Leftover Roast Beef + Barley Soup

This recipe is awesome to use for leftover Roast Beef.

Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Tablespoon butter (optional)
3 garlic cloves minced
1 large carrot, chopped
1 large celery stalk, chopped
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 potatoes chopped
Salt to taste (the beef bouillon that I use has so much salt already in it that it doesn't need any salt added to the soup. I use McCormick beef cubes because there is no MSG )
1/8 tsp pepper
2 to 3 cups of chopped, cooked beef, or similar amount of cooked ground beef (I just use whatever beef roast I have leftover from Sunday dinner-sometimes it is only 1 cup of chopped roast)
A splash of Worcestershire sauce (optional)
3/4 teaspoon of each: Basil, oregano, parsley
8 cups beef stock or broth (I use 2.5 cubes of McCormick bouillon + 8 cups of water)
1 large can of diced tomatoes, including liquid (I blend the tomatoes so they aren't chunky in the soup)
3/4 to 1 cup dried pearl barley (more barley will make the broth thicker).



Preparation
1. Heat the olive oil and butter in soup pot on medium low heat.
2. Add onion and garlic cloves and cook until the onion is soft.
2. Add celery, potatoes, carrots. Cook until vegetables are soft (About 5 Min).
3. Add beef, basil, oregano, and parsley. Continue to cook for a few more minutes.
4. Add a splash of worcestershire sauce.
5. Add remaining ingredients, bring soup to a boil.
6. Reduce heat and cover. Cook for at least a 20-25min to allow the barley to expand and become soft.

Tips:
I had leftover beans from Sunday dinner and I added them at the last 5 min to the soup. It was a nice addition.