Slow-cooked beef, barley and vegetables

Serves: 6
Time to make: 3 hrs 30 mins
( Hands-on time: 30 mins )

Total cost: $ 27.18 / $ 4.53 per serve

(at time of publication)

Ingredients

2 teaspoons olive oil
800g lean beef chuck steak, fat-trimmed
1 large onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
400g can chopped tomatoes
1 ½ cups liquid no-added-salt beef stock
½ cup pearl barley
1 cup chopped green beans
6 cups chopped spinach
6 slices multigrain bread

Instructions

1 Preheat oven to 180°C. Heat oil in a large, flameproof casserole dish over a medium heat. Brown beef in 3 batches. Transfer to a plate.

2 Cook onion, celery and carrot for 5 minutes. Add browned beef, garlic, thyme, tomatoes, stock, 2 cups water and barley. Stir to combine and bring to the boil.

3 Cover and transfer dish to oven for 2-3 hours or until meat is tender and barley is cooked. Add extra cup of water after 2 hours if casserole looks a bit dry. Remove lid in last 30 minutes to thicken sauceif necessary. Add beans in last 20 minutes of cooking.

4 Fold spinach through casserole to wilt then serve with bread.

Nutrition Info (per serve)

Kilojoules 1590kJ

Calories 380cal

Protein 39g

Total fat 10g

–Saturated fat 3g

Carbohydrates 30g

–Sugars 7g

Dietary fibre 5g

Sodium 360mg

Calcium 130mg

Iron 6.5mg

Note: Nutrition composition will vary depending on the exact ingredients used. For a guide to purchasing healthier packaged goods and general grocery items see here.

Variations

Make it gluten free: Check stock is gluten free, use gluten-free bread, and use brown rice instead of barley.
Slow-cooker variation: This recipe can also be cooked for 6–10 hours in a slow cooker on low.