Quaker's Easy Barley Minestrone Soup (or rather stoup!!)

With a cold rainy night like tonight what better way to keep warm than a great hearty soup! This is from Quaker's Barley! It is quick and easy!

 1/2  pound lean ground beef

• 1/2  cup chopped onion
• 1  cloves garlic, minced
• 7 cups water
• One  14-ounce can no-salt-added tomatoes, undrained, chopped
• 1/2  cup Medium QUAKER Barley*
• 1/2  cup sliced celery
• 1/2  cup sliced carrots
• 2  beef bouillon cubes
• 1/2  teaspoon basil
• 1   bay leaf
• 1  9 ounce package frozen mixed vegetables    ( I used canned rather than frozen)

 In 4-quart saucepan or Dutch oven, brown ground beef. Add onion and garlic. Cook until onion is tender; drain.

  Add remaining ingredients except frozen (or in my case canned) vegetables.

  Cover, bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 50-60 minutes, stirring occasionally.

 Add frozen (or again canned) vegetables; cook about 10 min or til heated through or until vegetables are tender.

 Add additional water if soup becomes too thick upon standing.
HA in my house that is a JOKE as my soups always become STOUPS!!