Hearty Mushroom Beef + Barley Stew

It's one of the last cool days this spring, so I decided to do one more farewell winter stew before it became inappropriately hot.  Don't get me wrong - I love me some summer, but I do miss warm, filling soups in those months.  

This recipe is a mix of two - one from Alisa Cooks and one from Skinnytaste.  The first looked tastier, the second added in beef and hearty vegetables. 

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon Olive Oil

1/2 Yellow Onion, diced

1 cup Barley

2-3 Garlic cloves

1 tablespoon dried Thyme

8-ounces Mushrooms, Button or Cremini

4 cups Broth OR 4 cups Water + 2 Bouillon Cubes

1 tablespoon Tomato Paster

1 tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar

1 Bay Leaf

1 teaspoon Salt

1 teaspoon Black Pepper

1-1/2 pound Stew Beef, cubed

3-4 Celery Stalks, chopped

I used Trader Joe's 10-Minute Barley because it cuts down the cooking time enormously.  Trader Joe's for the win.

1. Add oil (1tsp) and beef (cubed stew meat) to large pot and cook for 5 minutes or until beef is brown.

2. Add onion (1 medium, chopped), celery (3-4 stalks, diced), garlic (2-3 cloves, minced), mushrooms (8oz Button or Cremini package), and thyme (1 tbsp). Cook for 1 minute.

As you can see, I forgot to add in the mushrooms until later.  Whoops.

3. Add in bay leaf (1), balsamic vinegar (1 tbsp), broth (4 cups, or 4 cups water + 2 bouillon cubes), salt (1 tsp), black pepper (1 tsp) and tomato paste (1 tbsp).  Bring to boil, then simmer covered for 1 1/2 - 2 hours.

4. Add TJ's 10-Minute Barley (1 cup) and simmer for another 10 minutes (or 30 for regular barley). Remove bay leaf.  And done!

Yummy and hearty.  This stew probably won't freeze well because of the mushrooms, though most soups do, so leftovers here I come.

Serving Size:

Prep Time: 10 minutes (cooking time total - 2 hours)

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Original Recipes:

Hearty Mushroom Barley Soup / Stew
Alisa Cooks

Beef Barley Soup
Skinnytaste.com 

Servings: 5 • Serving Size: 1 1/2 cups • Old Points: 7 pts • Points+: 8 pts
Calories: 336 • Fat: 11 g • Carbs: 27 g • Fiber: 6 g • Protein: 32 g • Sugar: 1.5 g
Sodium: 453 mg (using 1 tsp kosher salt)