Beef, mushroom, and barley soup
4
Points®
Total Time
1 hr 24 min
Prep
14 min
Cook
1 hr 10 min
Serves
6
Difficulty
Easy
This “throw it in the pot and forget it” soup features chunks of lean round steak, pearl barley, and plenty of veggies. If you like, add some chopped fresh herbs—like thyme or marjoram—with the lima beans and mushrooms in step 2, but the soup will be just as delicious without further embellishment. If you want to intensify the flavor of the soup and give it a rich, dark color, spray the saucepan with canola oil nonstick spray before you add the barley and water in step 1, and brown the beef in batches. You can also toast the barley in a large dry skillet over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 5 minutes.
Ingredients
Uncooked lean beef round
16 oz, trimmed of all visible fat and cut into 1-inch chunks
Uncooked pearl barley
¾ cup(s), pearl variety
Water
7 cup(s)
Carrots
3 medium, chopped
Onion
2 medium, chopped
Celery
3 rib(s), medium, chopped
Table salt
1½ tsp
Fennel seeds
½ tsp, (optional)
Black pepper
¼ tsp, freshly ground
Cooked lima beans
1½ cup(s)
Cremini mushroom
1½ cup(s), sliced, fresh, sliced