Our Slow Braised Beef & Barley Soup began by slow roasting some short ribs that were taking up space in the freezer.  Yes, I have once again vowed to stay out of the grocery store for at least a week.

You could easily use leftover steak or roast beef or stew beef and achieve the same tender beefy goodness.  The trick is to not be in a hurry.  We brown our beef in a little oil before adding braising liquid to the soup pot, in this case we used beef broth.  Throw in a bay leaf, thyme sprig, and fresh cracked pepper and let her go low and slow until the meat is falling of the bones tender.

Meanwhile, oven roast your veggies.  Carrots, onions, celery, and mushrooms are a natural, but use what you have on hand.  I cooked the barley separately so that my low-carb eating husband could enjoy this wonderful soup as well.  Keeping the barley separate also allows you to reheat the soup without the barley soaking up all your delicious broth.

This hearty, Slow Braised Beef & Barley Soup makes a wonderful meal.  Served with a big hunk of crusty bread and a side salad and we could get quite comfortable together.

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Beef & Barley Soup

Servings 4

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 4 beef short ribs or two cups cubed beef
• 1 Tbl. canola oil
• 4 cups beef broth
• 1 sprig fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• freshly cracked pepper
• 1 tsp. olive oil
• 1 large carrot diced
• 1 medium onion diced
• 1 celery stalk sliced
• 6 ounces mushrooms sliced
• season with salt to taste
• 1 cup uncooked pearl barley prepared according to package instructions

Instructions

• Brown short ribs or beef cubes in canola oil in a heavy bottomed pot with tight fitting lid. Add in broth, thyme, bay leaf, pepper. Bring to a low simmer of low heat. Cover with tightly fitting lid and allow to simmer for 1-2 hours. Meat should be fork tender when done.
• Meanwhile, prepare barley according to package instructions. Reserve.
• Remove meat and discard bones, bay leaf, and thyme sprig. Defat broth if necessary and reserve. Add in tsp. olive oil, sauté carrots, onion, celery, and mushrooms until tender. Return broth, beef, and cooked barley to pan and heat through.
• Serve with crusty bread. Enjoy.

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