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Gracious Cooking

Beef And Barley Soup With Tomatoes And Corn

This fresh take on classic beef and barley soup adds lots of vegetables for a hearty, healthy meal. The addition of crushed tomatoes to the soup adds body, and the two secret ingredients (soy sauce and Dijon mustard) bring loads of umami flavor to the party. Using ground beef instead of chuck roast speeds up prep and cook time considerably.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Main Course, Soup
Cuisine: Scottish
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil or other cooking oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion diced
  • 3 large whole carrots sliced - about 1 to 1 and ½ cups
  • 1 celery rib diced
  • 1 pound ground beef I prefer 85/15 lean
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 3 Tablespoons tomato paste
  • ½ Tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 2 Tablespoons soy sauce I use regular Kikkoman soy sauce.
  • 6 cups water or homemade or boxed beef stock
  • 1 and ½ Tablespoons Beef flavor Better Than Bouillon paste omit if using homemade or boxed beef stock
  • ½ cup pearl barley if you want lots of barley increase to ⅔ cup.
  • 1 15 oz can of crushed tomatoes
  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt more to taste
  • ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper to taste
  • ¼ teaspoon granulated sugar
  • 1 cup frozen corn kernels

Equipment

  • 1 large soup pot I prefer a 6 quart enameled Dutch oven.

Method
 

  1. Begin by dicing and/or slicing the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic.
  2. Preheat a large soup pot over medium heat. Add two Tablespoons of olive oil. Add the onions, carrots, and celery and cook until just beginning to soften, about five minutes. Add a pinch of salt and a few cracks of pepper to begin layering flavor.
  3. Add the garlic and ground beef. Sauté until the ground beef is cooked through. Add another pinch of salt and a little more pepper.
  4. Add the tomato paste, stir, and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly.
  5. Add Dijon mustard and soy sauce. Stir and enjoy the delicious aroma.
  6. Add the water and beef Better Than Bouillon.
  7. Rinse the pearl barley in a mesh sieve to remove any debris from processing.
  8. Add the rinsed pearl barley and crushed tomatoes. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer, stirring occasionally.
  9. Add the salt, pepper, and sugar. Taste and adjust for seasoning.
  10. Simmer the soup for 45 minutes. This allows the barley to cook through. The barley should not be crunchy or very firm in the center, but it will have some chew to it when it is cooked. Add the corn kernels the last two or so minutes of cooking so they can heat through.
  11. Taste for seasoning one more time, adjust the salt, pepper, and sugar if necessary, then serve and enjoy!

Notes

Store covered in the fridge for up to five days, or  freeze flattened in a gallon freezer bag for up to 3 months.