Beef Barley Mushroom Soup

Even though we pretty much escaped the big Nor'easter this weekend, its still pretty cold out. I have had a yen for beef barley soup for ages now, but have never had just the right recipe. My brother used to run a restaurant and made amazing beef barley, but I never seem to remember to ask him for his recipe. So...it was time for me to make my own. I think it turned out really good - the addition of mushrooms gives it a nice flavor and adding the tomatoes at the last minute gives it a nice kick instead of mushy tomatoes and a strong tomato base.
Serves 6-8

Ingredients:  

• 2/3 cup medium pearl barley
• 1 1/2 lbs beef neck bones
• 2 carrots, sliced
• 2 stalks celery, sliced
• 8 oz mushrooms with stems removed and sliced
• 1/4 tsp onion powder (or i medium onion)
• 1/2 tsp garlic salt
• 1 leaf bay
• 1 8 oz can diced tomatoes 

1. Add bones, barley, spices, and vegetables EXCEPT tomatoes to crockpot.
2. Cook for 6-8 hours
3. Remove bones and cut meat off, add them back to crockpot with the tomatoes
4. Serve with hearty whole grain bread

Nutrition Facts

Beef Barley Mushroom Soup

Servings Per Recipe: 8
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 286

• Total Fat: 14.8 g
•     Saturated Fat: 5.8 g
•     Trans Fat: 0 g
• Cholesterol: 52.8 mg
• Sodium: 114.8 mg
• Total Carbs: 19.4 g
•     Dietary Fiber: 4.6 g
•     Sugars: 3.2 g
• Protein: 19.2 g