Best Barley Soup

Last night I was home by myself so I made Best Barley Soup, had a glass of wine and watched a Christmas movie. It was lovely. 

Perfect weather for a warm bowl of  soup!

I don't think I've ever had barley before. It's interesting. It's comparable to rice. If it's healthier than rice, then I like it better. However, if the nutrition facts are the same then I prefer rice. 

I went to the grocery store to get all of the ingredients last night and they were out of mushrooms. So, I went to the salad bar and got some sliced mushrooms from there, and some sliced onions while I was at it, making this one of the easiest soups I've ever made. 

I love how Holly sneaks sweet potatoes into a lot of the recipes. We had a bunch that Bradley's parents grew in their garden this summer, so I used some homegrown TN sweet potatoes in this soup. 

Another thought to ponder: Does a single bay leaf really give soup any extra flavor? I mean I put the bay leaf in the soup because I had some, but I just don't see how a single bay leaf can add any flavor to any recipe. 

Top it off with turkey bacon and this is what you get:

Bradley and I both are having a hard time making the switch to turkey bacon. I might stick with the real stuff from now on. 

This was such a simple recipe. You cook everything in one pot so there's very little clean up. The best part is that the total cost of this recipe turned out to be about $1 per serving. I had a serving last night for dinner, then Bradley and I both had a bowl for lunch today and there's enough left for at least three more bowls. 

We both give this recipe one thumb up!