Crock Pot Beef Barley Soup

Add the broth to a crock pot and turn on low.

Add about 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil to a frying pan and turn on medium-low heat. Sprinkle the beef with a bit of flour on all sides. Add the beef to the pan and sear on all sides. Cook just until the beef is browned, you don’t want to cook it through. Once all the beef has been seared add it to the broth in your crock pot.

Slice the onions, carrots and mushrooms then add them to the frying pan that the beef was cooked in. Add a bit more olive oil if necessary. Saute the vegetables until the mushrooms are softened and then add to the soup mixture in your crock pot. (If there is too much fat or liquid, drain the vegetables before adding them to the soup.)

Now you can add the barley. You can add anywhere from 1/2 to 3/4 of a cup depending on your taste. I added a little more than a 1/2 cup and found the next day it had absorbed quite a bit of the liquid so the soup was thicker. I did not mind this at all but you may want to either add extra broth or less barley.

Once all ingredients are added turn the crock pot up to high and let it cook for about 3 hours. When it is done the meat will be falling apart and the barley will be soft.