Beef Vegetable Soup

Posted byNoriePosted inRecipe

Or Beef Soup With Barley

With leftover Salisbury Steak or hamburger and barley

Wouldn’t it be good to sup a steaming hot, delicious and hearty homemade soup especially on a cold evening?  You don’t need anything else to eat with this except maybe a handful of crackers and you have your evening meal done, full and satisfied.

You can be cooking this in a slow cooker or a crockpot while you are at work and come home with the dinner ready. 

This soup can be made from leftover steak or any kind of leftover meat you had for dinner a few days ago that was kept in the fridge. Leftover hamburgers are perfect for this soup. I used leftover Salisbury Steak that I froze for this particular one. There was still some onion-mushroom gravy left with it that added to the flavor and it was perfect.

My family got spoiled that they expect a fresh dish every evening. So instead of throwing the leftover (not so cheap) steak that won’t get eaten if I served it again, I kept it in the fridge and re-cooked it the next day or within the week.

If using fresh meat, cut the beef in cubes, brown all sides in a skillet then proceed as below.

If using leftover meat, cut up the already cooked steak in cubes.  Put them in a pot, including the bones and add a can of beef broth and add 2 more cups of water (more or less).  If using ground meats, just break it up in the broth while simmering and cook until tender.

When it boils add:

  • 1/8 c barley (optional)
  • 1 can diced tomatoes (Fresh tomatoes are good too)
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tsp. dried basil or 1 ½ tsp. chopped fresh basil (optional)
  • 1 TBS chopped celery
  • 1 tsp. dried minced onion or 1 TBS minced fresh onion
  • ½ tsp. garlic powder or 1 clove minced or crushed fresh garlic
  • 1 cup frozen mixed soup vegetables
  • 1 beef bouillon cube

Let it simmer covered for about 45 minutes or until the barley are cooked then add 1 cube beef bouillon.  Season with salt and pepper. You can add 1 tsp. Maggi Seasoning if you have it and/or 1 tsp. Worcestershire if desired.

This is not a big pot of soup but enough for 2 to 3 people having more than one helpings. 

With leftover steak or fresh beef