Crock Pot Beef Vegetable Barley Soup

I usually don't make Crock Pot recipes that require me to change the temperature and add ingredients during the cooking time. However, since I'm participating in the Eat from the Pantry Challenge this month, I wanted to use up some of the barley I found in my cupboard. To be honest with you, I've never cooked with barley before. I wasn't quite sure what to expect. But the finished product was very good... good enough to be kept in the make again recipe file. Here's the recipe.

Crock Pot Beef Vegetable Barley Soup

1 pound beef cut into small cubes (I used Laura's Extra Lean sirloin.)
1/2 c. chopped onion (I used frozen.)
1 t. garlic powder (I used Tastefully Simple's Garlic Garlic.)
2 cans Campbell's condensed beef broth
4 cans water
2 15 oz. cans diced tomatoes (I used frozen ones from my uncle's garden.)
1 c. sliced carrots
1 t. dried basil
1 1/2 c. quick cook barley (I used Quaker brand.)
1 16 oz. package frozen mixed vegetables (I used Freshlike's vegetables for soup.)

Mix everything but the barley and frozen vegetables in the Crock Pot.
Cook on high for 4 hours.
Add the barley, and cook on low for 1 hour.
Add the frozen vegetables, and set your Crock Pot on its Keep Warm setting for about 1 hour.

My Crock Pot cooks kind of hot, so the Keep Warm setting was perfect for the last part of the cooking. If you have an older Crock Pot or one that doesn't cook quite so hot, you might want to leave it on low for a half hour instead.

We had this soup with homemade bread. Yum! I would guess that it made 6 to 8 servings (or 2 meals with second helpings and some leftovers for lunch).

For more great recipes, stop by:
:: Tasty Tuesday hosted by Balancing Beauty and Bedlam
:: Tempt My Tummy Tuesday hosted by Blessed with Grace
:: Tuesdays at the Table hosted by All the Small Stuff
:: Crockpot Wednesday hosted by Dining with Debbie
:: The Recipe Swap hosted by The Grocery Cart Challenge
:: Ultimate Recipe Swap hosted by Life As Mom