Nana Ruth’s Beef Barley Soup—Modified

These two recipes (separate posts) are so yummy together.

This soup is especially nice to have in the freezer for a busy day. I like to start my bread immediately in the morning so it has time to cool. It's much easier to slice this way...and I'm more likely to remember to do it! We prefer it toasted with butter, but piping hot from the "oven" is good too! :-)

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1 lb. ground beef
1 med. onion, diced (or 2 Tbsp. dry minced onion)
½ c. pearled barley
3 carrots, peeled, sliced, and diced
3 stalks celery, sliced, and diced
1 small can diced tomatoes
1-11.5 oz. can of V8 juice
5 c. water
3 beef bouillon cubes
¼ tsp. oregano
8 drops Tabasco sauce
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper

1. Brown the beef with the onion (with 1-2 Tbsp. butter if using organic beef) in a soup pot.
2. Add the remaining ingredients to the pot.
3. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for an hour.
4. Add more water before serving.
(Makes 6 or more servings)