Ground Beef & Barley Soup
From Lynne Wilson
Ingredients
1 Tbsp. butter or margarine
1 cup chopped onion
1 lb. lean ground beef
4 cups beef broth
1 cup water
½ cup sliced celery (¼”)
¾ cup sliced carrot (¼”)
1½ cup peeled, chopped tomatoes
¼ cup medium barley
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 bay leaf
2 tsp. salt
¼ tsp. ground pepper
¼ tsp. dried basil (more, if fresh)
Method
In a 4-6 quart heavy sauce pot, heat butter. Add and saute chopped onion until it is soft. Add the ground beef and cook until it loses the red color. Add remaining ingredients. Bring to a simmer. Simmer, covered, 40-45 minutes until barley is soft.
Before serving stir in ¼ cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese.
1 cup peeled, diced potato may be substituted for the barley. Cook 30-40 minutes if using potato.