Beef Barley Soup for Stovetop or Instant Pot

Comes together in a snap with pantry staples when you use your food processor. Don’t let the short list of ingredients fool you, this has rich flavor that’s family friendly. Also frugal AF

INGREDIENTS

• 1 teaspoon bacon fat (or olive oil)
• 3/4 pound boneless chuck roast, trimmed of visible fat and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 1/2 cups thinly sliced carrot
• 1 1/2 cups thinly sliced celery
• 2/3 cup chopped onion
• 1 (8-ounce) package sliced mushrooms (I use baby bella and slice them myself, but presliced works too)
• 4 cups fat-free, less-sodium beef broth (or chicken broth if homemade)
• 1 bay leaf
• 2/3 cup uncooked pearl barley
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

DIRECTIONS

Heat a soup pot over medium-high heat. Add bacon fat. Add beef to pot and cook until browned. Remove beef from pan, drain pan if necessary. Add carrot, celery, onion, and mushrooms to pan; cook until vegetables are soft and liquid almost evaporates. Return beef to pan aling with broth and bay leaf. Cover and simmer over low to medium heat 1 1/2 hours or until beef is tender. Stir in barley; cover and simmer 30 minutes or until barley is soft. Stir in salt and pepper. Discard bay leaf.

Instant pot instructions: Follow recipe through adding the bay leaf. Cover and seal pot. Cook beef on manual high pressure for 30 minutes. Allow natural pressure release (NPR). Remove lid and add barley. Cook 30 additional minutes, NPR. Stir in salt and pepper. Discard bay leaf.

Adapted from recipe found in November 2009 issue of Cooking Light magazine