Hearty Vegetable Barley Tomato Soup

Printed from: www.grandmotherskitchen.net

Ingredients

Makes: 32 cups - Large soup pot

1 cup barley - put the barley to soak before beginning. Soak for at least 30 minutes.

2 Tablespoons butter

1 medium sized onion, diced

2 celery sticks, sliced thin

1 teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon pre-roasted garlic OR 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced.

12 cups broth (3-946ml packs) of your choice, divided - chicken, beef, vegetable or combination of any of these

8 cups of potatoes, peeled, washed, cut into small cubes, covered with cold water

1 small squash, peeled and cut into small bite size pieces

4 cups thinly sliced carrots, peeled

1 cup shredded cabbage, purple or green. (We had some frozen we used)

1 cup frozen corn

4 cups stewing tomatoes, we used our own homemade canned tomatoes

Directions

This recipe makes 32 cups of hearty homemade soup. With this type of recipe you can switch out ingredients and substitute other veggies and amounts. When you are accustomed to making homemade soups you will find this is a great way to use up items that have been in the refrigerator or freezer. Start by preparing all your ingredients.

1. Put the pearl barley into a bowl and cover with cold water. Soak for at least 30 minutes before using.

Tip: Peel the potatoes, wash and cut into small bite size pieces. Put the prepared potatoes into a bowl and put enough cold water to just cover them. This will keep them from going brown and you will also use the water in the soup.

2. Peel and slice the carrots, peel and chop the squash into small cubes and measure out the shredded cabbage and corn.

3. Dice the onion into small pieces.

4. Slice the celery into thin pieces.

5. Melt the butter into the soup pot over medium low heat. Add the onions and celery and saute until soft.

We also had about a tablespoon of roasted garlic leftover that was in the freezer so we added that to the pot. If you want to use garlic, you can always substitute by mincing 2 garlic cloves and adding to the pot once the onions and celery are sauteed and cooking about 2 more minutes.

6. Add 8 cups of broth to the pot. Save the last 4 cups to add later. You can use chicken, beef or vegetable broth or a combination of them.

7. Bring to a boil, add the barley and cook for 25 minutes.

8. Add all the chopped veggies to the pot, including the water that the potatoes have been sitting in. Stir together and continue boiling for 20 minutes.

9. Use an immersion blender for the canned stewed tomatoes to blend them into a smooth liquid. Add the tomatoes to the soup pot. Stir in to combine. This is a very hearty thick soup and the barley will continue to expand.

10. Add the final 2 cups of chicken broth and stir in. Bring to a boil and shut off.

This soup keeps very well refrigerated for several days. When reheating soup, always just reheat the amount you plan to eat and leave the rest refrigerated. The leftover soup will last longer and stay nicer this way.

ENJOY!

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