The soup pot always came out when it got cold while I was growing up. There was just something special about coming in from doing chores and finding a hot bowl of soup. We had vegetable soup, chili, potato soup, chicken noodle soup or turkey noodle after Thanksgiving. After I left home, bean soup and lentil soup made the line-up. 

I am not a big fan of the last two soups, but the addition of beef barley soup to the files, is definitely a tasty addition. Personally, I like the beef barley soup with a salad and some breadsticks. 

At the same time, lentils and beans are a good source of fiber, so the soups are healthy for you as well as warming. This week Cook Simply is featuring a lentil soup recipe with sausage that adds a little kick to the soup, making a somewhat bland soup tastier. The bean soup also includes a recipe for a make your own bean mix for soups. And as for the beef and barley soup, it is not only a hearty soup, but it freezes well if you have some leftovers. So, until next time, stay warm, stay healthy and simply cook

Beef and Barley Soup

1 pound lean ground beef

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped carrots

1 cup chopped celery

2 cloves of garlic minced

½ cup quick-cooking barley

4 cups beef broth, (4 cups water, 4 beef bouillon cubes)

1 14 ½ ounce can stewed tomatoes

¼ cup dry red wine

½ teaspoon dried thyme

In a large dutch oven, brown ground beef, add onions, garlic, carrots, and celery, until meat is browned, and vegetables are tender. Drain off any fat from the meat. Stir in beef broth, tomatoes, barley, wine and thyme. Bring to the boil, reduce to simmer until barley is tender, about 20 minutes.

Bean Soup

2 cups bean mix (See recipe below)

2 quarts water

1 pound ham, cubed

1 teaspoon salt

16 ounce can of diced tomatoes

1 large onion chopped

¼ cup lemon juice

¼ teaspoon pepper

Soak bean mix overnight. Drain. In a dutch oven, sauté onion in about 1 tablespoon of butter. Add 2 quarts of water, bean mix, ham, salt, and pepper. Cover, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 1½ hours or until beans are tender. Add tomatoes and lemon juice; simmer for 30 minutes. 

Bean Mix

Mix together and store in an airtight container:

1 pound Great Northern Beans

1 pound Black Beans

1 pound Barley

1 pound Navy Beans

1 pound Pinto Beans

1 pound Kidney Beans

1 pound Baby Lima Beans

1 pound Split Peas

1 pound Lentils

1 pound Black-eyed Peas

Lentil Soup with Italian Sausage

2 cups Lentils

6 cups beef broth

2 large carrots, cut in ¼ inch slices

1 large onion, chopped

1 large clove garlic, minced

½ teaspoon oregano

¼ teaspoon pepper

½ pound Italian Sausage, cut in 1-inch slices.

In a medium skillet, brown sausage, onion, garlic until sausage is browned and onion and garlic are translucent. In a soup pot, combine Lentils, meat mixture, carrots, oregano and pepper. Bring to the boil and reduce heat, cover and simmer until lentils and carrots are tender, about 20-40 minutes. Serve in soup bowls and garnish with parsley and Parmesan cheese.