Five Minute Barley Vegetable Soup

Take every can of vegetables in the cupboard and open them and put them in a pan. Don't drain them, just open and put into a pan and heat. If you want to add some meat, pick a meat, brown it and then open and add the cans of vegetables.

Next, add 1 tsp Caraway Seeds

1/2 cup of quick cook pearled barley

Small drop of crushed garlic is optional

Simmer for a few minutes to allow the barley to soften. If you don't want to use the fast cook barely, just follow the steps above and boil for 1/2 hour or so.

My soup comes out different each time depending on the vegetables that I have in the cupboard. The standards are sliced potatoes, carrots, peas, green beans, black beans, corn, cut tomatoes, mushrooms and tomato sauce. Sometimes I add cut spinach as I did in this batch which gives it a green color.

I added hamburger to this soup which gives it a minestrone feel.

I never add salt to my soups because canned veggies are high in salt and our family loves to eat soup with chips. Corn or potato chips crushed into our soup is tradition now. I prefer potato chips but some kids enjoy the tortilla chips better.

My older kids all took boxes of canned vegetable to college and made this soup especially in the winter. Their roommates picked up on it as it is something you can make quickly for dinner if friends just drop in for a visit during dinner time. In the words of my youngest, "This soup is really good mom."