Soups & Stews
Beef Barley Soup
A big, cozy pot of soup for snow days.
Ingredients
- 1 quart jar Granny's canned beef (about 2 lb beef plus its broth)
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 carrots, diced
- 2 celery ribs, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 6 cups beef broth
- 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
- ¾ cup pearl barley, rinsed
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- Salt and pepper to taste
Steps
- Open and heat the beef. Check the seal first. Pour the beef and all its broth into a pot, bring it to a boil, and heat it all the way through before using it in the rest of the recipe.
- Soften the vegetables. Melt butter in a large pot. Cook onion, carrots, and celery 5 minutes. Add garlic for 1 minute.
- Cook the barley. Add broth, tomatoes, barley, thyme, and bay leaf. Simmer covered 40 to 45 minutes, until the barley is tender.
- Add the beef. Stir in the heated beef and its broth. Simmer 5 minutes, season, and remove the bay leaf.
Notes
Granny’s tip: The barley keeps soaking up liquid as it sits. Add broth when reheating leftovers.
Store-bought works too: no home-canned beef? Use about 2 lb of cooked chuck roast plus 2 cups beef broth.
Using home-canned beef safely: check every jar before opening. If the lid is bulging or unsealed, the jar leaks, liquid spurts when opened, or anything smells off, throw it out without tasting. Heat the beef all the way through before eating. For extra safety, NCHFP recommends boiling home-canned meat for 10 minutes (add 1 minute per 1,000 ft of elevation). Get the canning process in The Smell That Woke the Dogs.
Twelve meals, one jar of beef
This is one of the twelve dinners competing for my five jars. See them all.
