Beef Barley Vegetable Soup

by Lynn Greene
(Full of Old Fashioned Vegetables, Beef, and Barley)

This Beef Barley Vegetable Soup recipe is an old standby, a family favorite. It is full of hearty vegetables, barley, and boneless beef. Slowly simmer it and enjoy the aroma that fills your home as it cooks.

Ingredients:

* 3 lb. stewing beef (cubed, boneless beef)
* 1/2 cup pearl barley
* 2 15-oz. cans diced tomatoes
* 3 medium onions, peeled and diced
* 1/2 head cabbage, cored and chopped
* 3 ribs celery, sliced
* 3 potatoes, peeled and diced
* 3 carrots, peeled and sliced
* 1 medium rutabaga, peeled and cubed
* 1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed
* 10 oz. pkg. frozen succotash
* 10 oz. pkg. frozen mixed vegetables
* 3 beef bouillon cubes
* 2 Tbsp. cider vinegar
* 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
* water to cover meat

Directions:

Put the beef cubes into a large soup pot and add enough water to cover them. Bring it to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer. Skim off any large amount of fat or foam that accumulates.

Add the remaining ingredients, except for the frozen succotash and frozen mixed vegetables. If the meat, barley, and vegetables are not completely covered with liquid, add enough water to cover them. Simmer for about an hour and a half, until the beef, barley, and vegetables are tender.

Add the the two bags of frozen veggies. Simmer an additional 15 minutes or so, until it is hot throughout.

This makes a satisfying meal in a bowl I suggest serving it with crusty bread or hard rolls.

This makes a large batch of soup. It keeps well in the refrigerator for a couple of days.

We also freeze it to have later. If you freeze it, after thawing, allow it to gently simmer for another fifteen minutes or so, so that the potatoes have a chance to reabsorb the moisture they've lost during freezing.