Beef Barley Vegetable Soup      

 

A very hearty soup with all the good stuff we love about it.

  

2 Tb oil                                                                             

2 lb stew beef, cut into bite-size pieces

1 large onion, chopped                                                    

2 bay leaves

3 carrots, diced                                                                

4 small red potatoes, diced

2 quarts beef stock                                                          

½ c frozen green beans

½ c corn kernels                                                               

½ cup frozen petite peas

1 zucchini, diced                                                              

½ head cabbage, chopped

2 cans diced tomatoes                                                     

1 ts Italian seasoning blend

¼ ts garlic powder                                                                       

Salt and pepper to taste

⅓ c uncooked rotini pasta

 

Heat the oil in a stock pot over medium-high heat; cook the beef in the hot oil until completely browned.

Add the onion and bay leaves, reduce heat to medium, cook until the onion is softened.

Use a wooden spoon to scrape any bits stuck to the bottom of the pot.

Stir the carrots, potatoes, and beef stock into the mixture; simmer and cook until the vegetables are just barely tender.

Stir the green beans, corn, peas, zucchini, cabbage, tomatoes, Italian seasoning blend, garlic powder, salt, and pepper into the beef mixture.

Cover the stock pot, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer the soup until the beef is cooked through and the vegetables are tender.  The longer it cooks, the better.

Stir the rotini pasta into the soup; replace the cover to the stock pot and continue cooking until the pasta is tender.