Ready in 45 minutes! I made this during one of my cooking demonstrations at Agribition and made it in 22 minutes! The key is to sauté the carrots and celery to tenderize them and to cut the beef into bite-sized pieces.

I love cooking with barley and it’s packed full of fibre, vitamin B12 and many other nutrients your body needs!

Ingredients

2 tbsp canola oil, or more as needed

~1lb stewing beef or your cut of choice

3 stalks celery, chopped

3 carrots, peeled and chopped

1 onion, peeled and diced

1 cup mushrooms, chopped

3 cloves garlic

1 cup pearl barley (or pot barley, it’s your preference)

Beef broth

Dash cayenne powder

Sprinkle oregano

Sprinkle parsley

1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Add barley to a small pot and cover with beef broth 2cm above barley. Use broth for extra flavour. Cook over high heat until boiling then bring to a simmer and cook for about 40 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, add canola oil to large Dutch oven pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and beef and sauté until cooked, about five minutes. Stir frequently.

3. Add broth to pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Add in celery, carrots, and mushrooms along with the spices (except basil) and garlic.

4. Simmer and cover pot with lid over medium heat while the barley cooks. When getting close to complete, add in the fresh basil.

5. Add cooked barley into soup and enjoy!