Beef and Barley Soup with Mushrooms

This delicious soup came from a recipe that was made for the stove top and I turned it into a crockpot recipe. I don't know about you, but when I get home from church, I love that lunch is made - and that the house smells amazingly good! I want to just keep walking in the door. But I really want to just sit down at the table.

First, cut the stew beef into smaller pieces. I don't know who they think is eating these giant pieces of beef, but I like to cut the pieces to make it stretch a bit - then you get more beef in every bowl! Add the beef to the crock.



Next, cover the beef with the beef broth.



Add the chopped onions to the crock, then the garlic and the carrots. (I just sliced up some baby carrots - if you're using a "big" carrot, you'll want to make smaller pieces.)



Next add the sliced cremini mushrooms - first I chopped them a bit so they would be more bite sized.



I like using cremini mushrooms in this soup because they hold their shape and texture better than white mushrooms even after sitting in broth for many hours. Even when eating the leftovers, the mushrooms are still firm and not mushy!



Finally, add the salt, pepper and thyme, and the barley. I used medium barley for this. If you're using quick barley, I would add it 1-2 hours before you eat the soup.



Give it all a good stir and turn the machine on to let it do the work. Cook on high for 4-5 hours or low for 6-8 hours. You know your crock pot best! (Mine is a really "hot" crock pot, so for this soup I did 2 hours on high and 3 on low.)

For more great recipes, visit the Krazy Kitchen, Mouthwatering Mondays and What's Cooking Wednesdays, Food on Fridays - Soup.

Beef and Barley Soup with Mushrooms

8 ounces (about 3 1/2 cups) sliced cremini mushrooms, chopped
1 medium onion (about 1 1/2 cups) chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped carrot
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound lean beef stew meat, cut into bite sized pieces
6 cups beef broth
2 cups water
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 cup uncooked medium barley

Combine all ingredients in a crock pot and cook on high for 4-5 hours or low for 6-8 hours. Makes 6-8 servings.