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–+ servings
Ground Beef Barley Soup

Ground Beef Barley Soup

Delicious and hearty Ground Beef Barley Soup packed with flavor and nutrition.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Course Soup
Cuisine American
Servings 6 cups
Calories 350 kcal

Equipment

  • large dutch-oven type pan

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb lean ground beef
  • 2 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 2 T minced garlic or less if you’re not that crazy about garlic
  • 6 cups homemade beef stock or canned beef broth see notes
  • 4 cups vegetable broth
  • 2 teaspoon dried parsley
  • ½ teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 cup finely chopped celery
  • 1 cup finely chopped carrots
  • ½ cup pearl barley
  • 2 T balsamic vinegar more or less to taste
  • salt to taste
  • fresh ground black pepper to taste

Instructions
 

  • Heat 2 tsp. olive oil in a large dutch-oven type pan; then saute the ground beef until it’s cooked through and lightly browned.
  • If desired, put the ground beef into a fine mesh strainer and rinse with VERY HOT water to remove the fat. This is optional but improves the flavor and makes it lower in fat.
  • Put ground beef back in the pan, push to one side, add 1 tsp. more olive oil (if needed) and then saute the onions and garlic until they are starting to soften.
  • Add the homemade beef stock, vegetable stock, dried parsley, and dried thyme and let soup cook at a low simmer for 30 minutes.
  • While soup simmers finely chop the carrots and celery.
  • After 30 minutes, add chopped vegetables to the soup and simmer for about 30 minutes more.
  • Then add the barley and simmer for an additional 30 minutes. You may want to skim off any fat that’s floated to the top and add more water at this point.
  • When the barley is done but still slightly chewy, turn off heat, stir in the balsamic vinegar, season soup with salt and fresh ground black pepper, and serve hot.

Notes

If you don't have homemade beef stock, use 3 cans beef broth and a little water to make 6 cups. This soup freezes or reheats well, although the barley soaks up the liquid so you may want to add water when you re-heat it. It’s family-friendly and uses ingredients you may often keep on hand, so you may want to make a double batch for winter meals.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cupCalories: 350kcalCarbohydrates: 30gProtein: 25gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 70mgSodium: 800mgPotassium: 800mgFiber: 6gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 500IUVitamin C: 10mgCalcium: 30mgIron: 3mg
Keyword barley soup, Beef Soup, comfort food, Ground Beef Barley Soup, hearty soup, winter soup
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