Our Best Bites
Today’s recipe is from one of my very favorite cookbooks: Savoring the Seasons with Our Best Bites by Kate and Sara over at the Our Best Bites site. These two ladies have quite a talent for everything food. You can buy their amazing cookbook here on Amazon and visit their blog here.
Note – The links in this post are affiliate links meaning if you purchase after clicking on them, I will be given a small commission (at no additional cost to you). Learn more here about how I am (and am not) compensated, and thank you for your support of me and my family!
You will not be disappointed with either! Their book and blog are two of my top “go to” places for recipes I know will be amazing.
Vegetable Barley Beef Soup
Today, I’ll be teaching you how to make Kate and Sara’s Vegetable Beef Barley soup with 100% shelf stable ingredients so you can have it anytime without having to run to the store! Angie (my photographer) says that out of all the recipes I’ve made for her family so far, this is her husband’s favorite.
This soup is full of whole grains and vegetables. It is both hearty and healthy and works great for large groups. It also freezes well, so don’t worry about making too much! Just freeze the leftovers, and then a few weeks later put the frozen block in the crockpot all day for a quick, easy, and hearty meal!
Making the Soup
Prepare your barley (or quinoa) according to the package directions (you need about 1 – 1 1/2 cups cooked).
Gather your other ingredients so you have them all on hand:
Add the ground beef and the freeze dried onion to a large stockpot over medium high heat, and saute until onions just start to turn brown (30-60 seconds).
Quickly (before the onions burn), add 1 1/4 cup water.
Turn heat down to medium. Add tomato powder, bouillon, dehydrated onion, and parsley.
Mix well, and let it thicken for just a minute or so.
Add 10 cups water, carrots, green beans, and a bay leaf.
Add tomato dices and gently stir into soup.
Lower heat to simmer, and then whisk in the espagnole sauce and allow soup to thicken for about five minutes. Then stir in the barely (or quinoa).
- 1 1/2 cups cooked [url href=”https://simplefamilypreparedness.thrivelive.com/pearled-barley-3879.html”]barley[/url] (or [url href=”https://simplefamilypreparedness.thrivelive.com/organic-quinoa.html” target=”_blank”]quinoa[/url])
- 1 1/2 cups [url href=”https://simplefamilypreparedness.thrivelive.com/freeze-dried-ground-beef.html” target=”_blank”]freeze dried ground beef[/url]
- 1/3 cup [url href=”https://simplefamilypreparedness.thrivelive.com/freeze-dried-chopped-onions-1.html” target=”_blank”]freeze dried onions[/url]
- 1 1/4 cups water
- 1/4 cup [url href=”https://simplefamilypreparedness.thrivelive.com/tomato-powder-1.html” target=”_blank”]tomato powder[/url]
- 3 Tbsp. [url href=”https://simplefamilypreparedness.thrivelive.com/beef-bouillon-2096.html”]beef bouillon[/url]
- 2 Tbsp. [url href=”https://simplefamilypreparedness.thrivelive.com/chopped-onions.html” target=”_blank”]dehydrated onion[/url]
- 1 1/2 Tbsp. [url href=”https://simplefamilypreparedness.thrivelive.com/parsley.html” target=”_blank”]parsley[/url]
- 10 cups water
- 1/4 cup [url href=”https://simplefamilypreparedness.thrivelive.com/carrot-dices-3946.html”]dehydrated carrots[/url]
- 1 cup [url href=”https://simplefamilypreparedness.thrivelive.com/freeze-dried-green-beans-1059.html”]freeze dried green beans[/url]
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 cups [url href=”https://simplefamilypreparedness.thrivelive.com/tomato-dices-freeze-dried.html” target=”_blank”]freeze dried tomato dices[/url]
- 1/3 cup [url href=”https://yourownhomesotre.thrivelife.com/espagnole.html” target=”_blank”]espagnole sauce[/url]
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Prepare your barley (or quinoa) according to the package directions.
- Add the ground beef and the freeze dried onion to a large stockpot over medium high heat, and saute until onions just start to turn brown (30-60 seconds).
- Quickly (before the onions burn), add 1 1/4 cup water.
- Turn heat down to medium. Add tomato powder, bouillon, dehydrated onion, and parsley to pot.
- Mix well, and let it thicken for just a minute or so.
- Add 10 cups water, carrots, green beans, and a bay leaf.
- Add tomato dices, and gently stir into soup.
- Lower heat to simmer and then whisk in the espagnole sauce and allow soup to thicken for about five minutes.
- Stir in the cooked barely (or quinoa).
Becky is a wildlife enthusiast and pet and livestock care expert with a diploma in canine nutrition. With over a decade of experience in animal welfare, Becky lends her expertise to Simple Family Preparedness through insightful info about pets, livestock, bee keeping, and the practicalities of homesteading.
This recipe sounds wonderful. I am really in to making and sealing meals in a jar. Do you think this could be converted to a meal in a jar? I will probably give it a go – great for 72-hour kits or for that busy day of the week.
Sure! I think it would work. When you do it, but sure to come back and let us know how it goes!
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