This is my friend Carol’s recipe. Because I have known her since I was a child (she was my 2nd mom as her daughter was and is one of my very best friends), I cannot call her by her first name…thus the soup is called “Mrs. Keller’s”.

This soup was my first introduction to kale. My kids love this soup. If you cut the “unusual” veggies very small, they’ll never know they are eating something different.

Please leave a comment if you have a substitution for barley in this soup. Perhaps rice would work? As of now, the soup is NOT gluten-free.

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2/3 cup chopped onion

1 lb extra lean boneless beef, cut into 1/2 cubes (or equivalent of ground beef)

6 cups beef broth

2 cups diced carrots

1/2 cup uncooked barley (wash first)

1 teaspoon thyme

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 lb mushrooms, sliced

1 pound fresh kale, steamed and chopped

1. In a large, heavy saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and beef, and saute the ingredients, turning them several times, until the meat is well- browned.

2. Add the broth, carrots, barley, thyme, and salt (if desired). Bring the ingredients to a boil, reduce the heat, cover the pan, and simmer the soup, for 1 hour or until the barley and meat are nearly tender.

3. Add the mushrooms and kale. Cover the pan, and cook the soup 5 to 10 minutes longer.