One-Pot Beef & Barley Vegetable Soup

Ingredients

Quantities are for 4 servings.

• 1 1/4 lb Beef stew meat, cubed
• 3/4 cup Pearl barley, uncooked
• 3 each Carrots, sliced
• 2 stalks Celery, sliced
• 1 each Yellow onion, diced
• 3 cloves Garlic
• 6 cups Beef broth
• 1 can (14.5 oz) Diced tomatoes, canned
• 2 tbsp Tomato paste
• 2 tbsp Olive oil
• 1 tsp Dried thyme
• 1 each Bay leaf

Instructions

1. Pat the beef cubes dry and season generously with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat and brown the beef in batches, 2-3 minutes per side, until deeply browned (it doesn't need to be cooked through yet). Remove and set aside.
2. Add the onion, carrots, and celery to the same pot and cook 5-6 minutes, until beginning to soften, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom.
3. Add the garlic and tomato paste and cook 1 minute, until fragrant.
4. Return the beef to the pot along with the beef broth, diced tomatoes, thyme, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a low simmer, cover, and cook 30 minutes.
5. Stir in the barley and continue simmering, covered, 25-30 minutes more, until the barley and beef are both tender and the beef reaches at least 145°F internally (it will be well past that after this long simmer, which is what makes stew meat tender).
6. Remove the bay leaf, season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve hot.