Beef and Barley Soup

I make no excuses I love soup. I could eat it morning noon and night. My husband has to be more in the mood with the cooler weather or a rainy day. We have been getting more than just a speck of rain here in Houston. Near epic rainfalls. This soup is a warm hug on those rainy days and he loved and finished off every last drop.
Soup is also a great way it use up leftovers or the bits of this and that in the refrigerator. Growing up my mom always made a roast beef for dinner on Sunday. There were often leftovers, and though my dad would eat some in a sandwich I have never been a roast beef sandwich type of person. I used the meat to make a hearty soup.
So in this recipe you can always use the beef stew meat but don't be afraid to use up and leftover roast in the fridge. It works great as well.

Served with some good bread smeared with butter and what could be better!

Beef and Barley Soup

 1 Tbsp oil
1 1/2 lb top sirloin, or stew meat, trimmed and diced into cubes
1 onion,diced
1/2 cup celery, diced
2 carrots, shredded
1/3 cup quick cooking barley
1 russet potato, peeled and diced
1 (8oz) can tomato sauce
2 bay leaves
4 beef bullion cubes
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp oregano
6 cups water
Salt And Pepper, to taste

1. Heat the oil on high in a large pot. Pat the beef stew meat dry and season with salt and pepper. Brown the meat in the pot on all sides.
2. Turn the heat down to medium and add the onion, celery and carrot to the pot. Sweat until slightly softened. Add the remaining ingredients.
3. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Allow the soup to simmer until the meat is tender and the potatoes are cooked, about 20 minutes.