Low-calorie • Heart-healthy

Active 30 Min

Total 3 hrs

Norma’s Mushroom Barley Soup

Long-simmered marrow bones give this soup its luxurious flavor. The texture of the finished soup is hearty—bordering on a soupy risotto. (Photo)

• 21 cups water, divided
• 4 beef marrow bones (about 1½ pounds)
• 2½ ounces mixed dried mushrooms (about 3 cups)
• 6 bone-in beef short ribs (about 2½ pounds)
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 6-ounce packages Manischewitz vegetable with mushrooms soup mix
• 1 cup pearl barley
• 2 large carrots, sliced
• 2 cups green beans, trimmed and halved
• 1½ cups corn, fresh or frozen
• 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon ground pepper
• Sour cream & chives for serving

1. Bring 18 cups water to a boil in a large stockpot over high heat. Add marrow bones and reduce heat to medium. Cook for 20 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, soak dried mushrooms in the remaining 3 cups water in a small bowl for 20 minutes. Drain. Add the soaked mushrooms, short ribs and onion to the pot. Return to a boil, then reduce heat to maintain a simmer and cook for 1 hour.

3. Add Manischewitz soup mix and barley. Cook until the beef and the soup-mix beans are tender, about 1 hour more. Add carrots, green beans, corn, fresh mushrooms, salt and pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft but not mushy, about 15 minutes more.

4. Remove the marrow bones and carefully scrape the marrow into the soup. Transfer the short ribs to a clean cutting board. Shred the meat from the bones with 2 forks and add back to the soup (discard the bones). Serve the soup topped with sour cream and chives, if desired.

►► MAKE AHEAD: Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Thin if necessary.

Serves 14: 1½ cups each

Calories 332 | Fat 6g (sat 2g) | Cholesterol 25mg | Carbs 51g | Total sugars 5g (added 0g) | Protein 18g | Fiber 11g | Sodium 528mg | Potassium 532mg.

Nutrition bonus: Vitamin A (39% daily value) | Iron (20% dv).

If you don’t happen to see marrow bones packaged in the meat case, ask the butcher—they almost always have them on hand.