Gut-Healing, Immune Boosting, Veggie-Packed Beef Barley Soup

It's time for another recipe from the Soup Goddess! Go here to find out who the Soup Goddess is, and to find links to her recipes!

Check out all those veggies! I added some Swiss chard stems. Gorgeous.

Here in West Michigan, it's been cold with a mixture of rain and snow. As ready as I am to be outside enjoying a mild spring, meals like this one are helping me stay warm and cozy until that happens! The homemade broth in this soup is good for the gut, which is where most of your immune system resides. So if your family is still getting sick even though winter is "over," make this soup to give their systems a boost! It's also chock full of delicious vegetables which certainly can't hurt. :)

Veggie-Packed Beef & Barley Soup

Ingredients:
1-1.5 lbs stew meat and 10 cups homemade beef broth (or combination of beef and chicken broth
OR
1-1.5 lbs beefy soup bone (mostly meat with a little bone) plus additional bones without meat, and water to cover

1/4 c. butter
2 c. onions, chopped
1 medium turnip, peeled and chopped into 1 inch cubes
1 small sweet potato, peeled and chopped into 1 inch cubes
1 medium potato, peeled and chopped into 1 inch cubes
3 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 c. chopped celery
1 c. cauliflower florets
6 large swiss chard leaves, including stems (optional)
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 c. barley, soaked overnight in warm water and 1 T. apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 t. fresh thyme, or 1 t. dried
1 1/2 T. fresh oregano, or 2 t. dried
1/2. t. rubbed sage
1/4 c. fresh parsley, chopped
unrefined sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. If using beef soup bones, in the morning before you want to eat the soup, cover the bones with water and a splash of apple cider vinegar in a large pot or crock pot. Cook over low heat for at least 8 hours. This is your beef broth!
2. Melt butter in a soup pot. Add all the chopped veggies and simmer 10 minutes. (I add them as I chop them, and then cook for a few minutes more after they are all in the pot.) If you are using Swiss chard, strip the leaves from the stems. Chop the stems and add them with the rest of the veggies. Reserve the leaves.
3. Add your beef now if you are using stew meat instead of soup bones, and cook a few minutes longer to brown the beef.
4. Add the broth (from your simmered bones, adding water to make 10 cups, or already-made broth. In a pinch, use organic store-bought broth). Add salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.
5. Add the soaked barley, Swiss chard leaves if using, thyme, oregano, and sage. Simmer until the barley is tender.
6. Add the chopped parsley. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding more salt and pepper if necessary.
7. Serve with crusty bread for a delicious & hearty meal!


 This is part of the following blog carnivals: Whole Foods Wednesday, Healthy2Day Wednesday, Thank Your Body Thursday, Simple Lives Thursday, Pennywise Platter Thursday


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