Beef & Barley Crockpot Soup

This was really good!  I combined four different recipes to come up with this one.

Ingredients:

-1 beef steak (or small beef roast)

-6 cups water

-2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes (could use a small can of crushed or diced tomatoes)

-1 onion, chopped

-1 bay leaf

-1 tbsp sugar

-1 pkg vegetable soup mix (without noodles) 

-1 tbsp dried parsley

-1 tsp garlic powder

-1/4 tsp ground pepper

-1/2 tsp salt

-3/4 cup barley

*You could also stir in some other vegetables: frozen mixed vegetables, fresh carrots or celery sliced.

Process:

1. Sear steak on both sides until nicely browned.

2. Remove steak from pan to a cutting board and allow to cool slightly.

3. Pour water into crock-pot and turn crock-pot on low.

 4. Add tomatoes to water.

 5. Add onion to crock-pot.

 6. Add sugar, bay leaf, garlic powder, parsley, salt and pepper to tomato and onion mixture.

 7. Add packet of vegetable soup mix.

This is the one I used.

8. Stir to combine.

 9. Remove fat from steak and thinly slice steak across the grain.

 10. Stir sliced steak into  crock-pot mixture.

11. Stir barley into soup.

12. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours.

13. Enjoy!