I actually came across this soup when looking for healthier new recipes for January. I kept looking through Pinterest, but all I had pinned were high fat recipes. Most of them were for fried foods or were smothered in cheese or cream sauces. Don't get me wrong, those sound like fabulous meals, just not exactly what I'm looking for right now.
This soup caught my eye because it has barley in it. Barley is one of my favorite grains but it takes a long time to cook. Since this soup is made in the crock pot I have no fear of under cooking the barley.
I didn't realize until I started putting it together, but this soup is quite creamy. (I suppose I was expecting it to be like the Chicken and Barley Vegetable Stew.) Trust me, hot and creamy is a good thing when the low temperature for the day is 5 degrees. It only took me about 10 minutes to get everything in the crock pot and dinner was ready when Aaron got home from work. I will definitely make this low maintenance dish again.
Crock Pot Potato, Barley, and Canadian Bacon Soup
Source: Iowa Girl Eats
2 medium size potatoes, peeled and diced
2 carrots, chopped
1/2 white onion, chopped
2 stalks (ribs) celery, chopped
1/2 cup barley (not the quick cooking kind because the quick cooking kind will turn to mush in the crock pot)
6 oz Canadian bacon (or ham), chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups chicken broth
1/4 tsp thyme
1 bay leaf
1 cup fat free evaporated milk
salt and pepper to taste
Place the potatoes, carrots, onion, celery, barley, Canadian bacon, and garlic in the crock pot and stir. Add the thyme and bay leaf and about 1/2 tsp salt and some fresh ground pepper.
Pour the chicken broth in and cover.
Cook on low 5-6 hours or until the potatoes are soft and the barley is done.
Add the evaporated milk and cook on high with the lid tilted for 30 minutes.
Serve warm with some fresh bread.
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