Hearty Beef Barley Soup

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📝 Ingredients:
500 g (1 lb) beef stew meat, cut into small cubes
1 cup pearl barley
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, diced
2 celery stalks, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
6 cups beef broth
2 cups water
2 tablespoons tomato paste (optional)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
👩‍🍳 Instructions:
1️⃣ Brown the beef
Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add beef cubes and cook until browned on all sides. This step adds rich flavor.
2️⃣ Cook the vegetables
Add onion, carrots, and celery. Cook for about 5 minutes until softened. Then add garlic and cook for 1 minute.
3️⃣ Add liquids and seasoning
Pour in beef broth and water. Stir in tomato paste, salt, pepper, thyme, and bay leaf.
4️⃣ Add barley
Wash the barley and add it to the pot. Stir well.
5️⃣ Simmer
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 45–60 minutes until beef is tender and barley is cooked.
6️⃣ Final step
Remove bay leaf. Taste and adjust seasoning. If soup is too thick, add a little hot water or broth.
⭐ Tips:
For richer flavor, cook slowly on low heat longer.
You can add potatoes or mushrooms.
It tastes even better the next day because flavors develop.
If you want, I can also give you: ✅ A slow cooker version
✅ A quick 30-minute version
✅ A healthy diet version
Just tell me 🙂