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(Photo: Erik Putz)
This flavourful soup freezes exceptionally well. Try freezing it in small batches for whenever you need a meal in a flash.
Drizzle vegetable oil
1 1/2 lb. lean ground beef
1 onion, finely chopped
4 carrots, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup pearl barley
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch
To taste salt, and black pepper
1 796-ml can whole tomatoes, with juice
3 1/2 cups beef stock
2 cups water
1 1/2 cup tomato sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
IN a large skillet, heat a drizzle of oil over medium-high heat. Add beef and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until it starts to brown. Add onion and cook, stirring, until beef is browned and onion is softened. Scrape into a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker. Stir in carrots, celery, bay leaf, barley, sugar, cornstarch, salt, pepper, tomatoes, stock, water, tomato sauce and soy sauce. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hr. Discard bay leaf.
Kitchen tip: This soup freezes like a dream! Let it cool after cooking and ladle into a freezer bag. To thaw it in time for dinner, simply place it in the fridge in the morning.
Recipe from Best for Bridge.
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