Pressure Cooker Beef Barley Vegetable Soup

This is a cross between a soup and a stew, and is the perfect supper for midwinter warm-ups. Serve it with a salad or coleslaw and warm rolls with butter.

• Ready In: 35 mins
• Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• 1 1⁄4 lbs lean ground beef
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 2 1⁄2 cups water
• 1⁄2 cup barley
• 3  large carrots (about 8 oz. total)
• 2  stalks celery
• 1  large idaho potato (about 10 oz.)
• 1  medium onion (about 6 oz)
• 1  clove garlic
• 1⁄2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1⁄2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 1⁄2 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1⁄2 teaspoon dried marjoram
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
•  fresh ground black pepper

Directions

1. Brown the beef in the pressure cooker.
2. Drain off any fat.
3. Add the tomatoes, water and barley.
4. Close pressure cooker and bring up to full pressure.
5. Reduce heat to stabilize and cook for 10 minutes While the soup is cooking, split the carrots in half lengthwise, then cut into 1/2" thick slices.
6. Peel and dice the potato.
7. Dice the onion and mince the garlic.
8. When the soup has cooked for 10 minutes, realease pressure and add the vegetables, basil, thyme, rosemary, marjoram, salt and pepper to taste.
9. Close pressure cooker and bring up to full pressure.
10. Reduce the heat until pressure is stabilized and cook and cook 10 minutes longer.
11. Release the pressure.
12. The soup can be refrigerated for up to 4 days or frozen.