Mushroom Barley Soup

You know, lately I'm starting to realize how many wonderfully simple things I've never made that are so easy, delicious and nutritious. The produce section is becoming my absolute favorite place to hang out! And it helps that I have a two-year-old helper whom I have nicknamed 'queen of the twist ties.' She's awesome and is always there when I need my bag sort of closed. I'm going to have some magical vegetable recipes to share in the next few days, but before that, here is the next soup I've chosen to make in my two week soup challenge. It is kind of a combination of several recipes I found, since I was trying to use ingredients I had, along with what I thought everyone would like. So, here is the recipe, but keep in mind, I'm just kind of a throw it in the pot kinda gal and don't really measure much, especially the vegetables. So much of it is just to taste.

Mushroom Barley Soup

1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup sliced carrots
1/2 green pepper, chopped
2 cloves minced garlic
1 cup sliced mushrooms

4-5 cups beef broth
1/2 cup barley

Saute the veggies in a couple tablespoons of olive oil. Add a few cranks of freshly ground pepper if desired.

For my broth portion, I used one can of beef broth since that is what I had on hand, then I dissolved two beef bouillon cubes in 2 cups water for the remainder of the broth. The bouillon portion of the broth I heated and combined in a large Pyrex measuring bowl in the microwave and when it was dissolved, I added the dry barley. I let that soak for about an hour before combining it with the rest of the soup.

Let it all simmer on low for about 20 more minutes then enjoy.




It was rich, hearty and so so yummy! I will definitely make it again.