- 1 lb. lean ground beef
- 1 medium onion, peeled and quartered (*or chopped if you plan to leave it in the soup)
- 1 cup sliced carrots
- 1 can low-sodium V-8 vegetable juice (11.5 oz)
- 1 can tomato sauce (29 oz.)
- 1 can water (29 oz. - Use tomato sauce can so you can get out remaining sauce.)
- 1 carton beef broth (32 oz.)
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp. grill seasoning
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
- pinch of cayenne pepper
- 1 Tablespoon of fresh chopped parsley (or 3/4 tsp. dried parsley flakes)
- 1-1/4 Cups quick-cooking barley
Preheat a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. (If using very lean ground beef, add a splash of olive oil to the pot.) Add the ground beef and onion. Sprinkle grill seasoning over the beef mixture. Brown the ground beef, drain off any excess fat (there won't be any if you used very lean ground beef). Add the remaining ingredients, EXCEPT the barley, to the pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and let simmer for about 15 minutes. *Remove onion chunks if you wish. (I take them out, as my family doesn't care for onion.) Turn up the heat and bring to a boil. Add the quick-cooking barley and stir into the boiling broth. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Taste the soup and adjust seasonings if you wish. Turn off heat and let the pot sit, covered, for about 15 minutes longer before serving. Makes approximately 12 cups.