season beef pieces generously with salt and pepper, then dredge each piece in flour. Sear off in a large soup pot with a little oil to brown outsides, then remove from heat and set aside. 
  • In the same pot, heat 2 tbsp. oil and saute chopped onion until translucent. Add carrots, 1 tsp salt, garlic, oregano, and cabbage. Cook and stir until veggies become tender and fragrant. 
  • Add broth, crushed tomatoes, water and beef. Bring to boil and turn down heat to medium, cook 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
  • Add barley, cook for another 35-45 minutes until barley is soft and cooked through. (Stir occassionally so that the barley doesn't stick.) Add more salt and pepper to taste. Add water as necessary for desired consistency.