Barley & Beef Soup (©photo courtesy of Oxmoor House, Inc.)

My Mom often gave us barley and beef soup to warm us up when we came in from winter sledding and making snowmen. It was one of the only ways she could get me to eat carrots in those days. Now, just the aroma of barley and beef soup on the stove brings back great memories.

This recipe is a low calorie version of the classic winter warmer from our friends at Cooking Light. They’ve included it on page 152 of a terrific collection of dishes in their newly released, “Cooking Light Mix & Match Low Calorie Cookbook.” The book offers multiple choices for each of three meals a day, and a couple of snacks besides. Make your choices from each category and you'll consume just 1,500 calories a day, enjoying delicious food all the while.

Here’s what our friends had to say about this recipe: “Make this soup the night before to allow time for its flavors to develop. Pour hot servings into a thermos to take for lunch, or reheat individual portions in the microwave as needed. Serve with a 1.5-ounce slice of crusty bread (123 calories) to soak up the soup.”

Barley & Beef Soup Recipe

Ingredients for 6 Servings (Serving size: 1 3⁄4 cups)

• Cooking spray
• 2 Cups chopped onion (about 1 large onion)
• 1 Pound chuck steak, trimmed & cut into 1⁄2-inch cubes
• 1 1⁄2 Cups chopped peeled carrot (about 4 carrots)
• 1 Cup chopped celery (about 4 stalks of celery)
• 5 Garlic cloves, minced
• 1 Cup uncooked pearl barley
• 5 Cups fat-free, lower-sodium beef broth
• 2 Cups water
• 1⁄2 Cup no-salt-added tomato puree
• 1⁄2 Teaspoon kosher salt
• 1⁄4 Teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 Bay leaves

Preparation

1. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add chopped onion and beef to pan; cook 10 minutes or until onion is tender and beef is browned, stirring occasionally.

2. Add chopped carrot and chopped celery to pan; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in garlic; cook 30 seconds. Stir in barley and remaining ingredients, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 40 minutes or until barley is done and vegetables are tender.

3. Discard bay leaves and serve.

Nutritional information: Calories 275; Fat 5g (sat 1.6g, mono 2.3g, poly 0.5g); Protein 21.8g; Carb 36g; Cho1 43mg; Iron 3.1mg; Sodium 649mg; Calc 57mg

A little more…For a heartier serving, portion out a 2-cup serving. This slightly larger portion will contain 314 calories.

To learn more about the latest cookbook from the editors of Cooking Light, go to: Cooking Light Mix & Match Low-Calorie Cookbook

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