Chunky Beef Vegetable Minestrone

• cooked bacon3 strips

  I use pre-cooked

• lean ground beef↗1⁄2 lb
• carrots↗2

  finely sliced

• garlic↗2 cloves

  minced or crushed

• onion↗1

  finely chopped

• celery↗1 stalk

  finely chopped

• bay leaves↗2
• dry basil↗1 teaspoon
• dried Italian seasoning↗1⁄2 teaspoon
• diced tomatoes1 can

  28 ounce

• beef broth↗1 box

  900 ml, I use low sodium kind

• uncooked barley↗1⁄4 cup
• egg noodles↗1⁄2 cup

  I use extra fine

• salt↗

  to taste

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Cook bacon until crisp and remove and liquid (Avoid this step by using pre-cooked bacon).

2. 2

   Cut bacon into small pieces and put in large stock pot.

3. 3

   Cook ground beef in fry pan, remove any liquid then add ground beef to pot with bacon.

4. 4

   Add carrots, garlic, onions and celery to fry pan and cook for about 5-10 minutes, stirring frequently, until softened then add to pot.

5. 5

   Add bay leaves, basil, italian seasoning, canned tomatos and beef stock to pot.

6. 6

   Bring to boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes.

7. 7

   Add barley and egg noodles and simmer for another 30-45 minutes until barley is soft.

8. 8

   If soup becomes too thick for your liking, I recommend adding more beef broth but if not available, water will do but it will dilute the flavour.

9. 9

   Check the flavour and if desired, add any of the following: salt, hot pepper flakes, parmesean cheese, italian blend seasoning or anything else to meet your desired outcome.