Hearty Vegetable Beef Barley Soup

1/2 lb. 93% lean ground beef
1/2 c. onion or shallots, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
7 c. water
1 large can whole unsalted tomatoes, chopped into smaller pieces (undrained)
1/2 c. barley
1/2 c. celery, sliced
1/2 c. carrots, sliced
2 beef bouillon cubes
1 T. basil
1 bay leaf
1 9-oz package frozen mixed vegetables (I used 2 c. frozen lima beans, 0.5 c. frozen peas, and 2 ears worth of frozen corn off the cob)
1 t. salt
.5 t. black pepper

Makes 12 1-cup servings. In a 4-quart saucepan or Dutch oven, brown meat. Add shallot (or onion) and garlic, cook until onion is tender. Drain. Stir in remaining ingredients except frozen vegetables. Cover, bring to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer 40-50 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add frozen vegetables; cook about 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Season with salt & pepper. Additional water may be added if soup becomes too thick upon standing.

Number of Servings: 12

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user KKELLY01.