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Hearty Beef Barley and Kidney Bean Soup
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Course Soup
Cuisine American
Servings 4 people

Equipment

  • Slow Cooker
  • Knife
  • Cutting Board

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1/2 cup pearl barley
  • 1 (15 oz) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 2 medium carrots, sliced
  • 2 celery stalks, sliced
  • 4 cups beef broth
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions
 

  • Place the beef stew meat in the slow cooker. Add the diced onion, sliced carrots, and sliced celery on top.
  • Stir in the minced garlic, tomato paste, dried thyme, salt, and black pepper until the meat and vegetables are coated.
  • Pour in the beef broth and add the pearl barley. Drop in the bay leaves.
  • Cover and cook on low for 7 hours.
  • Stir in the drained kidney beans. Cover and cook for 1 more hour until the barley is tender and the beef is soft.
  • Remove the bay leaves before serving.

Notes

If the soup thickens too much after cooking, stir in a splash of extra broth when reheating. Leftovers store well in the fridge for up to three days and reheat evenly on the stovetop. Skip the tomato paste only if you want a lighter broth color, but keep the thyme for balanced flavor.
Course: Soup
Cuisine: American
Equipment: Slow Cooker, Knife, Cutting Board