Slow Cooker Beef, Barley, and Mushroom Stew

This is a great stew! Per other reviews, I didn’t soften the potatoes first. I just peeled and chopped them, then cooked with the rest of the ingredients in the slow cooker. I also added a full 16 ounce bag of the veggies as the quantity seemed like it would work well, and it did. The whole meal took 3 hours on high (with the veggies in for the last 30).

This is pretty good however cook time is off in my opinion. You need 3 hours on high to get the meat tender. That being said, you could skip the whole microwaving potatoes step and just throw it all in (minus the mixed veggies) and cook on for 2 hours, add the veggies and cook 1 hour more. I would also peel my potatoes next time.

I have learned over the last 4 decades that there are other ingredients needed to make this soup superb. Parsnips for one, and baby potatoes, peas, corn and green beans. My dad was a nutritionist and he said every color for every vitamin. Plus, cook your stock overnight. Makes a HUGE difference and add aromatics like fresh bay leaves and a bundle of fresh lemony thyme. Cracked pepper mélange is always a hit in our family too. Otherwise, the recipe was a great start.

Loved this. Used the whole bag of frozen mixed vegetables to make it more nutritious